They Are Inanimate … Dumb Objects.

 

Tools that is.

At least to me, but to my two sons-in-law (Ss-i-L), they are deserving of the utmost care, nay even love.

That said, I do have a favourite tool and that would be the ordinary hammer.

As I tell my Ss-i-L a hammer can be used for two useful purposes; it can build things up and tear things down. Indeed, when you think about it, that’s all one needs.

However, in the face of my non-interest in tools, come birthdays, father days, Christmas etc., my Ss-i-L take great delight in giving me tools – tools of all kinds.  I think secretly they do it for themselves since I am always getting them to “fix” something when they come over for family dinners.  So thinking ahead, they know that the what-you-ma-callit, will be at our home awaiting them.

But I get them back, when they get here and ask for the what-you-ma-callit, it cannot be found. I do not do it intentionally, all of my tools seem to go missing in action, sadly, even my hammers. (That is the reason I buy so many in a bid to have a least 1 findable if a need arises).

So now they are getting smarter, when they think they will be called upon to do some work, they  bring along their own tools.

But just this past Sunday, I caught the boys unawares. That is to say, without their fancy tools. Sunday afternoon saw the three of us parked in my garage putting together a BBQ – a BBQ that they had given to me which in itself warrants a Blog of its own – but I am of course dealing with tools today.

The instructions called for a screw driver with a certain type of head.  I pulled out my meagre tin can containing a few miserable tools which were not missing in action. J.F. picked up one and looked at it with disgust, he locked eyes with Oli and both looked like they had just lost their best friend.

“What’s wrong” I asked, “is it not the right kind”.

“Oh, it’s the right kind, but it is stripped and full of gunk”. 

“Oh, I was afraid, something was wrong”.

They keep trying but it is in vain.  I never have been particularly handy and it bothers me not in the least.

You know the adage, ‘measure twice …cut once’.

Mine is cut first and save yourself time.

It drives them nuts.

I also prescribe to the philosophy that if it is not worth paying someone else to do the job, the job is simply not worth doing.

And their tools are something to behold; huge tool boxes full of this, that and the other thing.  Names I could not even begin to pronounce.  But they know each and everyone one of them- clean shiny, and well oiled.

From time to time just out of fun, I ask them to leave their tools with me for a week ostensibly to finish up a job.  Well you would think I asked them to cut off their right arms.

I can’t blame them; give me a week and if the tools did not get lost, they’d be used and abused.

I remember one rare occasion when Oli did leave his tool box with me.  At some point that week I needed a tiny little screw driver … I had tried my hammer and my back-up - a kitchen knife, but neither worked …so I went to Oli’s box.

I never got round to returning the little thing to his box but when Oli arrived that Sunday the first thing he did was check it out and the second thing he did was to demand the return of his driver.

How would he know?  Amongst all those tools it took him but seconds to determine the tiny little screw driver was missing. 

I had to drop everything in order to keep peace in the family and eventually was able to find the missing item.  

I will keep on being me and I suspect my Ss-i-L will keep on being themselves – tools and all.

For their upcoming birthdays I think I will give them each a new hammer.  Might even get one or two for myself.

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’ 

 

They Hate Harper … and it is …

 

Visceral … to the point of Irrational.

The “They” I am referring to include a good per-centage of the 2/3 rds of Canadians who, day to day, see themselves as being Liberal/NDP/Green.

As a known Conservative/Libertarian, I am confronted weekly by someone who takes joy in letting me know they do not like – that is to say,  Hate, Stephen Harper.

Had they read my Blogs, they would know that I am not his greatest fan, indeed, I have written that he should do the honourable thing and step down because I find it improbable that he did not know what his Chief of Staff was doing in the case of Mike Duffy.

But like I say, their hatred goes beyond reason.

Before I get to that though …

Let me spend a minute or two in regard to someone whom the term ‘hate’ might rightly apply, namely former Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty.

Here is a man who single headedly did irreparable damage to our once great Province.  His successor, Kathleen Wynne, continues with that destructive in behaviour.

