Empty your gas cans

Now that we finally and at long last have a couple of pipelines approved, all the opponents are predictably up-in-arms.  All I can say to the enviros, natives and others with their heads in the sand is don't you dare use gasoline again.  Walk or row, but never again get in a car, a plane, an ATV, a snowmobile, a ferry or a train.  Stick to your guns and put your money where your mouths are.  And by the way, stop wearing clothing produced by means of petroleum products -- you know, all that Roots stuff.

But of course they won't.

And there was the hypocritical Trudeau, instructing the supposedly independent National Energy Board to immediately reject the Northern Gateway pipeline, while out of the other side of his mouth praising the neutered organization for all the work they did to prove to him the other pipelines were just fine.

What the h-ll is the purpose of the NEB if the government can tell it what to approve and what to reject?  Seriously.  Note to chair and CEO Peter Watson:  Hey buddy, resign.      

Last time I checked............

.........December 25th was Christmas Day.  Not "Season" Day or "Holiday" Day.  No, Christmas Day. 

That is why I proudly sport my "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" button.  A number of people have stopped to read it; some love it, others turn away.  To the latter I say, "Bah Humbug."  Get over yourselves.  For some reason, Christians have been shoved into a corner of shame for celebrating the birth of Christ?!  Can you imagine if we all started being offended by Yom Kippur or Ramadan or Chinese New Year?!  Feature it, just feature it!  I may try it because taking offense at all other celebrations would be logically in keeping with every a--hole offended by Christmas.

If you're affronted by a celebration of love, peace and joy, you're in deep do-do. 

Merry Christmas!   

Christmas fashion for the duped

I see it when I wander into shops such as Tiffany's here in Calgary.  Certain cultures simply MUST have something from Tiffany's -- regardless of the price tag.  It's ludicrous because in most cases you need a magnifying glass to see the paltry stone.  And the prices on these items!  Scandalous. I am thinking, for example, of the Japanese and newly-minted Eastern European cultures when it comes to status symbols such as watches, jewellery, clothes and cars.  I think it's just dumb. 

Flipping through the Globe and Mail today, I saw a full-page ad for a Chanel diamond necklace.  Modeled by the hyper-expensive Keira Knightly, it was absolutely nothing to write home about, but probably more expensive than your average BMW.  The ad neglected to mention price -- probably upwards of $30,000 -- because as the old saw goes, "If you have to ask, you can't afford it."

Two years ago, while schlepping through Shopper's, I happened upon their new line of jewellery and bought a rhinestone necklace for about $100.  In fact, most of the jewellery I wear is costume, by means of which I think you get a far bigger bang for the buck.  I feel sorry for women who wear nothing but little, teensy pendants and studs because their cheezy husbands bought them under duress for an anniversary, or something -- husbands upon whom they have doted for decades.  Forget that, ladies.  Grab something with a little pizzaz! 


Here's what I mean about getting ripped off:

 

The Chanel variety



 

The Shopper's version

 

You be the judge.



 



   

Somebody needs to be fired or jailed

How an innocent four-year-old in foster care can die of abuse and neglect is beyond the beyond.  The Alberta government forks out $734 million for foster care and yet there were no resources to save a little native child, who was beaten, sexually assaulted and starved by the people with whom she was placed. 

Sadly, she was part of the "kinship program" that strives to keep native children with their relatives.  Only this time, the whole thing blew up and was shoved under the carpet, with neither blame nor responsibility accepted by anyone anywhere, in any government department or agency. 

All this happened more than two years ago and only came to light thanks to digging by a Calgary Herald reporter.  In fact, even the girl's name had been changed to obscure the trail.  As unreal as it sounds, little Serenity was essentially murdered while in kinship care, being looked after by family members.

Medical reports finally obtained show the severely underweight and malnourished Serenity was suffering hypothermia and had multiple bruises, including around the genitals and a missing hymen, when she was finally brought to hospital.  "She fell off a swing," was what the woman who took her in claimed. 

OMG!

Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley said she was willing to look at better safeguards for kinship care, but that "it must be balanced with concerns from indigenous communities about children going to outside families."  I guess she means even if it kills them.  There have been many such cases in Alberta, but I haven't written about them for fear of being accused of singling out natives.  The bigger question is, what the h-ll was provincial Child and Youth Advocate Del Graff doing?  He wrote his own dismal performance appraisal by saying "more thorough home assessments in kinship care, mandatory orientation training for caregivers and better appraisals of risks to the child's well-being are required." 

