Think Green

I realize asking a person to think green while this beautiful island is a sea of white might be somewhat difficult. However, look at it like this, it is the time of winter that wears us down and makes us feel Blue. When we look out the window and see the plow has plugged our driveway again we might see Red. So really, colours are not so difficult, when you think about it, we are all longing for the green fields and rolling hills to reappear. This year as the snow declines and new growth spouts the two colours we are most likely to see is the Liberal Red or PC Blue as they once again come to your door with promises of great things to come. I caution you to think about what great things came the last time you saw these Red and Blue candidates at your door. I would respectfully remind you of the fact we now have the largest deficit in our long history. We have the harsh and unavoidable Harmonized sale tax that neither Red or Blue mentioned or promised when they last came to your door. Neither of these two Party’s talk about the environment, about clean water, clean air or healthy soil. They do make lots of promises, they are usually empty promises. Seriously, we have to think in much broader terms when we once again go to vote. We talk about change, the Liberals talk about change, the PC’s talk about change yet nothing but the colour changes. I urge the people of district 17 to consider voting for Peter Bevan Baker leader of the Provincial Green party of PEI. That would not only be a change of colour it would be a real change for island politics. It is surely worth a try,  a Green party member could not possibly do any worse than those who have gone before him, he could even do better!!!. Instead of talking change actually make a change by voting other than Red or Blue in the next Provincial election. Its our choice,  if we reelect the usual Red/Blue party’s  we will only have ourselves to blame and no right to complain. I’m not asking a lot, just that we can and should elect a excellent-honest Green candidate in Peter Bevan Baker at the next provincial election. An election which I believe is not too far off.

God Bless and keep reading

Go Wes Young Man!!!!

Our young ex-Finance Minister Wes Sheridan, is gone!! Wes quietly resigned this week and walked away. However, before leaving he said the following, I want to help my replacement liberal candidate win the election, but I don’t want to do it while still on the tax payers dime, how thoughtful.. His great achievements will cement his place in history for all time. We Islanders will long into the future remember his financial accomplishments. How he proudly introduced us to the Harmonized Sale Tax, and left us with the largest deficit in the Islands history. It is not enough to just say goodbye to Wes, I think we owe him much more. I propose we Islanders ask the new leader to not pay Wes the usual severance and pension. He deserves much more than a petty severance package and a meager pension. I suggest in lieu of the above we gift Wes with a large block of our island shares in the amazing Geo Sweep. I real reward indeed.

God Bless and keep reading.

 

Ireland Surely Knows Better

I love this little Irish province known as Ulster, such a beautiful  green land of rolling hills and dales. However, its history has been one of turmoil, violence and war, Protestants against Catholics with the fear and hatred always just an inch away. Ulster was partitioned by the British Government in 1921 at the time when the rest of Ireland received a degree of independence as the Irish Free State. They later became the Irish Republic cutting all ties with Britain. Since that time Protestants have ruled Northern Ireland holding power over the people by the fear Catholics would attempt to take over. The major party is the Unionist Party, they assure protestants have the good jobs, the better houses and stay economically healthy. Throughout the early 20th century they held onto power by gerrymandering the voting districts. Today they call themselves the DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) and are still made up from ardent protestants.  I could write pages of history and of the wrongs done to the Irish peoples but that is not what my blog is about today. Today I feel a dreadful pain in my heart for my place of birth. I have always referred to myself as Irish, never British or Northern Irish always just Irish and I’m very proud of that fact. I never imagined Ulster could be compared with Russia or other nations that blatantly discriminate against others because of their sexual orientation. Just as a semblance of peace between Catholic and Protestant seems possible I never imagined we could find another section of our society to hate. The people of Ulster are truly good people they will certainly send this latest DUP proposal to the rubbish dump where it belongs. I can’t believe we still have people in the government harbouring such terrible fears and hatred of others who are different.

Lawmakers in Northern Ireland want to make it legal to refuse service for lesbian, gay, and bi people.   Imagine being refused housing because of who you are. Or told you’re too gay to stay in a hotel. Or turned away from a restaurant on a date. That’s what Northern Ireland would look like if the powerful Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) were to get their way. They want to add an anti-gay clause to equality laws that would allow businesses to refuse service to lesbian, gay, and bi people. The DUP has asked for feedback on their anti-gay amendment by February 27. A huge global outcry will show that refusing service to gay people isn’t OK. Not in Northern Ireland, not anywhere.

Letter to Prime Minister Harper

Subject: WORDS FROM 1907
To: stephen.harper@parl.gc.ca

Dear Mr. Prime Minister:

I received recently from your Conservative Party comments made by you regarding the “Oath of allegiance” in the context of the hijab head garments. I applauded your stance even it’s only symbolic in terms of what has happened in Canada and in fact around the world in terms of Muslim immigration issues.

We appear to be well beyond the point that Sir Wilfred Laurier spoke of in 1907 in terms of not only our ‘accommodation’ of these new immigrants but those of neighbouring countries both here in North America and in Europe.  We have turned a blind eye to the enclaves of segregated cultural indifference to our established values and allowed their cultural roots and values to overtake our own.

