I Have A Confession To Make...

And I do so at the real risk of having you think less of me .... if that's possible.



As you know, I am not a fan of Jogging - from my perspective it just wrecks one's knees and flattens your feet.



Perhaps it's my Scottish Background but I see most exercise, just the sake of exercise, to be a waste of precious time in the sense that if you have time to run around like a gerbil - why not do something useful like split a few cords of wood?



I know many of you will take great exception to this and I accept that.



But that's the lead-in to my Apology.



So here goes...


Rick Hansen has been in the news over the course of the last couple of days in regard to the 25th Anniversary of his World Sojourn in a Wheelchair. Quite a feat of strength by any standard.


So here is my Confession - I was not all that excited about his Achievement in the first place and continue to feel that way today. It was a waste of time and energy.



So there - think what you will, but I wanted to come clean with you.




And this applies to similar masochistic endeavours such as Terry Fox's run across Canada.




Do it for yourself if you will, but don't expect everyone to hoist you on a pedestal for the doing. It is a useless activity made all the more so by drawing it out.



I cannot deny that much good came of their struggles - millions of dollars were raised in the fight against cancer and spinal injury but did that warrant the glory and idolization that flowed from their running and wheel chairing?



Does it warrant the statutes placed across Canada?



What about real heroes such as Sir Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best who, in the 1920s, rather than raising millions of dollars, saved millions of lives through their important discovery of insulin in combating diabetes?


I think that we as a civilization have lost our way in determining who the Real Heroes of Society Are.


And speaking of Real Hereos - what about our young 20 year old soldier killed in Afghistan earlier this week. He never even got to meet his new baby girl saving our sorry butts back here in Canada.


For my money - I will go with Him and the Bantings and Bests of this world and leave the masochists to fellow joggers to cheer on.


I know, I know, ... I am hateful.


But as the younger generation would say - "Bite Me".


As I see it...

'K.D. Galagher'

























It is quite an accomplishment to roll yourself such a distance, but where I take exception is for the Roller to think he or she is entitled to other peoples' caring - just for the rolling. If Hansen or others had come to me first I would say to them 'if you really want to help others in your situation - go and help them directly or join their associations and do volunteer work'.













If he or she persisted in wanting to roll or walk or run or swim or whatever I'd say "fine" but do it for yourself - as a test for yourself - and not expect others to idolize you just for the doing.













People every day do specular things mostly because it is needed (i.e. useful). They do not expect glory for their actions - although it would not be out of place to give some to them.













But for those who set out to do what I find to be bordering on useless and then expect me to say Wow - that is another thing entirely.

Mirror Mirror On The Wall ...

Whose The Dirtiest Of Them All ?



As in Suppliers & Users of Dirty Oil that is.



At the writing of this Blog, Two Hearings are in progress - one in Europe, the other in Washington, both questioning whether or not to admit "Dirty Oil" from Canada's Oil Sands.



And, let's be frank, other than those engaged in the Oil Industry - world wide - no one particularly likes Oil - you and me included. But what's the Option?



Oil to the world economy, is like Blood to an Individual. It would make about as much sense to replace an ill person's blood with water or cola as it does to think you can successfully replace oil with wind or solar or whatever.



Some day yes - but not now or even in the foreseeable future.



Even those opposed to the Oil Sands, have to admit, albeit grudgingly, the validity of this statement.



But they continue to call our Oil "dirty".



So who is supplying them now.



We'll take Europe first.



About 60% of their oil comes from the Dictatorships of the Middle East. The remaining 40% originates in Russia a country that is slowly but surely slipping back into Totalitarian Rule.



Let's not even get into the Human Rights abuses committed by the Middle Eastern Countries, most notably against their women - but rather look at where Europe's purchase dollars end up. Simply stated - they help fund Islamic Terrorism. The same Terrorism that has raised its ugly head throughout Europe and will continue to increase as Muslim extremism grows.

And Russia. Hardly a reliable source of energy.

Russia has shown itself on several occasions actually and /or threatening to cut off their oil and gas pipelines to Europe for their petty political purposes. If things get tough - as they will, I would not want to be dependent on Putin to come through in the pinch.

Thankfully for us in Canada, the European Move against our "dirty" oil is but an Academic Exercise since we do not export much if any oil to them.

But then there is the United States, where nearly 100% of our Oil Exports go South of the Border.

Key elements there are fighting a planned major Pipeline from Alberta to the Texas Gulf for refining. Some one million barrels per day can be expected to flow through this line proposed by Trans Canada Pipeline.

Many there do not want it - primarily because our oil is dirty and "dirty" in the sense that it is mined via our 'tar sands'. Their secondary complaint is that the flow would be subject to spills that would damage the environment.

Good arguments both if the alternatives were better - but they of course are not.

They too get much of their oil from the Middle East and thus are equally guilty as are the Europeans in funding Terrorism. It is like paying a hit man to kill you.

In the matter of damage to the environment, the United States is also on flimsy ground. Few things are more dangerous to the environment than an Oil Tanker Spill. And 10 or so of these Super Tankers enter US waters each day delivering some 20 million barrels of oil. It is not a question of if, but rather when,one of these Tankers breaks up and spills its contents somewhere along America's coastlines. It has happened before in the case of the Exxon Valdez and will most certainly happen again.

Pipelines are safer. Dirty Oil from Canada does not fund killers.

To the United States we provide a safe and reliable source of their needed life blood.

Studies have shown that our Oil Reserves in Western Canada are equivalent to those of Saudi Arabia.

So what to do if the US does the unexpected and blocks our Oil. They won't of course but let's just pretend for a moment.

We here in Canada would not lose out since we have other customers for our oil exports primarily China and to a lesser extent Japan and India.

Trans Canada Pipeline could easily construct a line from Alberta through to the BC coast for transport to the Far East and that is what it would do if our source of oil export to the south disappeared (it won't remember we are just pretending here since America would not be that stupid).

And unlike the do-gooders in Europe and America who pretend to be 'Clean', China acknowledges that it is 'Dirty' and is not too proud to use our "Dirty Oil".

China knows that to get ahead it needs power - clean, dirty or indifferent and is willing to do what is needed to obtain it.

In that regard, China is not the hypocrit the other two are.

As I see it...

'K.D. Galagher'