"There are other people who actually did the terrible things to the little girl," wrote Herald columnist Don Braid in his column today.  "They should be in jail."  But guess what?  The justice minister has yet to lay charges. 

Sickening.  Rest in Peace, Serenity.

 

Same thing

Many francophones I know are up-in-arms about Trump and his Mexican wall.  The truth of the matter is that Quebec's separatist movement adheres to exactly the same concept.  Since forever, Quebeckers have had a significant nationalist populace -- a populace that wants to separate from the rest of Canada.  Now shrinking because of immigration, it nevertheless remains a vocal and active political and ethnic force in that province. 

My question is, how is the desire to block out the rest of Canada any different from Trump's wall?  It isn't.  Separatists believe that if one is not of "pur laine" French heritage, one is not a valid "Quebecker".  Sounds suspiciously like the Trump-ites who want to cleave the Mexicans from their country. 

Don't get me wrong, I have a problem with illegal immigration, both in Canada and the US, but for francophones to self-righteously decry the wall is hypocritically disingenuous.         

Really?!

Here's the latest:  Those dipping in at one Mississauga Muslim food bank are complaining about the selection.  Seriously?  Seriously. 

Predominately from Syria, those "shopping" at that bank are turning up their noses at "Canadian" food and demanding things like chickpeas, lentils and halal items.  "These people are new to this country.  At least with food, they want to eat something they're familiar with," said Najam Syed, head of the bank.

Didn't food banks used to pack boxes with staples and give them to the needy as they deemed fit with what had been donated?  They did, but now it's boutique service at the average bank.  You could not make this up and by the way, it could only happen in Canada. 

Last time I was in a local grocery store, I noticed there are a number of aisles filled with ethic food for purchase.  In fact, I was hard-pressed to find a can of mushroom soup.  Oh, I guess these are being re-routed to food banks where they languish snubbed.  This is ridiculous.  Why not load up at the food bank and then spend a little of your own money -- generously donated by ordinary Canadians -- in an actual store on the special things you can't live without. 

Food Banks Canada supports a network of more than 500 across the country -- not counting the private banks in churches and local communities.  "We can ask for rice and lentils until we're blue in the face," said Jon Davey, manager of distribution, "but pasta, soup and snacks are things that are constantly being donated and our 'clients' don't want them."  Really?  So, donors such as Campbell's, General Mills, PepsiCo are being turned away.  If so, I trust halal butchers and local grocerterias are stepping up to fill the gap.  Oh, but wait, they're not because the banks still lack the desired items.      

Davey also said he regularly refuses large quantities of food he considers "unhealthy" -- things I sometimes give my grandchildren, such as Kraft Dinner and Scooby Doo noodles.  No wonder food banks are being criticized for being too picky.  "People who come to food banks want to eat more healthy(sic)," he added.  Really?  Again, pop into the nearest grocery store and grab some lettuce, for Gawd's sake. 

My other question is, can non-Muslims use the Muslim food banks?  Don't even want to know the answer to that one.  And don't label me "racist".  We're all the same race, the human race.  It's culture that's at issue here.

The demographics of the event

Watching coverage of Remembrance Day services on both the 'Mother Corp' and CTV, I noticed something disturbing:  ninety-five percent of Canadians in the crowds were not people-of-colour.  They were overwhelmingly white. 

That bothers me. 

Why is that?  Because it is so "un-Canadian".  And by the way, watched the BBC news a little while ago and the announcer (a BBC announcer, for Gawd's sake) was wearing her poppy on the wrong side of her lapel.  It has to be worn on the left, over the heart; she wore hers on the right so as not to interfere with her famous hairdo.  Sadly, she happened to be a young woman of colour.  See what I mean?  And don't dare label me "racist".  It's cultural and many immigrants have either clung to theirs, or haven't adopted even a little of the Canadian variety

The other Sunday, I listened as our parish priest said about the recent election in the Philippines, "Our country has just elected a new president."  Really?  "Our country?"  Last time I checked "our country" was Canada and we do not have a "president".  I almost stood up and said something, but coward that I can be at times, didn't.  However, I did send an email to Bishop Fred Henry about it and received a curt and dismissive reply.  He basically told me to get over myself and not worry about "slips of the tongue".  That, my friends, was no mere slip of the tongue.  It bespoke the wrong attitude entirely. 

