... the rest of the Boys.
As you have no doubt noticed, I have more or less taken this Summer off. The weather is just too nice to waste in front of a Computer.
This Summer reminds me of the wonderfully hot Summers of my youth.
It also has the effect of reminding me of some humourous moments from long ago.
Take Wheatska for instance.
Wheatska was about our age and was raised on a Dutch Settlement Farm in the Rural part of Brighton. His claim to fame was the trouble he had in getting his '60 day' beginner driver's permit - as it was then called.
On one occasion he was met coming out from taking his latest written driver's exam - all smiles. When asked if he had passed the test he responded "no" but that he had answered "two more questions correctly than last time". Wheatska you see had a plan and he was not easily discouraged.
How many attempts he made in total, I no longer remember but the day did come to pass when he was finally was successful.
It was then onto the actual driving portion of the test.
Word went around that on that fateful day, Wheatska was bearing down on a railway crossing when he saw an oncoming train - as did the Examiner who hollered at him to "stop". It made little impact on dear Wheatska. His response - "hold on, I think we can beat it". And luckily he did - whereupon the Examiner is alleged to have got out and walked back to his office.
I must admit , I am suspicious as to the accuracy of the latter part of this story but can personally attest to the following:
It was the day I passed my driver's exam. I picked early Monday morning when I knew there would be little traffic and few parked cars on Brighton's main street. My parallel parking was not the best and I figured my chances for success were higher on that day and time.
My strategy worked - I got my licence to my great personal relief. But unfortunately a grade 11 class mate of mine - who directly followed me - was not as fortunate. As I returned to the Examination Office, in my father's car - my friend was just arriving in his father's car. The trouble was, he was alone - a bit of a 'no no' especially if done directly in front of your Examiner.
Not to be deterred, he bounced out and enthusiastically announced that he was ready for his Test. The Examiner, just as enthusiastically announced that he had Failed The Test.
How come, my class mate wined? The Examiner just shook his head and then made it clear that he was not to drive the car back home without a licenced driver by his side.
And then there was Gary and his friend Floyd. My life long friend Johnny and I were walking down the main hallway in High School when we came upon these two hammering away at each others shoulders. What's going on we asked? "He beat me in a test" moaned Gary. What did you get Gary? 39% he proclaimed. And you Floyd - what did you get? 37% he shot back with a wicked smile.
Looks to us Gary that you got the better mark. You see John and I were quite adept at arithmetic. "That's just it sighed Gary, we always compete for the lowest mark so Floyd here beat me by 2 % points". We commiserated with Gary and then moved on.
On a sad note, Gary died with his young wife in a house fire several years later. We called him 'Cagey' and while he might not have been the brighest of guys - he was a nice guy all the same and in my book that counts for alot.
As I see it...
'Galagher'
Monday, July 19, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
A Glimmer of Hope...
The Ontario Landowners Association (OLA) has seized on something that has the potential to dramatically change the way government does business.
Before I get into their discovery, some background:
The OLA was formed due to the discriminatory treatment farm owners / land owners were and are still receiving at the hands of the Ontario Government - most notably - its Ministry of the Environment (MOE).
MOE has the power to enter any property without warrant and lay charges for various and sundry bizarre infractions. For instance, saw mills and cheese factories have been charged and even closed for polluting - in the case of saw mills for creating "saw dust" and in the case of cheese factories - "whey curd". It would be laughable if the economic consequences to the landowner was not so severe.
Larger landowners have been prevented from use of their lands in order to protect various species many of which are not in the least need of protection. In many instances entire tracts of land have been rezoned 'marsh lands' which has the effect of preventing the farmer from using it but he or she still enjoys the right to pay the realty taxes. No compensation is either offered or given. It is out and out 'State Theft'. And this, despite the fact, that our Country is made up of millions and millions of acres of marsh land, bogs, tundra, lichen and rock out croppings.
City folks have been slow off the mark viewing this outrageous treatment as just a "Rural" issue - but it is not. In this City of Ottawa, laws have recently been invoked to prevent homeowners from spraying their yards for weed control and, not surprisingly, the city is becoming one great big weed patch. Citizens who complained about the ill effects from spraying are now complaining about asthma caused by the weeds the spray was designed to kill. The City has also enacted a bylaw to prevent the cutting of trees. One family had to go to court to get permission to cut a tree that was destroying the foundation of their home.
