Bhutto

Strange events in Pakistan emerge like a bizarre entertainment. First a politician who wants security from a government doesn't stand up through the sun roof of a bullet proof car.

I followed Ms. Bhutto's political career for quite a while. Like the Peron's of Argentina and the Kennedys of the USA, there was always a large margin between the promise and the actual result.

In actual political performance Bhutto could be termed ineffectual and very divisive. Al Qaeda, the likely agency of assassination, may have finally goofed if it can be proved that they did this. The worst thing a society of future martyrs can do is to make a martyr of an opponent.

Mad fool

Using the Barbara Amiel phraseology about having a taste of the extravagance which knows no bounds, this year's Christmas Day repast marched up the avenues of excess.

I decided to spoil myself with something very special. Yes I went, bought and opened a jar of Cheez-wiz.

And when I was done with the sausages, yes I spooned some remaining amounts directly from the jar. Hmmm that's some good eatin'.

More on Christmas

Less on Christmas. Off the annual to do list.

Since the advent of the internet, which is about 14 years. I usually sent out Xmas wishes to everyone on my active email list. They would naturally hit the reply button and return said salutations.

This year I decided to be the passive. My turn to hit the 'lie reply'.

Only one. That's it. Hmmmph.

And I checked in ALL the email accounts.

I'm not bitter. I am used to getting no respect. Rodney Dangerfield died. Now I'm number one forget whats his name.

Hey next year. Time for the old 813.54d2.

Jolly Jolly little elf

Jolly, Jolly little elf
Removing a box off the shelf.
Tearing open the seal
Letting loose a squeal
For he had just opened
The surprising scene
Of last summer's
Box of bread
Printed in red
Contents fuzzy and green.

Season of Joy

To bad. At the moment Christmas seemed to be such a suck. I haven't blogged in eons. Had a good reason too. Couldn't see the screen due to all those eye infections.

Now that these eyes lids have settled down a a bit, I can now look at the screen after almost two months. Figured out how to fix future eye infections. For those on Prevacid and Losec all you might be susceptible to such infections. Simply stop taking it for about three weeks.

The anti-anticid beta blockers reduce the PH in your stomach but also eventually lowers the PH in your tear glands. This means that the weaker acid in the eyes doesn't do its job in blocking what would otherwise be common infections not likely to infect.

The only downside to this is that you must endure a return to the bowels in malfeasance for a short duration.

Contexts

Sands flowing through the glass hole marked time. No isotope ticked the periods of a human existence. Humans invented time and the machines to mark it. The time masters lacked trust in the sun.

In the sun lies the substrate of all vitality. So why so many demands that you wake up before the sun comes up?

Feet up

I admit it. I haven't posted in quite a while. Everything is going on and nothing is going on.

So I went to the doctor a week ago. It was a late appointment. So at the end of the physical he goes. "You take four prescriptions. But what do you take for the fractured disc in your back?"

And my reply, "What fractured disc?"

The doctor goes. "The last X-ray you got showed a compound fracture of your disc according to the radiologist."

"No one told me about that.".

Entry for today with no special title

Wonder what the freezies are doing? Looking at the calendar, October month enters its final full week of seven suns.

Amazing that I am still in short sleeves. Looking at a small closet of jackets I ponder when next it will be cool enough to don this garb.

There are upsides to global warming.

Harper, Hillier and Hooey

Last week according to news and media reports, Stephen Harper, Canadian Prime Minister, un-extraordinaire, basically admitted that the only reason that Canadians engaged in Afghanistan solely for the reason because the Americans wanted it. And toilet goes flushing the reconstruction, security and we are bringing democracy premise for our armed intervention in another society.

Harper springs forth with the motto that such arguments are against supporting the troops. Nothing can be further from the truth. It is entirely consistent that the efforts that our military are putting forth are to be credited with excellent and exceptional work consistent and surpassing our expectations. Even then it is their reports that indicate the futility of the task seems a running deer.

And it is a task set forth by an Ottawa based government entirely in cow-tow position to a renegade superpower mad about the world swimming in an Olympic size pool of self delusion. Even historically the scope and tactics employed by our armed forces have been proven quite inefficient for the last two thousand years.