Well, we have actually left that parish -- not that anyone cares.  And I guess now I know why the crowds honouring Remembrance Day were primarily Caucasian. 

Sad commentary on how Canada has let itself unravel. 



     

Calling it

A woman I am acquainted with was featured in a Calgary Herald piece the other day, weeping "in shock and disbelief" over Hilary Clinton's defeat.  A "professor emeritus of social work" at the University of Alberta, this woman often expounds at our local tennis club on the many joys and delights of feminism -- all from her limited perspective, much of it malarkey.  When I read the piece, I could not resist writing the following letter to the editor; it was published today, marking the 63rd since we moved here five years ago:

Male chauvinists abound
 Re: “‘People are shocked, in disbelief’,” Valerie Fortney, Opinion, Nov. 10.

Dear Editor,
I can’t think of another environment more politically-correct and cocooned than the average university faculty of social work. This is perhaps why people such as Mary Valentich were “shocked” by Hillary Clinton’s defeat and Donald Trump’s triumph.  

In the real world, male chauvinists are alive, well and thriving – be they in the closet or out. Alberta is no exception.    

Nancy Marley-Clarke, Calgary

_______________________________________

Guess Ms. Valentich will no longer be educating me on the club patio.

 

The sky just fell

Well, in this case chicken little was right; the sky did just fall.  Everyone has their theories, but I think there are a few obvious reasons -- and you won't hear these ugly thoughts on the Mother Corp or CNN.  Firstly, it was folly to have Obama stump for Hilary.  He won two terms only because blacks actually voted in far larger numbers than ever.  He didn't win because people liked him, or thought he was doing a good job -- although many did.  No, he won because blacks showed up and voted en masse for him regardless of what he said or did.  Let's face it, he was a pretty unremarkable president. 

There was no love lost between Hilary and Michelle, everyone knew that, so to have her on the campaign trail was completely disingenuous and phony -- something people thought about Hilary in the first place.  And then there were the never-ending concerts by black rock stars.  No one wanted to see Stevie Wonder and Beyoncé.  So unserious.  Let's face it, the folks who voted for Trump are about as racist as you can find anywhere -- either secretly or publically, and we all know a few of the former.  Never forget, folks, the civil war still rages in the Excited States of America.  In fact, just heard someone on the airwaves call the Trump victory "whitelash".  Pretty much. 

So, in the end nothing mattered.  Not the debates, not who said what, not the slurs, not the questionable emails, not the attacks on women -- not even his ridiculous hair.  No.  People were sick of the Clintons and voted with their guts, not their brains.  Just like Brexit, it was all about getting back to what the silent, unemployed, white majority nostalgically harkened to.  The natural order of things needed to change; the tail had to stop wagging the big, American dog.  Shows you just how out of it Washington and the media are. 

As the late John Diefenbaker* once said, "Dogs know what to do with polls (sic)." 
_________________________________________
* Google him

    

T'was ever thus

All the brou-ha-ha about post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the ranks of the army is getting a little much.  Since the beginning of time, the infantry has always been the fallback job choice for society's marginal who often can't find alternative employment.  I mean, why would one voluntarily join up for a possible death sentence if one had another option?  (This does not include the Great Wars, when not signing up was a sign of cowardice.)

Sorry to be so brutal, but there's a reason foot soldiers have always been referred to as "canon fodder":  they are disposable.  It is considerably more difficult to get into the navy and air force, but the army?  After an age-check, you're in. 

My late uncle used to call it "shell shock" and shook his head as if to say, "Some poor chaps just weren't up to it."  And that was that.  But never mind because joining the army gave you a career, status, a nice paycheque, perks, world travel and a tidy pension-for-life.  Now, however, that's not enough because in addition to medical marijuana, today's veterans are demanding psychiatric counselling and compensation until.....whenever. 

I am as sorry as the next guy about the suicides, but these people might probably have committed it anyway.  No amount of counselling, for example, would have prevented my late brother from killing himself at the young age of 32.  He had many demons that would not have been expunged by talking about them.  Better not to dwell on them, just get on with it, I say.

But this is Canada, so no one does.   

                 

Whenever I see a clip about squalid conditions on native reserves....