And then there are the sign bylaws aimed at the Commercial Sector. In Russell Township, just east of Ottawa the Council - in its enlightenment, ordered its businesses to display their signs in both French and English. A Court Challenge is underway in regard to that - by a Francophone and an Anglophone. The Francophone arguing for the right to just have a French Sign and the Anglophone for the right to hang only an English sign.
When Trudeau brought in the Charter of Rights giving this Right and that Right, he purposely omitted the Right to Property. No mere omission that. Trudeau like all socialists / progressives had a fear of property owners; too independent for their liking.
Now to the Glimmer of Hope...
The Crown Grant.
You see, way back when, lands were deeded to original settlers by way of a Crown Grant. Our 35.5 Acres were deeded by the Crown in 1852 to a man by the name of O'Brien. The Crown reserved in our Grant the right to all White Pine since White Pine was used by the British Navy for the building of their Ships' Masts. Otherwise O'Brien - his Heirs and Assigns had and have the unfettered right to the enjoyment of our acreage. The same applies to other Crown Grants subject of course to any reservations that may appear in the Grant.
So the Question posed by the OLA is this: How can the Government now claim to have dominion over lands which it has already given away?
Put another way, it is a tenet of law that you cannot control that what you do not own.
How then can government tax your land? If you were to sell your car to your neighbour, you would have no right to charge him rent for its use. It is his absolutely. The same can be said for land and the OLA is starting to muster its forces to say just that.
If successful MOE would have to be disbanded since it would no longer have the right to arbitrarily interfere with the use of a citizen's real property. If they wanted to deem tracts recreational or whatever, they would have to pay the landowner for the privilege. What a novel concept.
The list goes on but what it would mean too is that government, robbed of its ability to interfere with one's enjoyment of his or her property, would have to downsize - that is say spend less. Taxes would go down but more importantly the intrusion of government into the lives of its citizens would dramatically lessen.
For those wishing to obtain a copy of their own Crown Grant it can be obtained from Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources in Peterborough at (705) 755-2193.
As I see it...
"Galagher"
Before I get into their discovery, some background:
The OLA was formed due to the discriminatory treatment farm owners / land owners were and are still receiving at the hands of the Ontario Government - most notably - its Ministry of the Environment (MOE).
MOE has the power to enter any property without warrant and lay charges for various and sundry bizarre infractions. For instance, saw mills and cheese factories have been charged and even closed for polluting - in the case of saw mills for creating "saw dust" and in the case of cheese factories - "whey curd". It would be laughable if the economic consequences to the landowner was not so severe.
Larger landowners have been prevented from use of their lands in order to protect various species many of which are not in the least need of protection. In many instances entire tracts of land have been rezoned 'marsh lands' which has the effect of preventing the farmer from using it but he or she still enjoys the right to pay the realty taxes. No compensation is either offered or given. It is out and out 'State Theft'. And this, despite the fact, that our Country is made up of millions and millions of acres of marsh land, bogs, tundra, lichen and rock out croppings.
City folks have been slow off the mark viewing this outrageous treatment as just a "Rural" issue - but it is not. In this City of Ottawa, laws have recently been invoked to prevent homeowners from spraying their yards for weed control and, not surprisingly, the city is becoming one great big weed patch. Citizens who complained about the ill effects from spraying are now complaining about asthma caused by the weeds the spray was designed to kill. The City has also enacted a bylaw to prevent the cutting of trees. One family had to go to court to get permission to cut a tree that was destroying the foundation of their home.
And then there are the sign bylaws aimed at the Commercial Sector. In Russell Township, just east of Ottawa the Council - in its enlightenment, ordered its businesses to display their signs in both French and English. A Court Challenge is underway in regard to that - by a Francophone and an Anglophone. The Francophone arguing for the right to just have a French Sign and the Anglophone for the right to hang only an English sign.