Thousands of years of cultural values cannot be shed by simply transporting a refugee to a new land but clearly our ancestors from Europe appeared far more willing to embrace our country and multi-cultural nature with greater assimilation rather than indifference and segregation.

I would specifically would like to know what your party has done or is prepared to do with respect to avoiding the issues which we see so vividly in Europe where these people refuse to assimilate into the culture of a new country ie: embrace it’s language; laws; and values. Rather they have segregated into strong enclaves where police and fire fighters reportedly fear to go!  They continue to practice sharia law and frankly refuse to adopt civil law as practiced in the country in which they live. This is a serious concern for France, Germany the UK and even America.  Demonstrated behaviour speaks volumes as to what the future holds for any country where they migrate!

I want to be perfectly clear that this is not an ‘anti Muslim’ ‘anti immigration’ stance but a very serious concern that I am expressing personally noting this is a sentiment expressed by my friends and colleagues as well. It strikes me we need to reflect on models of how to perhaps avoid the mis-steps of our European neighbours.  Was it too much to fast?  Inappropriate screening or post immigration placement?  I recall when my in laws supported a ‘boat family ‘ from Vietnam.  They came and lived in their home for a year. Our entire family embraced and supported them. My father in law provided employment for the husband. We helped them as a family learn English reflecting our Canadian values. Perhaps this is a better model of integration – certainly it worked effectively for us as a family and thousands of others who embraced these people from another land.

Today all 5 members of that family are productive Canadians who assimilated into our culture and into it’s traditional values. The children graduated from our Universities and now they are raising their children in a similar manner. We have a seamless relationship with them to this day.  Our own adopted Korean Canadian children and their children remain in contact to this day.

I sincerely trust that you will receive this email in the light in which it was written – my deepest concern for my country and the future of my children and my grandchildren.

Sincerely

Dr Kenneth A Bowler

What Wilfred Laurier thought of the immigrants wanting to become Canadians in 1907.

«First of all we must insist that the immigrant that comes here is willing to become a Canadian and is willing to assimilate our ways, he should be treated on equal grounds and it would be shameful to discriminate against such a person for reasons of their beliefs or the place of birth or origin. But it is the responsibility of that person to become a Canadian in all aspects of life, nothing else but a Canadian. There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says that he is a Canadian, but tries to impose his customs and habits upon us, is not a Canadian. We have room for only one flag, the Canadian flag. There is room for only two languages here, English and French. And we have room for loyalty, but only one, loyalty to the Canadian people. We won’t accept anyone, I’m saying anyone, who will try to impose his religion or his customs on us.» Wilfred Laurier, 1907

I’m proud to call myself a Canadian, I’m loyal to the Crown the Flag and the Laws of the land.

God BLess and keep reading

Provincial and Municipal Governments Should Listen.

This is something that our political figures throughout this province should heed and act on. But of course they wont!!! just like the the trough that is all too enticing for the greedy hogs.

Would be a great way to start the week though!!!!!.

I LIKE THE SOUND OF THIS MAN

 

A maverick mayor, elected after promising to slash council spending, clear the streets of yobs and ditch politically correct services, is the torchbearer for how towns should be run.

 

On his first morning as Mayor of Doncaster in South Yorkshire , Peter Davies cut his salary from £73,000 to £30,000 then closed the council’s newspaper for “peddling politics on the rates”.

Now three weeks into his job, Mr Davies is pressing ahead with plans he hopes will see the number of town councillors cut from 63 to just 21, saving taxpayers £800,000. Mr Davies said: “If 100 senators can run the United States of America , I can’t see how 63 councillors are needed to run Doncaster “.

He has withdrawn Doncaster from the Local Government Association and the Local Government Information Unit, saving another £200,000. Mr Davies said, “They are just talking shops”.

” Doncaster is in for some serious untwinning. We are twinned with probably nine other cities around the world and they are just for people to fly off and have a binge at the council’s expense”.

The mayor’s chauffeur-driven car has also been axed by Mr Davies and the driver given another job. Mr Davies, born and bred in Doncaster, swept to power in the May election with 24,244 votes as a candidate for the English Democrats, a party that wants tight immigration curbs, an English Parliament and a law forcing every public building to fly the flag of St. George.

He has promised to end council funding for Doncaster ’s International Women’s Day, Black History Month and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month. He said, “Politicians have got completely out of touch with what people want.”

“We need to cut costs. I want to pass on some savings I make in reduced taxes and use the rest for things that we really need, like improved children’s services”.

Mr Davies has received messages from well wishers across the country and abroad as news of his no-nonsense approach spreads.

Now it’s your chance to spread this most sensible way to run a town council…..pass it on

This is my kinda guy!!!