...I google the facts because today's journalists are too lazy.  Here are a few about the Sandy Bay reserve in Manitoba:

• In 1989, the federal government transferred funding to Sandy Bay to manage its own affairs;
• Subsequently, the First Nations Infrastructure Funding (FNIF) program allocated $239.4 million for proposal-based projects on-reserve for:
• solid waste management,
• energy systems,
• local roads and bridges,
• planning,
• skills development, and
• connectivity;
• Manitoba, where Sandy Bay is located, received $45.1 million -- the most for any province;
• The Maritimes received the least;
• The current chief of Sandy Bay now accuses the previous council of racking up $19 million in debt, or would that be "stealing"?;
• Over and above this money, the Liberal government recently handed over another $495,000 in 2016 for new-home construction in Sandy Bay;
• The government also gave Sandy Bay another $1.8 million for repairs to existing homes (the ones in the TV clip); and
• Sandy Bay says it doesn't know where the money went, but doesn't want a third-party forensic audit that would tell it. 

Huh???

Currently, 55 teachers on this reserve of 6,174 are owed $737,000 in pay, even as they are obliged to continue to pay into their pensions, deductions and insurance.  What does chief Lance Roulette say about all this?  "I don't know where the money went, or where it is going now."  Seriously?

So, the next time you see a grotesque clip about a remote, sordid reserve, do a little research.  If you buy into all the usual folklore and hype, you will be shocked when you learn the actual facts.  And I bet the inhabitants have no clue either because it's easier to just flip it up to YouTube.  These people need to hold their own council to account, instead of blaming the rest of Canada.  And Minister Carolyn Bennett needs to get a grip and tell the truth.   

Disgraceful. 

Two ignorant "T"s

Two classic narcissists in the news of late both have surnames beginning with "T":  Trudeau and Trump.  They are very alike in many aspects -- not the least of which is their almost complete ignorance of the respective constitutions of their native lands. 

According to the Oxford Dictionary, "ignorance" is defined as a "want of knowledge, of lacking knowledge, uniformed" and these two take the cake.  I guess it's not surprising for Trudeau, who went to the French French "Lycee Claudel", where he might have picked up a few strands about the French constitution, but unfortunately theirs has pretty much nothing in common with the Canadian Westminster variety.  Coupled with his major in drama, this lack of education might explain why he puts forward as his nominee for the Supreme Court of Canada Justice Malcolm Rowe, of the Court of Appeal of Newfoundland and Labrador -- a guy who declared after he learned of his good fortune, "I want to make law, not interpret it." 

How completely astounding.  This guy does not know that Parliament makes laws and the Supreme Court interprets them -- or at least that's the way it's supposed to operate.  Shhh, don't tell Chief Beverly McLaughlin.  She apparently believes she makes, interprets and upholds the laws of this land regardless of well, anything!  Talk about someone believing their own press.

Trudeau also summarily declared all Liberal Senators "independent" and kicked them out of caucus.  Along with removing two duly-elected MPs from their seats and crossing the floor to punch a female MP as he manhandled another, the hapless Trudeau might as well have torn up the Canadian constitution, tossed it into the gutter and stomped on it.  

Happily, Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr knows enough about the constitution to understand that the federal government does not have to secure the approval of native communities to build a pipeline that crosses reserve territory; the government's only obligation is to consult openly and thoroughly with pipeline residents, which is what the government has done ad nauseum.  No "approval" is required because they don't own the land.

The Constitution Act of 1867 assigned legislative jurisdiction over Indian lands to The Crown, i.e., the Canadian government.  Reserve lands may not be seized legally, it continues.  "The legal title of an Indian reserve is vested in Her Majesty (Canada), but which is set apart for use of an Indian band."

All that to say that when a project is in the national interest -- such as a railway, a highway or a pipeline -- the government has the right to put it through.  That is precisely why the drafters gave use, but not title, to natives on reserve land.  I am a tad more confident a pipeline might actually get built, based on what the natural resources minister has said.  I am also happy to hear from the Kinder Morgan president that many native leaders support lucrative pipelines crossing through reserve territory, but sad to learn they will not publically admit it.  Too bad so few Canadians -- starting with the PM -- bother to google these acts and inform themselves of the law of the land. 

Enviro's, natives, Gregor Robertson, Denis Coderre, Christie Clark, David Suzuki, Elizabeth May, Neil Young, Leonardo di Caprio, et al, are you listening?  It's time for Canadians to quit arguing the toss and get on with it.