When Trudeau brought in the Charter of Rights giving this Right and that Right, he purposely omitted the Right to Property. No mere omission that. Trudeau like all socialists / progressives had a fear of property owners; too independent for their liking.
Now to the Glimmer of Hope...
The Crown Grant.
You see, way back when, lands were deeded to original settlers by way of a Crown Grant. Our 35.5 Acres were deeded by the Crown in 1852 to a man by the name of O'Brien. The Crown reserved in our Grant the right to all White Pine since White Pine was used by the British Navy for the building of their Ships' Masts. Otherwise O'Brien - his Heirs and Assigns had and have the unfettered right to the enjoyment of our acreage. The same applies to other Crown Grants subject of course to any reservations that may appear in the Grant.
So the Question posed by the OLA is this: How can the Government now claim to have dominion over lands which it has already given away?
Put another way, it is a tenet of law that you cannot control that what you do not own.
How then can government tax your land? If you were to sell your car to your neighbour, you would have no right to charge him rent for its use. It is his absolutely. The same can be said for land and the OLA is starting to muster its forces to say just that.
If successful MOE would have to be disbanded since it would no longer have the right to arbitrarily interfere with the use of a citizen's real property. If they wanted to deem tracts recreational or whatever, they would have to pay the landowner for the privilege. What a novel concept.
The list goes on but what it would mean too is that government, robbed of its ability to interfere with one's enjoyment of his or her property, would have to downsize - that is say spend less. Taxes would go down but more importantly the intrusion of government into the lives of its citizens would dramatically lessen.
For those wishing to obtain a copy of their own Crown Grant it can be obtained from Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources in Peterborough at (705) 755-2193.
As I see it...
"Galagher"
Thursday, June 17, 2010
MY BARBER GUS
I have been going to the same Barber for over 15 years and find him to be the best one I have ever had.
He is from Italy and tells me that he has been cutting hair since he was 12. He is now well into his 40s.
'Gus' - not his real name - has 3 levels of talking - a) none; b) little; and c) just a bit more.
Today was my 6 week Pilgrimage to see him at his shop in down town Ottawa. He was stuck on level a) this morning.
In fact I can recall word for word our conversation despite the fact that I am getting somewhat forgetful and despite the fact that we spent some 40 minutes together - head to head sort of speaking.
In fact, had I not attempted to converse with him today - there would have been no conversation.
A Word by Word Account:
He is from Italy and tells me that he has been cutting hair since he was 12. He is now well into his 40s.
'Gus' - not his real name - has 3 levels of talking - a) none; b) little; and c) just a bit more.
Today was my 6 week Pilgrimage to see him at his shop in down town Ottawa. He was stuck on level a) this morning.
In fact I can recall word for word our conversation despite the fact that I am getting somewhat forgetful and despite the fact that we spent some 40 minutes together - head to head sort of speaking.
In fact, had I not attempted to converse with him today - there would have been no conversation.
A Word by Word Account:
- Hi Gus......hi
- Nice Day?...guess so
- Guess you have been following the Soccer World Cup? ....nope (this despite the fact that his walls are covered with numerous pictures of various Italian Soccer Teams)
- Are your boys still in Judo?...nope
- Have either reached University yet?...one has.
- What's he taking...don't know.
At this point I thought I just might as well give up - I was beginning to sense that he was determined not to say anything.
I tried one more time knowing that he likes to put in large vegetable gardens.
Have you got your garden in yet Gus? What do you think - I wait till August?
Well at least my question elicited his longest response of the day. It also turned out to be his last.
The hair cut done - I paid Gus in silence and walked out.
I wonder what level he'll be at in 6 weeks time.
"Galagher"
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
THIS TIME NEXT YEAR...
Speculation continues to run rampant that Harper's Minority Government will not last through the coming Fall...
The Run Away Oil Rig continues to spew Oil on the Grand Banks. This followed Danny Williams demand that restrictions on Oil Drilling be relaxed. Dead oily fish and fowl litter the beaches and fishermen predict that their industry will be dead for at least a generation.
Meanwhile in the House of Commons, Opposition Leader Ignatieff led of Question Period today with the following probing question:
The Run Away Oil Rig continues to spew Oil on the Grand Banks. This followed Danny Williams demand that restrictions on Oil Drilling be relaxed. Dead oily fish and fowl litter the beaches and fishermen predict that their industry will be dead for at least a generation.