Only Alexander the Great succeeded in Afghanistan. General Hillier appears no Alexander. Alexander got results. Hillier constantly trips on his sword and tongue. Canadians are fooled because the media confuses his farcical self-promoting strutting at every photo op as soldierly.

He is no Patton. Patton got results. Using his troops as a vehicle to personal glorification, he appears a hero. A word, here. I grew up with men returned from a World Wars. I know heroes. Hillier remains far from heroic.

Soldiers shouldn’t be allowed into such circumstances. One takes every word of their proclamations that they are doing good in Afghanistan as gospel truth. Soldiers do not control society by their intellect, they exercise social control by the weapons they carry.

Also the casualty list is both a curse and a boon to government. At the time of writing 71 Canadian souls have been lost due to this conflict. Seventy-one people should be mourned but in reality it is such a low number for such a conflict, indeed such a statistic should be considered exceptionally low.

Even the Afghans can’t control Afghanistan. Nor are they a united people. They never have been. Afghanistan is only a region inhabited by a small number of warring, feuding tin pot war lords whose only concern is their poppy powered bank accounts,. not with social harmony and not with social advance. Without a central figure to control their anarchist martial attitudes they persistently devolved into civil war with no recorded exceptions. They are barbarians unto themselves.

Now Harper and the neo-Conservative fundamentalist Christians believe that this mission must be extended. Morally this is unforgivable. Our compact, our agreement with the NATO allies will be filled. In every sense the European allies of NATO are the ones that have skirted their responsibility to the alliance. This was supposed to be a NATO mission. Like the Canadians, NATO was dragged into this by an American need to control the Iraqis oil patch.

Even the Americans have only so many troops. The American Christian right failed in their goal in Afghanistan. Osama still rides his horse. The Americans failed in Iraq. New Orleans city paid the price.

One of the most hilarious events was the recent release of a poll claiming that about 70% of Afghans support foreign troop intervention. This must be very similar to the Russian polls of the early 1980’s which stated that 70% of Afghans announced support for Russian military intervention. This is also likely consistent with Taliban polls which will certainly indicate a 70% support for insurgency. 70% of Afghans will say anything anyone wants to hear.

Understand that such a response bears no malice. Rather such a response comes from survivors. These people survived warlords, invading armies and other do gooders. They care little for “free world” government forms. Their preferred government form is the traditional tribe and chief rather than the elitist abstract forms of imposed government. Eventually they will have a democratic form of government but in no record has a will for democratic reform been imposed from outside a state.

In 14 months our present military responsibility ends. Regardless of the situation, for Canada’s government and the Canadian army that contract has been filled. It should not be continued in its present form.

The contention to extend the present military mission is entirely ludicrous. First, one of the biggest spin of rational emanating from this conflict is the Afghan cultural demand for honesty. It is a mechanism to respect. How can any Afghan elder respect the word of a Canadian officer or agent when to this point they have always stated that they weren’t in Afghanistan to stay. Extending the mission means that foreign troops intend to stay. If Canadians leave when they say we will leave, means that our word means something.

The big military pitch has always been to approach Afghan village elders as guests. Guests who do leave, when they say they are leaving, always earn a welcome back. Guests who overstay their welcome are poison in Canadian society, and more so in Afghan society.

We can go back if invited. We are more likely to carry more cache of diplomacy with Afghans if we keep our words to the letter of the contract. It is more ethical to do what we say.

One of the most recent pitches for staying has been Hillier’s bleating about the need to train Afghan police and soldiers. Well during World War II, Canada trained thousands of people, in Canada. It would be far cheaper, far more secure and far more effective to train these police and soldiers in Canada than Afghanistan. Canada trained allied pilots and spies in the safety of our borders.

All the teaching tools are here. Southern Alberta and the Caribou Chilicotin mimics topographically Afghanistan. So all the teaching material would be here. The student troops could train without fear of sudden attack. They can be prepared better for combat here than over in the wrecked facilities in Afghanistan.

