WHAT THE HELL IS …

 

GOING ON?

I start my day by reading two or three newspapers and am always shocked by some of the things I read.

This morning was no different – indeed, if anything, it was even more bizarre.

For instance, the once solid conservative paper – the Sun – contains in its lead editorial a demand that Green Party Leader – Elizabeth May should be allowed to appear in future Leaders’ Debates in regard to Canada’s upcoming Election this October.

The woman’s party has but 2 members and is far from the legal party status number of 12.

That said, from my perspective, she out performed the other 3 leaders in Thursday debate so good on her – but it does not mean she has any given right to attendance – win 10 more seats and get a spot in future elections fairly.

And the Right Reverend Gretta Vosper – United Church Minister in Scarborough Ontario who believes neither in God nor the Bible.  Quite the career choice taken by this dear woman.

Then there is the chap who tried to sell a sack of dirty socks to a couple claiming it to be marijuana.  The couple complained to police and the sock pedlar now faces up to 7.5 years in the slammer.

Had the deal gone through – the young couple would have been the beneficiaries since a bag of dirty socks would not harm their health…unless they breathed in too much.

And then you have NDP leader Mulcair – not widely known outside of Quebec pledging to avoid future English debates unless Stephen Harper is present.

Is the guy nuts?  Such debates would give him the needed exposure and he would be assured of Harper not upstaging him.

It makes me question whether he is ready for prime time.

And now back to the Sun.

Candace Malcolm, in her column on Conservatives and new Canadians makes the following assertion:

“All over the world, conservative parties are pitting native citizens against immigrants..”

No they are not – their concern is against the flood of illegal immigrants coming into the countries – what the left in America neutrally call ‘the undocumented’.

Countries need to be able to control their borders.

And now a few from the National Post:

Duceppe is quoted as saying that he is ‘irked that Quebec Sovereignty was raised in this week’s debate without him’.

First you have to wonder why separation is even being discussed in these election debates since the issue is about a flat as you know what on a tin plate.

But the real howler is the fact that a guy whose stated intention is to breakup Canada is allowed to even join the upcoming French debate.

And then there is Robyn Urback’s column which leads with a picture of Young Trudeau standing in front of a nearly bare breasted woman (she is wearing pasties) and the Young lad seems to be having the time of his life.

Permit me to quote Ms. Urback this is “nothing but good news for the Liberals: they come off as progressive and egalitarian, while their critics appear out of touch and curmudgeonly spooked by a couple of nipples”.

Interestingly enough the columnist did not say she herself would soon be dancing around sans top since it seems to me that she would think that the ‘progressive and egalitarian’ thing to do.

I know that this may not distress some or even many – so call me ‘out of touch’ since I see no Pride in all of this nor do I see any pride in this for  politicians who aspire to the top post of our land.

But the article that really set me off and that led to this morning’s blog was the one about Corrections Canada’s ban on inmates watching porn.

You heard it right – inmates were watching at the Archambault Federal Penitentiary just north of Montreal.

The hard done cons appealed to Federal Court Justice Jocelyn Gagne and the ban was over-turned.

Pass the popcorn…..Unbelievable !!!

It is enough to make me give up reading.

Anyway I will keep blogging and my next one(s) will deal with Thursday’s past Canadian and American Debates.

Sadly, as I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’

Where Have All The Flowers Gone …

 

Long Time Passing.

My apologies to Peter, Paul and Mary.

And, anyway, there are still lots of flowers.

But not so with gas stations… especially in the near north Ontario !

This past weekend we stayed at my brother’s cottage in the Haliburtons and I first realized the crisis when we drove to Coboconk, the closest village to his property.

No gas station – this despite the fact that this area – at this time of the year – is teeming with cottagers and tourists.  Indeed the local Independent is open 24 hours a day – 7 days a week.

But of course it does not sell gas … maybe it should.  You will also find there a large Home Hardware and a Rona.

But not one gas station.

According to my brother, not that many years back there were 6 stations in total – all apparently doing okay.

But their tanks got old and to replace them, they had to adhere to new Environmental Regs of the Province, that were, and are, prohibitive for small dealers.

To compound the problem – there are numerous such villages surrounding Coboconk and they too are all sans stations.

When we left my brother’s place we travelled cross country through Bancroft - one of the few cities in the region-  and when we started out had a little over a quarter of a tank of gas.  Bancroft is some 60 miles from Coboconk !

By luck, on route to Bancroft, we came upon a gas station that had recently opened.  It was owned by a husband and wife team and the wife told me that they were barely scraping by and feared that they would be forced to abandon their new venture.

He husband had been forced to take outside work since there was not enough business to support them both at the station.

They had really old pumps and old storage tanks and she said they needed to upgrade but the Environmental Regs made that financially impossible.  (she also mentioned that their hydro costs were out of sight)

I told her about our experience in Coboconk and she nodded understandingly.

And one must keep in mind that the gas station owners get but pennies per gallon whereas the Oil Companies and Government reap in $ billions.

No wonder they cannot compete.

But we are talking about the lunacy of Ontario’s Environmental Demands but those demands do not stop with small town gas stations they also pertain to the following:

• saw mills closed for creating pollution …that is to say ‘sawdust’;
• cheese factories closed for creating pollution …that is to say ‘whey’;
• farmers not allowed to butcher their own animals and provide it to free to family;
• property owners having their lands deemed to be environmental protection (aka confiscation) without compensation. 

As Paul Newman famously said in Cool Hand Luke … “what we have here is a failure to communicate” just as he was about to be killed.

To me, our failure in communication stems from the fact that Queens Park runs the Province of Ontario as if we all live in the City of Toronto.

Maybe we should consider separating..

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’