Meanwhile in the House of Commons, Opposition Leader Ignatieff led of Question Period today with the following probing question:
- "I have just received reliable information that an Afghan detainee, earlier handed over by our troops in that country, has been denied his right to receive his daily ration of ice-cream. Will the Prime Minister assure the people of Canada that such travesties will cease for good?
As of today, three of Canada's Big Five Banks have failed in light of the second financial crisis that continues to sweep the World. This current crisis began in early 2010 with the bankruptcy of Greece.
NDP Leader Jack Layton followed the Opposition Leader with this most topical question:
- Now that former Cabinet Minister Guegeris has resigned from both Cabinet and from Parliament, and has been prevented from running again in her constituency in the upcoming Election, will the Prime Minister assure the House that she will refund her pay for the time that she sat as an MP?
Work continues on the clean-up of the CN Tower. This Tower, once the tallest building in the world was blown-up last month by Islamic Extremists. The blast could be heard as far away as Pearson Airport by the many who were standing in line awaiting their turn to go through security.
Gilles Duceppe queried this afternoon on why Quebec was not receiving a greater share of the Federal Transfer Payments. While noting Quebec currently receives 75% of those funds he questioned the Government on why they should not also receive part or all of the remaining 25%.
Meanwhile, the National Media front pages were full of examples of MP misspending. The Report of the Auditor General, which came out earlier in the week pointed out that some Honourable Members had overspent there lunch allowances by as much as 9%.
While Nero Fiddled ...Rome Burned.
As I see it...
"Galagher"
Friday, June 4, 2010
Sheila Fraser... Is Going Too Far
I have been meaning to write this Blog for some time now; but other things have kept cropping up.
Simply stated, I believe Dear Sheila is going too far when she demands to examine the books of individual Parliamentarians.
Once again, I know that I am going against the grain of public thinking but Permit Me To Explain My Position:
But first I digress.
In a recent column, John Robson of Ottawa Citizen fame, wrote an excellent article on why he too does not agree with a Sheila Fraser Audit. John talks about rights of Parliamentarians vis a vis the bureaucracy and that Parliamentarians should rule supreme. On that I fully agree.
John also points out quite correctly that Parliamentarians themselves have an internal body that conducts its own audit on their expense accounts.
Although I agree with John, my opposition to an AG Audit is based on less noble principles.
I am mainly opposed to it since I know that it will result in yet another circus of criticism on minor and inane matters.
The Media talks about openness and that the taxpayer has a right to see how MPs are spending their hard-earned dollars. And the Media is quite correct. But that, ladies and gentlemen, is not why the Media wants to gets its grubby little hands on this information. They want to use it to embarrass Parliament - to create stories about how wasteful our representatives are - as has happened in Britain and more recently in Nova Scotia.
They are looking to create juicy (little) news stories that in the end will only lessen public respect for its leaders.
In ordinary times we could afford such nonsense but these are not ordinary times. We have a world economy on the verge of collapse while the Media and Opposition Parties here in Canada deal solely with the trivial: The Detainee Issue; The Guergis Affair; Man-made Lakes and so on.
Issues that at the end of the day I submit do not amount to a hill of beans.
And now the Media pounces on the Audit Issue that will only continue continue to divert attention away from what is really important.
In these troubling circumstances - quite frankly - I do not care if an individual MP has purchased a wide screen TV for his office - or even, double charged on his/her mileage.
Again that is not to say that such misuse of our taxpayers' dollars is right - it most certainly is not. But we have lost so much time chasing shadows that the real issues - the economy, the environment, our broken health and school systems continue to be ignored.
In this sense, I am mad at Sheila Fraser. In just the area of finance, she of all people should be aware of how precarious things are for our Government and in that regard I have to question why she would raise this matter save for the fact that it would garner her attention.
Up to this point, Sheila Fraser has done a commendable job as A.G. but perhaps the time now has come for her to stand down.
As I see it ...