The best full training for such forces would be in Canada not Afghanistan. When they return to Afghanistan they would be fully trained and experienced to defend themselves. Now that the Conservative government has spent all this money on new airplanes the traffic to and from Afghanistan of these training troops.

We could fully train 3 to 4 Afghan police and soldiers in Canada for the same cost of maintaining a single Canadian soldier in Afghanistan. And the Canadian government could fund that training as our contribution to the NATO effort. And in employing such a strategy, we could achieve the original warm aims far more efficiently, more effectively and more quickly. Don’t train the Afghan army and police in Afghanistan. After six years of trying, that pony won’t learn that trick. If there is a need to train police, train them here.

RIP MMP

That sound… a scream.

That sound a scream of joy. The idea of Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) representation crumbles in the dust of its own stupidity. That scream erupts from air ripping vocal chords in emotional display mouthed with a hoo-ray.

A scream of despair. The proponents of MMP groan in terrible pain as the elitist concept gets ground into the dustbin of history. 103 selected citizens, mostly the Premier’s concept of citizens, (all sporting red hearts, brown noses grunting like abandoned Peccaries.) allegedly grouped together and came up with this idea.

Such a proposal then provides the punch line of either one of two jesting queries:

1. How many Liberals does it take to come up with an actual idea?

2. How many Liberals does it take to come up with a very stupid idea?

One answer for both. 103.

We could have this on Jeopardy.

Alex: Okay the only remaining category Liberal Patronage?

Contestant: Stupid ideas for $120 Alex.

Alex: (Ding) 103… one … hundred and … three

(Boop, boop boop … boop)

Need an answer.

(((((aaja;fjapp))))

Contestant: What was the number of stupid butt kissing, brain farting, cater eating Liberal panty waists who recommended MMP?

(ding, ding, ding, ding, ding ding.)

This is being written in the early morning and not having the actual figures all the radio reports indicate the magic sixty percent was achieved and that is rejection. A big fat NO.

The media is sort of muted. Many alleged television journalists sort of were sure that this measure would pass. Liberal supporters took it for granted that since this was a committee of brainy trusts that everyone would naturally fall for the line.

Opposition to it from mostly print media journalists grew during the last days and overwhelmed the lazy campaign of the pro MPP forces. It was a tsunami of opposition.

This doesn’t mean that I am opposed to election reform. There is a better alternative.

First the province does need a few more MPPs re-established and not necessarily along Federal riding boundaries. Federal ridings follow a design based on the National needs and criteria. The Provincial legislature should define those boundaries along Provincial needs and demands.

Second run off elections similar to the process used in Europe would work. In Ontario’s case a run off election would be triggered by a plurality of less than 49% and a less than a vote lead of less than 12% or less than 42%. Which means that if those criteria are not met the top two vote getters would have a run off election 14 days later.

This system would assure that a certain majority in each riding would vote for the elected member. Such a system assures that the new member has received a definite number of vote support entering the legislature. Oh never mind. It will never be accepted it makes sense.

RIP MMP

Constricting Canadian democracy

The other side of the debate

Have you ever wondered why the Ontario Political Parties are almost universally in support of the proportional representation idea? The official name is something like Mixed Member Proportional Representation (MMPR). Such a new structure doesn't represent Joe Citizen. It is a change designed to garner more power for the individual political party leaders.

They all state that there will be a full disclosure of the list of party candidates. Mind you this is to fix a system they claim is broken. The first questions that must be asked are: Is it the system? Or is it those managing the system?

In short, the present system works fine if those driving it were competent. It is the poor manager that blames the system. And the present system worked for hundreds of years. Such a change like MMPR will permanently diminish the voter's access to the politician. It transfers political power from universal sufferage to political party compacts.

Here is why.

Representation Comparison

To compare the United States of America (USA) constitutionally began as a people’s republic. One person, one vote. The representatives swear to uphold the people’s Constitution. On their ballots, the political party comes first.

In the case of Canada the constitutional formation evolved from the British experience in quite a different manner. Canada was and still is a constitutional monarchy. And Canadians forget this at political peril. In Canada, the Member of Parliament (MP; MPP; MLA) swears political fealty to the Crown and represents a district called a Riding.