Economists tell us that Ontario will continue to under-perform – i.e. retain ‘have not’ status, until well into the 2030s and this assumes that Wynne and company begin immediately to turn the errant ship around. 

They won’t of course.

That said, I do not ‘hate’ McGuinty but I sadly disappointed in him. Even going back to when he was first elected Premier 10 years ago, he made 2 major promises and reneged on both:

First he promised to levy ‘no new taxes’ and immediately did was just that, and Second, he promised to provide significant aid to families with autistic kids and that was the last we heard from him on that important, humanitarian subject.

And then of course $billion dollar scandal after $billion dollar scandal.

But again, I do not hate the guy neither do I hate Wynne.

With that, let’s return to Harper.

I have pointed out in many of my Blogs what I see as his / his Party’s deficiencies, but I still believe he and his Party are better than the others.

Let me name but a few areas where I am proud to be a Conservative these days:

First, Canada is in many cases standing alone against world aggression and humanitarian atrocities and in that is filling in for our silent, pathetic President south of the border.

Our vanguard actions are several but is especially evident in defence of Israel and in opposition to Iran and more recently Russia. 

Harper, in regard to Sri Lanka’s injurious discrimination against their minority Tamils, was the only Prime Minister that boycotted the recent Commonwealth Summit held there. This was reminiscent to Mulroney’s sanctions against an apartheid South Africa. 

He has returned focusing on our History as a worthy endeavour.  As a student of history, I not surprisingly find this refreshing but I truly believe it is healthy for a nation to be aware of its roots or we will eventually find ourselves adrift in the present.

He has resisted the $Trillion Dollar Global Warming Scam – the greatest hoax to played on the world in our time.

He reduced the GST and allowed seniors to split their pension income with their spouses.

He is on record to the do the same for families with children.

And as a regular reader pointed out, his Government has kept Canada number 1 amongst the G-7 Nations since the financial meltdown of 2008 and yet the Haters have the temerity to say Harper has done nothing for Canadians !!

I could go on, but you get my drift.

So this past Saturday evening I was confronted with my weekly assault.

“I hate Harper” my friend said.

I responded “why is that”

“He has not done one thing to benefit Canada”.

Well my mind was going over the favourable items I mention above…my friend went on…

“Take minimum mandatory sentences for instance”.

“He as taken the right of sentencing from our judges”

(me) no he hasn’t, sentencing, like criminal law itself is a matter for Parliament to decide and not judges – Parliament gives judges a range of possible sentences and more recently has decided to impost minimum penalties in some cases because judges have too often shown themselves not to be up to the task.  (I will give you an example of an inappropriate sentencing below) 

“He is throwing too many people in jail and is costing millions in prison construction.”

(me)  Crime is down and prison populations have declined as our population ages.  The same has been experienced in other western nations most notably the United States.

“Violent criminals do not belong in jail because most of them are mentally ill”.

(me) most violent criminals originate with gangs and not the mentally ill.

(my wife Anne) and the mentally ill are living on the streets due to the McGuinty Government shutting down shelters for the mentally ill on mass.

(with this comment my friend merely blinked and carried on…let’s not get facts in the way of a good rant).

And now my story on why minimum mandatory sentencing is needed.

Several years ago my friends brother was out celebrating his Revenue Canada refund and when the clock hit midnight – his brother said he had to head home.  One chap with him – who the brother did not know – demanded that he buy him one more beer – the brother said know.

They offered him a lift home and on route the thug who had asked for another beer pulled out a handgun from under the seat and shot the brother cold dead.

The Thug got – 4 years and was out in 2.  Even if they had a minimum sentence for use of a handgun – he would have got 5 years … which even that is a joke.  He should have gone to the slammer for life.  Full Stop.

So when it comes to toughening sentencing this is another plus for Stephen Harper – but of course don’t try to tell that to the Harper haters.

All I ask of them is to keep their minds open at least as much as their mouths.

As I see it…

‘K.D. Harper’