"Galagher"
Simply stated, I believe Dear Sheila is going too far when she demands to examine the books of individual Parliamentarians.
Once again, I know that I am going against the grain of public thinking but Permit Me To Explain My Position:
But first I digress.
In a recent column, John Robson of Ottawa Citizen fame, wrote an excellent article on why he too does not agree with a Sheila Fraser Audit. John talks about rights of Parliamentarians vis a vis the bureaucracy and that Parliamentarians should rule supreme. On that I fully agree.
John also points out quite correctly that Parliamentarians themselves have an internal body that conducts its own audit on their expense accounts.
Although I agree with John, my opposition to an AG Audit is based on less noble principles.
I am mainly opposed to it since I know that it will result in yet another circus of criticism on minor and inane matters.
The Media talks about openness and that the taxpayer has a right to see how MPs are spending their hard-earned dollars. And the Media is quite correct. But that, ladies and gentlemen, is not why the Media wants to gets its grubby little hands on this information. They want to use it to embarrass Parliament - to create stories about how wasteful our representatives are - as has happened in Britain and more recently in Nova Scotia.
They are looking to create juicy (little) news stories that in the end will only lessen public respect for its leaders.
In ordinary times we could afford such nonsense but these are not ordinary times. We have a world economy on the verge of collapse while the Media and Opposition Parties here in Canada deal solely with the trivial: The Detainee Issue; The Guergis Affair; Man-made Lakes and so on.
Issues that at the end of the day I submit do not amount to a hill of beans.
And now the Media pounces on the Audit Issue that will only continue continue to divert attention away from what is really important.
In these troubling circumstances - quite frankly - I do not care if an individual MP has purchased a wide screen TV for his office - or even, double charged on his/her mileage.
Again that is not to say that such misuse of our taxpayers' dollars is right - it most certainly is not. But we have lost so much time chasing shadows that the real issues - the economy, the environment, our broken health and school systems continue to be ignored.
In this sense, I am mad at Sheila Fraser. In just the area of finance, she of all people should be aware of how precarious things are for our Government and in that regard I have to question why she would raise this matter save for the fact that it would garner her attention.
Up to this point, Sheila Fraser has done a commendable job as A.G. but perhaps the time now has come for her to stand down.
As I see it ...
"Galagher"
Thursday, June 3, 2010
The Age of the Czar continues...
I suspect many of you will disagree with me, but I for one am not pleased to see Andre Marin reappointed as Ontario's Czar - I mean 'Ombudsman'. Simply stated, I believe it usurps the power and role of the Member of Parliament.
The concept of Ombudsman is not in itself a bad idea. Someone who knows the intricacies of the bureaucracy and can help individuals navigate it when other sources of help have failed - e.g. their own initiative or assistance from their MPP.
But as with all Czars - power tends to corrupt and from modest beginnings, their Empires are built.
If Marin and his ilk stuck to basics - in Marin's case helping individuals navigate the ever-growing bureaucracy, it would be work well done.
But too often he (the position) feels the need to take on the Government by being critical of its Policies. That dear reader, I respectfully argue, is the role of the MPP - through Government Caucus, the Opposition and ultimately will be decided by the Electorate come Election Time.
As I have pointed out in earlier Blogs, we are more and more ruled by Czars - indeed, the USA has mastered this Black Art. Correspondingly, the role of our Parliaments and its Members is greatly diminished.
We need to reverse this dangerous trend with a view to holding our MPs more accountable to we the voter.
Permit me to give you an example.
Marin has been highly critical on many occasions about the poor quality of health care in the Province. A position on which we can all agree. However, ...
...nearly 50% of Ontario's budget is currently dedicated to Health.
So Marin complains, as he has done in the past, that more money is needed and from his pedestal, he successfully embarrasses the Government of the Day into providing more funding from an already strained Budget.
That, I submit, is none of his business.
There will be others in society who would rather see these scarce resources spent on education, policing, infrastructure and the like.
It is Parliament's Role, as our Elected Representatives, to make these difficult trade-offs.
Marin should confine himself to dealing with individuals who are having trouble with the Ministry of Health - e.g. getting their drug claims approved for payment.
Unfortunately Czars, like our bureaucracies, continue to grow like Topsy.