Why use the word political peril? A peril exists because the entire Canadian political structure evolved in an environment so different than the USA. Canadian colonial precursors fought wars to keep that political affiliation intact. In the USA the Congress represents the people of the Nation. In Canada the people are represented through the Crown.

The USA presently evolved as a rather homogenous mono-culture even politically. The USA possesses ten times the population compared with the Canadian population statistics. Geographically the USA is smaller.

Proportional representation presents a far major shift to divisive party politics. Each party nominates a candidate to run in each election presently. In Canada, on the ballot it is the person who represents a riding not the political party. In proportional representation a list of Candidates is presented to some sort of cesspool of politicians and those party favorites, these party special lists represent. In no case are unaffiliated people nonparty members qualified for political appointment.

In the present electoral system the focus is on the individual candidate in each Riding. Now the focus will change. In this present system any person can run independently. In the new regime only political hacks would be available for governing. This new aspect of MMPR impairs political government represented by the Crown. In our system of government ideally the MP or MPP should be representing the Crown.

Along side of this one must remind oneself that in the Republic system there is no such thing as Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. The implication is clear. With this new system the opposition will only be loyal to the party that selected that individual not to the Crown, the people of Canada or the people of Ontario.

Political Instability

A peril because one of the most important features of the Canadian voting wisdom has engendered long periods of what is called majority governments and short periods of minority governments. While uncomfortable for those in opposition, the so called first past the post system has brought governmental stability and as a result economic, social and cultural stability.

Unlike the USA the Canadian government depends on the voting support of most of the members of Parliament. In the US, conceived in the blood of rebellion, the government executive functions apart from its legislature. Often the party that controls the Congress is not the same as the party controlling the Executive Branch of that Government. In that case the government decision making process is compromised and stifled.

Some people advocate a more USA like political system and in a Parliamentary structure that brings disaster because the responsibilities are different. It means potentially political chaos and even a more intransigent political structure benefiting only political parties.

In most systems where Proportional Representation exists there maintains long periods of minority coalition governments. In Canada, in Ontario the Riding and its constituents are placed ahead of the political party. With the advent of the Proportional Representation the advantage, the control of government shifts away from the Crown, the people to the hands of the mandarins of political parties. These people only care about themselves and care little for Joe Citizen. The power shift from away the people, and to the political party is the prime reason why all the Ontario political parties are for this resolution. It kills the Parliamentary system slowly in a strangulation of party politics in an environment of coalition politicians which they control.

Advocates claim otherwise citing specific examples like Sweden. In every manner Sweden is so unlike Canada on so many levels. Sweden is a very small country physically. Sweden is a mono-culture. Sweden’s political systems work far different than the British evolved Canadian system. In most cases, Proportional Representation, stifles government.

Riding vs. Constituency

Diminishing citizen access highlights the argument why so applies in much of Southern Ontario. Recall that earlier the emphasis on the idea of Crown representing Canadian Joe Citizen. Each MPP represents an area.

One of the largest myths is the absurd idea that in Canada there is a one person one, vote idea. So in almost every set of Riding redistribution hearings since then, there has been an idea about all ridings being approximately equal in population. It is the over riding goal albeit a twisted one.

This is always worth repeating. While an ideal, this equal population only works if the foundation of the state is a popular republic. Unlike the USA Congressman the MPP just doesn’t represent the people in Parliament. The MPP also represents the Crown to her/his Riding. Canada is a representative monarchy. The MPP swears to the Crown as the representative of the people. The MPP is not the people’s representative. Rather they are the responsible elected agent of the Crown to the people.

Again in all this, presently political parties are entirely secondary to Canadian government. Ontario political parties only wish to deprive Joe Citizen of even that political right. Political parties wish to control the Ontario parliament, the people, the Crown be damned.

Lets define what a Riding began as. In times of yore it was decided by the Crown that population was the secondary consideration to political access to that MPP. A “Riding” was a distance that a single rider or riding MPP could cover in the space of one day. From the idea it wasn’t just the idea of one person one vote but also it was firstly the idea of one person equal access to government.

