And Speaking of Casablanca…

Note: below I state that Kathleen Wynne’s Chief of Staff allegedly collaborated with Dalton McGuinty’s Chief of Staff in deleting numerous Official Government E-mails.   I received this information via the local radio station here in Ottawa yesterday, but reports today indicate this was a mistake – the lady who allegedly cooperated was McGuinty’ s Deputy Chief of Staff.  I apologize for this error since it debunks a key element of my Blog.  I still believe Wynne knew what was going on and I suspect that eventually the resurrected e-mails will bear this out.  Mea Culpa

We all remember Captain Renault’s line that he was “shocked … shocked to find out that gambling is going on here.”

All the while he was collecting his night’s winnings.

‘Captain Renault’ …a.k.a – Kathleen Wynne, in the Legislature today said former Premier McGuinty’s Chief of Staff never worked for her, nor for her government.

This was in response to news that the cops are moving in on said Chief of Staff for allegedly bringing in an outside techie to delete records from numerous Government Computers.

The Captain Renault moment in this bizarre episode is three-fold: First -  the alleged deletion work occurred at the beginning of Wynne’s Premiership  so in that sense, the Chief of Staff had to have been on her payroll.  McGuinty was long gone.

Second and more importantly, she was involved – deeply involved since the techie brought in to do this dastardly work was no other than the live-in boy friend of Wynne’s Chief of Staff.

And third, when asked whether her own government computer was worked, on she refused to answer.

And yet, Wynne was “clear” today, that she has always disclosed nothing but the “truth” and has worked diligently in ‘support of the police’.

As I continually say, politicians speak the truth up and to the point when they open their mouths and Wynne and her predecessor, Dalton McGuinty are masters at prevarication.

But this could well be the golden straw that breaks the camel’s back.  Assuming that the current Ship of Fools at Queen’s Park have even an iota of a conscience that is.

Sadly, though it still will probably come down to whether NDP Leader Andrea Horwath decides to continue to prop the Grits up.

And although it defies logic, Horwath likely will, but then again, she has already defied logic for some 13 months plus … the time Wynne has been in office.

In all of this, it galls me to no end that an unelected Premier can hang on for so long without seeking a mandate – after-all, the voters in the last election voted for her predecessor and not her. But that does not seem to concern Wynne in the least.

And to some extent even I can take some comfort from all of this – after all, the mess we are in, is a result of democracy in action.  Ontarians knew full well that the Ontario Grits under Dalton McGuinty were a rogue and dishonest bunch of spendthrifts …falling for every stupid and costly initiative that came their way (Green Energy anyone).

Yet in the face of that and through support of their rich and influential union boss friends they were elected fairly not once, not twice, but three times.

Maybe in this light it is understandable why Wynne harbours such distain for Ontarians generally. 

Too bad though that more voters do not hold her in such distain.

We can only hope that these recent disclosures will finally help to turn the tide against this most arrogant and hopelessly inept crew.

But I urge each of you not to hold your breath waiting for that to happen.

As I see it …

‘K.D. Galagher’

 

AS Time Goes By …

 

As in the movie Casablanca … which, I believe, is the best movie of all time.

But before I get into today’s blog, a quick follow-up to my recent Blog regarding our left leaning Supreme Court.

I mentioned in that Blog that most of the important matters affecting society today are dealt with by the Courts and not by our Legislatures.  One area I referred to was with respect to Euthanasia.

This issue came up this morning in a radio show in regard to Stephen Fletcher’ – Tory MP - private bill to legalize assisted suicide.

A Pastor called in and said he feared such a measure would only serve to encourage young people to opt in greater numbers for death.  It is one of the greatest issues now affecting our teens – and the last thing society needs to do is give the signal that it believes such actions are condonable.

I never had thought of this issue in those terms…but he is quite correct.

One of the main reasons put forward by Euthanasists in general is that when pain is unendurable, assisted suicide is the only way out.   I have been on a Hospice Board and my wife Anne has both a Chair and an Executive Director of Hospice and as such we both know that medicine has advanced to the point where nearly all pain can be well and truly controlled.  

The pain issue is a red herring.

But what interested me the most was that the Pastor said he agreed with Fletcher in that a debate was needed on the subject.  He went on to say that if society does not debate it – the Supreme Court will legislate its legality.  My sentiments entirely.

Again why should a majority of the Court – 5 members speak for 35 million Canadians?

So with that back to Casablanca and more to the point, its theme song … As Time Goes By.

So take it away Sam…

You must remember this,

A kiss is still a kiss,

A sigh is still a sigh,

A smirk is still a smirk …  A Smirk Is Still A Smirk?