As I see it...
"Galagher"
The concept of Ombudsman is not in itself a bad idea. Someone who knows the intricacies of the bureaucracy and can help individuals navigate it when other sources of help have failed - e.g. their own initiative or assistance from their MPP.
But as with all Czars - power tends to corrupt and from modest beginnings, their Empires are built.
If Marin and his ilk stuck to basics - in Marin's case helping individuals navigate the ever-growing bureaucracy, it would be work well done.
But too often he (the position) feels the need to take on the Government by being critical of its Policies. That dear reader, I respectfully argue, is the role of the MPP - through Government Caucus, the Opposition and ultimately will be decided by the Electorate come Election Time.
As I have pointed out in earlier Blogs, we are more and more ruled by Czars - indeed, the USA has mastered this Black Art. Correspondingly, the role of our Parliaments and its Members is greatly diminished.
We need to reverse this dangerous trend with a view to holding our MPs more accountable to we the voter.
Permit me to give you an example.
Marin has been highly critical on many occasions about the poor quality of health care in the Province. A position on which we can all agree. However, ...
...nearly 50% of Ontario's budget is currently dedicated to Health.
So Marin complains, as he has done in the past, that more money is needed and from his pedestal, he successfully embarrasses the Government of the Day into providing more funding from an already strained Budget.
That, I submit, is none of his business.
There will be others in society who would rather see these scarce resources spent on education, policing, infrastructure and the like.
It is Parliament's Role, as our Elected Representatives, to make these difficult trade-offs.
Marin should confine himself to dealing with individuals who are having trouble with the Ministry of Health - e.g. getting their drug claims approved for payment.
Unfortunately Czars, like our bureaucracies, continue to grow like Topsy.
As I see it...
"Galagher"
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Five Quick Hits....
Israel; Black; Menard; Mulroney; Korea....
In descending order of importance.
1. Israel
Cry me a river. The world is in feigned outraged by Israel's continued interest in preserving itself. Yesterday saw Israeli commandos enforce its naval blockade of the troubled Gaza resulting in some casualties. Passengers in the six boat flotilla confirmed that their real intention was not to bring aid to Gaza but rather was to break the Israeli blockade.
As we all know, Israel is surrounded by millions of Arabs who would like nothing better than to see it eliminated from the face of the earth. Should Israel relax its efforts to protect itself that day would soon come.
Sad to say, I suspect the outrage on the part of the Rest of the World is fuelled by anti-semitism.
2. Conrad Black of Penal Reform
In this Weekend Post, Black writes an article on Canada's misguided attempt to reform its Penal System. Like him or hate him, Black can now argue from personal experience his knowledge crime and punishment.
Anyway in regard to his article. Black believes, as do I, that there is little value served in imprisoning non-violent offenders. Our prisons are overflowing now and to toughen legislation, as the Tories propose, will see even more non-violents locked up. Simply stated we as a society cannot afford it.
Both in regard to cost and to damage to society. The first is self evident, the second relates to prisons having a dehumanizing effect and serving as a training ground leading to more serious offences.
There are lots of penalties that can be applied to non-violents other than incarceration including: fines; confiscation; house arrest; loss of licences; community service etc etc.
3. Brig Gen Menard - a) Sex & b) Skewed Priorities
a) Sex
Menard has allegedly breached DND Policy of 'no sexual involvement between consenting adults' even if those adults are married to each other. Why not a policy then on declaring Afghanistan weather to be mild and sunny? They would both have about as much chance of success.
b) Skewed Priorities
My greater concern with Menard's actions relates to his self imposed charge that he accidentally discharged a firearm. He made it look like he was one of the guys - prepared to take the same penalty he would dish out to those under his command for a similar occurrence.
But he is not the same. The Allies are readying themselves for the most major assault on Taliban forces to date and Menard was tasked to be the Commander of the UN forces in that assault expected this Spring. And what does he do? He heads back to Canada to waste three (3) weeks on a minor Court Marshall offence resulting in a piddly fine. Can you see Eisenhower doing that three (3) weeks prior to D-Day? To me this is a far greater offence.