As it evolved into the 19th century, the idea of political access predominated. In a city with dense populations the access could be divided into access by statistics. But in the rural districts it was political access that had to be considered first. Every citizen not only has an equal vote but every citizen must have an equal access to government.

In the federal government redistribution circa 1974, there was a significant shift from the idea. An MP from Northern Ontario named Keith Penner fought hard against this change since it began the decline of political access to government by citizens. His arguments ring to this day. Basically it was an injustice to such a large important territory so critical to Canada lose political power simply because of a lower population compared with a dense urban area like Toronto.

When Parliaments evolved the idea of political access dominated versus a population factor for represenetation. How does this work?

Presently I live in Toronto not by choice. The riding in which I live probably has about 120,000 or so. To access my MPP I simply have to walk up to College Street and walk into his office. Also there is the option of simply going to a ceremony or community social function or funeral. The MPP should likely be there.

In Northern Ontario, today that same political access to Crown representation is not there. The MPP is an able hard working person but cannot give the same quality of representation. The size of his “Riding” is too large. The office is in Thunder Bay. Despite his best efforts the MPP cannot go to the social functions or funerals that urban MPPs can. Simply stating. A Northern Ontario Joe Citizen has far poorer access to representation than a Toronto Joe Citizen.

Even though there maybe only 80,000 people in the riding and in theory the MPP represents far fewer people the quality of representation remains mitigated by geography, distance and adverse climates. Since 1974 that quality of representation has reduced significantly and Northern Ontario residents are only second class citizens due to an inane drive to determine Ridings based on population alone.

This inequality resides in rural southern Ontario as well although not to the significant degree. An MPP in that Riding can drive to any social function within several hours travel and be back in the legislature the very next day, but the rural citizen doesn’t have the same easy access to political representation Toronto residents do.

Now with the advent of Proportional Representation this access will be even further diminished. A city like Toronto or London has more members. They will chose those members by outright vote to be the ones nominated to that class of MPP. In Northern Ontario the only representatives that will represent them will be only those members that southern Ontario party members chose.

The only difference between Northern Ontario Joe Citizen’s access to political influence and the rural person in southern Ontario is only in the degree. Proportional Representation, if adopted is simply a naked power grab by urban centric political parties.

Political responsibility

And who gains access to these proportional MPs? In a Riding/Constituency system the MPP remains uncomfortably responsible for that Riding. A proportional MPP doesn’t answer to anyone save the political party they belong to. They will not have the same right to cross the floor in a dispute with their political party mandarins. Political freedoms so long protected by historical evolution are now gone if Proportional Representation is adopted.

Again, who does the Premier or Cabinet member be responsible to if she/he is a Proportional Member? People do not have the right to complain to this person. The idea violates the very heart of Parliamentary democracy because Proportional MPPs are responsible only to the parties political, not the people, not the crown, only to a vested interest.

And this is why few Political Parties stand up to oppose this faulty idea. Proportional Representation skews and begins the wrecking of the Canadian, of the Ontario political system. And the personal rights to equal political access for all is further diminished.

Paradoxical Conundrum

Great problems espousing support for any political party in this election. It is an example of a paradoxical conundrum.

Regardles of which side I would speak in support, the feeling remains the same. No matter which, I would be speaking like an idiot.

Repost: First past the post and last at the trough

For Northern Ontario proportional representation becomes an unmitigated political disaster. There is no benefit to any Northerner regardless of political loyalty.

Over the years Queen's Park drained every spare resource revenue from Northern Ontario. Never reinvesting unless the applicant is a major political supporter, the south only will accelerate its economic pillage unfettered by political audit.

All senior levels of government compose legislation satiating the inward desires of the urban voter in southern Ontario. The Gun Registry, the tax on diamonds, passports at the border, the banning of hunting contribute to the declines in northern commerce, in northern industry and northern populations.

There is no serious reinvestment in the North despite electoral campaign promises. Only a trifling percentage of those taxes revisit the North.

