Democracy Being Pushed Aside?

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
It appears life has become ‘interesting’ in Harper’s Ottawa. At this point, he could well be hanging on by a fraying thread to his minority government. The current state of affairs has been brought about by his own inability to recognize that Canadians haven’t trusted him with a majority to govern with. Being in a minority position usually means a bit of reaching out and compromise — but not Harper.

His little man of confederation — Flaherty brought down an economic update statement on Thursday. The statement was the usual hot air that we get from politicians of all stripes accompanied by no indication that the Conservatives are actually moving to do anything to keep the economy moving. Interestingly enough, Flaherty was flying in the face of what his boss had been touting only a week before in Chile. -- read more

Rae Needs to Grow UP!

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
The Liberal leadership race has barely started to get underway and he’s thrown his first hissy fit. Riding executives were gathered in Toronto yesterday for a question and answer session with the three declared candidates. The meeting was setup by Liberal executives to be a closed door session. Ignatieff agreed to that while Leblanc and Rae wanted it opened to the media. Since all three couldn’t agree the original format was maintained. -- read more

One Brave Young Lady

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
The seventeen year old girl Afghan girl who suffered an acid attack on her way to school last week has vowed to continue her schooling. While no one has claimed responsibility, it appears that the attacker was likely a Taliban operative.

The Taliban, when they were in power, violently suppressed the education of most of the young people but especially young girls. -- read more

Ignatieff to Run For Liberal Leadership

Posted On: Out of the Shadows
Michael Ignatieff has announced his intention to run for the Liberal Leadership. He ran and lost the last time in a contest that was bitterly fought with former NDP Premier of Ontario Bob Rae. In the last race Ignatieff had recently returned to the country after many years away in high profile teaching positions. I objected to his leadership on that basis the last time. -- read more

PickupPal Illegal in Ontario

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
The Toronto Star reports today that the Ontario Highway Transport Board has ruled the activities of PickupPal illegal in Ontario. The site is a ride sharing site operated from Roseneath, Ontario with members from around the world. The idea is to reduce pollution through coordinating car pooling. Some public transit firms like Trentway Wager had asked the board to rule on the site under the Public Vehicles Act. -- read more

Highway of Heroes on NBC Nightly News

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
In a rare moment of notice from our neighbours to the south, a segment on the Highway of Heroes which stretches from Trenton to Toronto along Canada’s busiest highway the 401 was broadcast on NBC on our Remembrance Day. Myself and a contingent from my Legion branch are among those who stand on those bridges in all weather to show our regard and our respect for those who have given their lives in Afghanistan. -- read more

Rotary Club Presentation

Posted on: Ides of May
In my role as Legion President I was asked to be the guest speaker at the Colborne Rotary Club meeting tonight. Here are my remarks: -- read more

Sacrifice Medal Criteria to Be Reviewed

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
Back in July the Governor General approved a new medal for our forces. The Sacrifice Medal was meant to replace the often understated ‘wound stripes’ worn be Canadian Forces personnel when they were wounded. The new medal was to cover wounds as the direct result of hostile action and could be earned posthumously. It also includes those who suffer PTSD as a result of hostile action. -- read more

Obama’s Big Shoes

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
To read the papers today one gets the sense that Obama’s victory in the American election has sparked an almost messianic response. Expectations seem to be high that Obama is going to change not only the USA but every other problem in the world. Unless he’s hiding the fact that he’s Christ incarnate, that would be pretty much impossible. -- read more

History is Made — Obama Elected President

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
I just watched a class act take place. Senator John McCain completed one of the classiest concession speeches I’ve ever seen. He conceeded the election to Senator, now President elect, Barack Obama. I don’t normally care about an American election (in case you are new around here, I’m Canadian) and as intrigued as I was by this one, I never truly thought that this would happen. -- read more