4. Mulroney
Justice Oliphant's $18 million Inquiry to tell us what we already knew - i.e. it was inappropriate for Mulroney to conceal large amounts of cash payments from Schreiber.
As soon as Mulroney disclosed these payments - pre Inquiry - the damage was done to his reputation and nothing further was required. He will have to live it.
As readers of this Blog will know, I am more interested in the dealings of a previous Liberal PM and his ties with such luminaries as Maurice Strong in China.
5. Korea
The sinking of the South Korean warship but a North Korean sub has also been in the news much of late. Talk now centres around what punishment will be laid on North Korea by the South and its Allies.
Bottom-line here is that nothing will come of it. South Korea is in no position to suffer the damage that would flow from a victory over the north. Its main city Seoul is located too close to the north and has too many missiles trained on it to allow anything more than vocal complaints.
There is one benefit out of this. The strained ties between Pyongyang and Beijing will loosen even further.
As I see them...
"Galagher"
In descending order of importance.
1. Israel
Cry me a river. The world is in feigned outraged by Israel's continued interest in preserving itself. Yesterday saw Israeli commandos enforce its naval blockade of the troubled Gaza resulting in some casualties. Passengers in the six boat flotilla confirmed that their real intention was not to bring aid to Gaza but rather was to break the Israeli blockade.
As we all know, Israel is surrounded by millions of Arabs who would like nothing better than to see it eliminated from the face of the earth. Should Israel relax its efforts to protect itself that day would soon come.
Sad to say, I suspect the outrage on the part of the Rest of the World is fuelled by anti-semitism.
2. Conrad Black of Penal Reform
In this Weekend Post, Black writes an article on Canada's misguided attempt to reform its Penal System. Like him or hate him, Black can now argue from personal experience his knowledge crime and punishment.
Anyway in regard to his article. Black believes, as do I, that there is little value served in imprisoning non-violent offenders. Our prisons are overflowing now and to toughen legislation, as the Tories propose, will see even more non-violents locked up. Simply stated we as a society cannot afford it.
Both in regard to cost and to damage to society. The first is self evident, the second relates to prisons having a dehumanizing effect and serving as a training ground leading to more serious offences.
There are lots of penalties that can be applied to non-violents other than incarceration including: fines; confiscation; house arrest; loss of licences; community service etc etc.
3. Brig Gen Menard - a) Sex & b) Skewed Priorities
a) Sex
Menard has allegedly breached DND Policy of 'no sexual involvement between consenting adults' even if those adults are married to each other. Why not a policy then on declaring Afghanistan weather to be mild and sunny? They would both have about as much chance of success.
b) Skewed Priorities
My greater concern with Menard's actions relates to his self imposed charge that he accidentally discharged a firearm. He made it look like he was one of the guys - prepared to take the same penalty he would dish out to those under his command for a similar occurrence.
But he is not the same. The Allies are readying themselves for the most major assault on Taliban forces to date and Menard was tasked to be the Commander of the UN forces in that assault expected this Spring. And what does he do? He heads back to Canada to waste three (3) weeks on a minor Court Marshall offence resulting in a piddly fine. Can you see Eisenhower doing that three (3) weeks prior to D-Day? To me this is a far greater offence.
4. Mulroney
Justice Oliphant's $18 million Inquiry to tell us what we already knew - i.e. it was inappropriate for Mulroney to conceal large amounts of cash payments from Schreiber.
As soon as Mulroney disclosed these payments - pre Inquiry - the damage was done to his reputation and nothing further was required. He will have to live it.
As readers of this Blog will know, I am more interested in the dealings of a previous Liberal PM and his ties with such luminaries as Maurice Strong in China.
5. Korea
The sinking of the South Korean warship but a North Korean sub has also been in the news much of late. Talk now centres around what punishment will be laid on North Korea by the South and its Allies.
Bottom-line here is that nothing will come of it. South Korea is in no position to suffer the damage that would flow from a victory over the north. Its main city Seoul is located too close to the north and has too many missiles trained on it to allow anything more than vocal complaints.
There is one benefit out of this. The strained ties between Pyongyang and Beijing will loosen even further.
As I see them...
"Galagher"
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