Depending on whether one defines Northern Ontario along the French I believe the North is left with eleven seats in the federal and provincial parliaments. Recently the federal government dangled twenty two new seats from Ottawa to Toronto.

No new seats for Northern Ontario though. In the last distribution the gnomes of democracy proposed one riding from Current River to the Western Border of Sudbury. Try being a representative of that.

Do the math. Even if Northern Ontario held onto its few ridings the proportional representation and the 22 new seats would add about 61 seats to the south. The North presently holds a bare ten percent voice which would fall instantly to four percent. A power reduction of more than 50%. Does anyone actually believe that ten percent of those proportional MPPs would come from the North.

Do you believe that any provincial party all of which are headquartered in Southern Ontario will pick northerners over thirty nine good old boys from 905? Numerically the growing Asian community in the Greater Toronto Area is a more important demographic than the few Northerners scattered over the vast land mass of Northern Ontario. Few no likely none of those 39 seats will be posted by northerners and I state none will.

This is a very critical point of time. If Northerners actually got together in a Bloc like party it would get no legislature funding because all of the seats must switch to be a party recognized by the speaker of the Ontario Legislature. In 2011 the party would have to win more than 16 seats for house debates and house funding. Consider that there is only a rump of 11 maybe 14 seats depending on where you define Northern Ontario. No Northern faction will receiver adequate funding.

Even then approximately 140,000 votes would be needed to qualify for any proportional representation. According to the new legislation a new party must get three percent of the popular vote to be recognized as entitled to add a proportional representative. And that would be only one representative.

If Northern Ontario was a separate province then proportional representation works politically. But when there is a vast discrepancy of population densities between the two parts of this province, then proportional representation works against the lesser population.

In 2011 it is very likely that Northern Ontario will possess no voice over its own affairs. Only 4% of the seats doesn't carry much weight in any caucus no matter what the present incumbents say.

Before that happens Northern Ontario must form its own political movement, its own political party for political separation to regain some form of self governance.

Its been proposed before and handled poorly. There was always time. Now that time has run out. Every single voter in Northern Ontario must vote against proportional representation. Let this referendum be the poll that asserts your rights. Deny southern Ontario its habitual oligarchy over your affairs, over your education system, over your power plants, over your resources, over your mines, over your roads, over your houses, and over your existence

This week. Another two word Joke

Toronto Argonauts

Canada's other War against Povery

Blame for any financial crisis in this country usually falls on the shoulders of the poorest. They are a convenient target. They have no representation. Equal rights do not exist for Canadian poor legally. They are weak. And all other classes in Canadian society literally hate the poor.

You know why? They are one stroke, one heart attack, one arthritis condition, one mental health episode, one industrial accident away from being there. Canadian poor lose everything. The great Canadian social system is a wreck.

Yes the welfare system works for all immigrants. It works if you are Quebecois. It works better if you are female. It works if you are gay. It works if you are a visible minority. But if you are male, middle aged or older (female, or male), aged or even slightly overweight, the discrimination appears naked and unabashed.

The business executives in the city core complain about panhandlers all the time. And to them panhandlers equate with all poor. The solution is to disenfranchise and deepen the poor condition and contrive to remove the social safety net.

Billions can be spent on protecting the Canadian sovereignty over an Imperial Oil resource prospect and this is good. One dollar spent on Canadian poor is considered a waste of money. Yesterday I saw a guy who is dying slowly in agony because of stomach cancer. He has been deliberately shoved around from doctor to doctor because he is poor and has no power.

More on this guy. To the majority of the medical establishment money spent on him is wasted, indeed for the longest time they didn't even provide him with any comfort for pain. They didn't make sure he was put into a proper medical facility forcing him to return nightly to a Salvation Army shelter. A service club has since made sure he gets proper pain medication morphine when he needs it while he waits for a surgery to reduce his pain. His story is not the only one, it is only the most current.

I don't wish to single out the medical establishment alone. This sort of institutional bias swims in other areas like housing, or even a poor guy standing in a downtown mall under the great towers of power. I've seen avid security officers expel people who are poorly dressed out of the complex even if they only sit on a bench. The poor are a convenient target for a society that is becoming a mean, shallow and greedy nation.