That is if you drive or ride a bus in Canada’s National Capital … Ottawa.

In Ottawa, City Transit requires to deliver passengers to their door if it is 7 pm or later and if the passenger requests it.

Well recently a woman did just that and all hell broke loose this week at City Hall and with the Capital’s media.

Here is what the lady said to set this fire cracker off:

I approached the woman bus driver and asked her to let me off directly in front of my home since it was past 7 pm.

The woman driver is alleged to have said something along the lines ‘are you afraid and / or do you think this neighbourhood is dangerous?’

The pax allowed that she did whereupon the bus driver … are you ready … Smirked.

It apparently was not a big smirk or even a moderate smirk but according to the complainant, it was a smirk nonetheless.

So she took her complaint to the driver’s bosses and to a receptacle media.

I sympathize with the woman passenger – especially given that Ottawa has been plagued with numerous unsolved rapes over the last 1 or 2 years – so the lady’s fear is understandable to me.

I also believe the driver should have kept her comments to herself is for no other reason than it is company policy to do what the passenger was asking.

I am not so sure though that it warranted raising the matter to the level of her bosses nor to the media.

I hope if it was me, I would simply say sharply to the driver … ‘mind your own business’.

And if this was repeated on another occasion – then I would entertain kicking it upstairs.

I say this because I think too many in society complain to authorities first before trying to resolve a conflict man to man or should I say in the case at hand - woman to woman.

And to bring this back to the Supreme Court, sadly we are beginning to expect and demand others to deal with issues and make decisions on our behalf which we ourselves should be attending to.

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’

 

 

Whose The Dolt …

 

Leftists rub their hands with glee and point out that the Dolt is our Prime Minister the Rt. Hon, Stephen Joseph Harper.

In contrast, some very distinguished Journalists – Christie Blatchford and the eminent Andrew Coyne differ and say the Dolt here is the Supreme Court of Canada.

We are of course talking about Harper’s failed Supreme Court appointment.

Blatchford says in effect that the Court bent over backwards to find against Harper’s nominee Marc Nadon, while Coyne simply dismisses their ruling as ‘flakey’.

I cannot do better than they in my condemnation of the Court so I will not even try, but I do suggest to each of you that you read both articles if you have not yet had an opportunity to do so.

Another author correctly points out that the Court’s decision effectively bars future Quebecers from qualifying for membership on the Court if they are appointed from the Federal Court of Canada as was Nadon.

This despite the fact that that Court has been a launching pad to the SCC on numerous occasions in the past.  Mere collateral damage.

The Court’s real target in all of this is of course P.M. Harper.  The Court seems to leave no stone unturned to embarrass him.

Indeed, it has become a tug of war between them as to who holds the greater power …the Court or  Canada’s Chief Elected Official.

Do I need to point out that all of our major societal issues are being decided by the Courts – such as abortion, the definition of marriage, euthanasia, the legality of prostitution, drug shoot up sites and now, it is encroaching on our Democratic Right to nominate Court Appointees.

And not only that, Harper was advised by the best minds in Justice … as well as by two distinguished retirees from the Supreme Court?  They all assured him that he was on solid ground.

For a moment put yourself in Harper’s position …what more would you have done or could you have done?  Precisely.

And to add to the absurdity, one pundit correctly points out that if Nadon were to resign his Federal Court Judgeship and practice law for but a day in the Belle Province, the Supreme Court’s objection would be overcome. (Note the law requires that a nominee from Quebec must be an advocate in that Province for at least 10 years – Nadon has two times that level of service).

I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that there is something in Canada that does not like democracy and this sadly includes most of the membership of the Supreme Court.

And the leftists are in absolute delight.

But what they fail to understand is that once democratic rights are lost, they are lost to them as well.

Oh and one more thing, do you happen to know how the matter of Nadon got before the SCC in the first place?

A Toronto lawyer brought a motion to that effect and surprise, surprise, the esteemed Court readily accepted it.  This lawyer, by the way, at one point represented one of the notorious Khadr Family members and Justice Marc Nadon rendered an opinion that was less than favourable to his client.

Stinks … does it not?

Anyway, if I was Stephen Harper, I would be tempted to dive into the Quebec advocate ranks and find one that is slightly demented or even moderately … and then appoint him or her to the SCC.

That person would meet the Court’s invented test but would hopefully cause them all to reflect again on the Nadon nomination and how much better that would have been.

Of course, Harper is too classy a guy to do such a thing – but if he did …the Supreme Court of Canada would have it coming in their ongoing war to upstage our duly elected officials.

As I see it …

‘K.D. Galagher’