People are blaming the panhandlers for a situation they did not create. A point here. Most poor people do not panhandle in Toronto. Quite the contrary.

The embarrassment of most people to be impoverished tops most emotions. In Toronto, at this moment most panhandlers are either alcoholic or crack addicts. When a mark places that spare change in their palms

The solutions are wrong. All this panhandling began with the Harris government 's arbitrary 25% reduction in welfare rates a decade ago. This was the neo-conservative stance discriminating against impoverished individuals.

Since the Thatcher Reagan economic policies were handed to political ethics the gap between rich and poor has been growing. The poor in Canada have been denied voice not only in the city but voice in politics.

Every single social, economic and political problem stems from the poor. The poor in Canada are the first to suffer and the last to benefit from any political turn. If the city finds its budget is in the minus, will they sacrifice road improvements in the richer neighborhoods? Will they increase the residential rates on the high end mansions of the wealthy, their campaign funders?

Answer no. The very first thing the city council does is to increase the transit fares which is a direct tax on the very poorest of the city. They reduce services in libraries and community centres all of which serve only the poorer members of the municipality. The mayor did not cancel his million dollar office renovation.

As a result we have food banks, severe reductions in shelter space, increased homelessness. And now the braintrust of city hall and provincial halls of power and the upper classes of society. Leaders of this society, the privileged want to legislate against the poor.

To reduce this problem isn't to reinforce the psychopathic political theory of canadian conservatives. Rather this whole situation can be solved by simply restoring welfare subsidies to the percentages of the mid 1980's, increase funding to social housing and assistance programs.

Increases in social spending like that would be more cost effective, more proactive than increasing funding to police. If done so, the discrimination and hopelessness that embraces Canadian poor can be solved literally as soon as tomorrow. It won't for the simple reason that politicians of all parties, even the one's claiming to be proactive against poverty won't have any target group to blame to mask their own incompetence.

If anyone ever asks me the biggest change in Canada over my lifetime? The answer wouldn't be the growing new cities. Or the growth of the richest people's property. Or technical feats which usually are exported to other nations. No its simply that compared with the Canada of 40 years ago, this country has become a cold, mean, and greedy nation.

Medical conundrumitis

When the horse stands eating a the manger masticating grass input, at the other end, the rate of output often increases. The horse in question describes the Canadian medical establishment.

Here's why. Most doctors and medical professionals work for the public system while actively promoting the advantages of private medicine. Opponents citing a lot of really good reasons against the idea remain equally ignorant to a rather poignant reason grinding against such an idea. A private system in Canada will not work.

You see the doctors claim that public system doesn't work. The flaw in their argument is that they are the people that basically run that system. A private system cannot work since they have proven that they cannot run the public system efficiently.

Now some people claim that the doctors are only part of the Canadian medical system. That is horseshit. They are the public health system according to the acts they do. Doctors have their mucky fingers all over and into the pie. But they want even more.

Now I've been in the private commercial business systems for years. The only reason that the Canadian medical system runs poorly is because the doctors run it, or strongly influence its operation. So having a private parallel system will not mean any improvement whatsoever because the same idiots will run that too.

Complete joke... in two words :)

Hamilton Tigercats

Tin Can under the weather

My tin can antenna hasn't been working all that well in the last week. Neither have I. I caught a rather decent dose of sunstroke about seven days ago. Recovery time varies.

I had a doctor's appointment during that period of time. It was rather humorous. I forgot all the names of my former family doctors and counselors. I thought the powers that be were going to institutionalize me right on the spot it was so bad.

About four days in a dark room rather helped a bit. The biggest problem has been the measured time forays into the heat and smog of the outside. Tuesday has been cooler and thankfully cloudy. Once one gets a heat or sunstroke then the chances are really good for a re-occurrence.

For a full recovery a nice long grey winter is the best cure. Can hardly wait.

Only a month to fix, but five years later.

I realize that this is out of character for this blog but another update of the Snowbirds. According the news reports the Snowbird command managed to target the faulty belt and make changes. If this was a one off there would be no point in harping on this.

First was the failure of the media to dig properly into this issue after the report. I guess I wasn't the only completely dissatisfied reader or news consumer. The whole situation stinks to high heaven including the failure of the news media to get into this from minute one.

But this belt system was a new "Upgrade" in 2000. Apparently, this wasn't the first time this particular restraint system had failed. Reports now indicate that there were incidents dating back five years one occurring in 2002. Yes a whole five years before the tragic accident in Montana.

Again the news media is letting the Canadian Armed Forces lightly on this. Not a single report indicates any senior officer accepting responsibility for this. There are no real leaders. No Mia Culpa in other words.

Even with the scant information that the media has percolated one thing clearly comes forward now. They, the Canadian Armed Forces Command knowingly sent this squadron, Canada's pride, into the air knowing that the belts were faulty.

And since the command is under Hillier and up to this point he has also hidden from the glare on this issue. He is supposed to be commander. He is there when there is a photo-op about a war. Its not the first time he's run from the field.

Rampant negligence from the Canadian central command office appears rampant. The Snowbirds are an aerobatic team whose duty clearly indicates that the belts issue should have been addressed within the month of the first incident not a month the recent fatality, at least five years later.

Totally inexcusable. Since none of these officers and alleged gentlemen have stepped forward preferring to remain camouflaged behind the spin doctor tools of a junior grade mouthpiece, Canadian citizens should demand charges, courts martial and total dismissal.

Beltless and Brainless update part duh

Sorry for appearing to repeat myself. But I was so incensed with their weak journalistic incestuous position with the Canadian military and the fact that the commentary has not yet appeared under their story. I guess CTV can't handle the truth.

I sent this email... The text as follows. Most of it is a repeat and a redraft. But I don't expect a reply.

********************************

To CTV News...

**********************

You guys ran a story about the Snow Bird crash. How does it feel to be so gullible? The reporter actually seemed to buy the goo that these military types were trotting out. I used to be a free lance reporter in a hick town in Northern Ontario, even I could've done better than the covering reporter. First here is the story.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070820/snowbirds_seatbelt_070820/20070820?hub=TopStories


Does this particular excuse provide holes in it. And on so many levels. CTV reporters are so gullible on this one. Any line of questions would have punched out a total lie.

First off. It isn't an ordinary lap belt like a car or those laughable lap belts on passenger jets. Note the singular use of belt issued by our Canadian Armed Forces. Thats the signal for a real line of bullshit because nothing could be further from the truth.

Belt loose? Its not just an ordinary seat belt. Its a full restraint harness. I've looked at a jet harness and it is a star harness, almost the same kind as race car drivers have worn for years. So they are telling you and me, that a pilot going inverted:

1. Doesn't check his harness.

2. That all four snaps failed all at once. He was flying inverted. In fact many star harness have six points of attachment. Its more than a single belt.

3. Isn't the plane's tech supposed to check this harness at spool up?

3. Nowhere did the story indicate positive G's on this maneuver. I mean, simply a 1 G. Positive broke all four or more straps at the same instant?

This story trotted out by our military simply absolutely stinks. They better invent a better one. I used to work as a free lance stringer and the military claim is total crap and a big disservice to the pilot's family. And since you carry the message it is up to you to really examine the information. Your editors and producers missed this.

How about this? He got sick. Or he may have had a stroke. Or heart attack. All those cut the grass, not the seat belt crap. Even the old standby truth. 'We don't really know!' would have been a better spin. Instead their statement is simply flat out lie.

And no where does the reporter ask the most pertinent question...Like who tested the broken belts? Which Lab? Is there an independent accident investigator? Who did the investigating? Are these people real accident investigators? What tests were conducted to duplicate the incident? What flight models were used? ...and so on.

What were the G's capable of snapping the harness?

Like this story generates a thousand questions all relevant because the military is trotting out and making you guys look like complete idiots to anyone who knows anything about fighter jet aircraft.

Come on CTV, hire fewer news readers and hire some real reporters. You're giving the military a pass on this one. Why don't you get some real journalists on such an important story?