God Bless and keep reading

Arsenal on the Move

Its has been a great football weekend so far as Arsenal pass Manchester United and move into third place in the Premier League Table. They defeated Crystal Palace 2-1 on Saturday as Man U dropped three points to Swansea in a 2-1 loss. Chelsea stay in first place but dropped two points in a 1-1 tie with Burnley allowing Man City to close the gap to only a 5 point lead as they trounced Newcastle 5-0. A few games today but none will change the first three place standings. Keep up the good work Gunners this is the time in the season to start making a move to stay up there. We are not likely going to win the league title but third spot is nothing shabby either. God Bless and keep reading.

Coronation Day!!!! Wow I’m so Excited

This is the Big day we have all been waiting on with great anticipation for months now. The all important Liberal Leadership race, Oh my!!! who will win and become our next premier????? My money is on Wade but you can never tell in these political races eh!!! Can’t believe I just typed this!! What Race??? this is a liberal coronation. Other would be contenders fell at Wade’s feet in humble subjugation one after another months ago. The latest and most recent being our own Robert Vessey of Plan B fame. Sadly poor Robert lives in the same riding as the new king and had to step aside so the King could run in his place. An amazing sacrifice to the Monarch, almost like falling on ones own sword. However, not too worry, Robert will be rewarded beyond his wildest dreams. The king has already appointed him the Chief Court Jester, its true I’m not joking.

I find it so difficult to take these people seriously, Vessey actually stated on TV last night that everyone is so excited about this big day and the unveiling of the new and yet unelected leader.   Excited??? who is he talking about?? no one I know appears to be unduly excited. Why even have a convention and waste all that money?? just say “Okay Wade you are in charge ” and then go home. Really folks!! there is more excitement on the BBC series Coronation Street and it is even more believable.  Politics!!! just another badly acted soap opera. Enjoy your weekend and try to calm yourself, its not good to get too excited at your age!!!!!

God Bless and keep reading

A Blog Worth Sharing

My daughter Susannah wrote this very caring and poignant blog about her dear friend Wendy.  Wendy is a lovely young caring and fun loving woman, a wife a mother and a fine school teacher. She is suffering from this dreadful PH (pulmonary hypertension) lung disease.  Susannah’s blog is truly worth sharing far and wide and it should make us all thankful for our well being. We so often moan and complain about the weather, the price of gas, the government, our neighbours, when if we stopped for a moment to think!  should really be counting our blessings. We all can and should offer Wendy our most sincere prayers for a return to good health. God Bless Wendy.

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I am doing it for everyone in a hospital bed… Posted: 19 Feb 2015 08:20 AM PST First of all, let’s be clear.  We chose to live where we are.  We can complain all we want, but we had a choice and continue to have a choice.  All my friends in PEI…remember that.  And also, can’t lie, I am actually jealous.  Jealous of tunnelling to find cars, jealous of skiing to Tim’s, jealous of a single lane back road full of 16 foot snowbanks.  Our roads are really dull here.  Our skiing is marginal at best.  Peter has cuts on his feet and lips from stick hunting in icy snow…what he doesn’t know is I bought him a nerf ball on a rope!!!  No more stick eating and the ensuing diarhea!  Life should improve… So read a friends FB status last nite after she left the gym.  It has since been stolen as the title of this post because it is just so flipping true.  My partner has a joyous nursing job and has said so many times that she has many people to think of and draw strength from while competing and training.  My personal inspiration for the whole idea of doing this sport was someone trying to not be in a bed.  How many people have got up and moved because they knew someone who couldn’t? So brings up my best buddy (who isn’t a dog.  Peter wanted that clarified).  My best friend is the F Bomb herself…a hard as nails grade four teacher who swears with clinical accuracy and loves with nuclear intensity.  She is kind and rough, fiery and sensible, all these neat balances of humanity and ass kicking awesomeness packed into one body.  Problem is, the body is non cooperative.  She has this random, rare bastard of an illness called Pulmonary Hypertension.  PH for short.  PH together makes the same sound as the letter F by the way, making it interchangeable with the word PHuck or PHighter or PHart.  Some of my favourite words start with F.  I use them more often on special occasions, like weekdays and weekends.  I learned many of them from the F Bomb herself. F Bomb has had my back so much there is an imprint of her pointy little hands on there.  I have a room at her house, a key to the house, and generally a collection of beer stashed somewhere.  However, F Bombs superior husband (as in the guy is sweet, cute, thoughtful, funny, swears alot, rides bikes alot, and cherishes and dotes on his little guy…seriously, this guy is at a dad level held by few…he is like a Ben dad.  They are rare) is entitled to any of my beer at any time. The Bomb also has been instrumental in getting kids riding mountain bikes.  Like hundreds of kids.  Like kids that would never had touched a bike in their life without her.  We spent an hour in the gym with a little guy who had never ridden before, then the next year he was on singletrack.  Unreal.  And she never cursed at him once!  She never curses on kids.  Just inanimate objects, adults, and around kids that aren’t in her class.  She is just augmenting their vocabulary. So she is not really able to ride because of this PHucking lung disease.  She has some heart stuff too, which is no PHun either.  And she misses it, because this kid is an athlete.  She wants to do a tri someday (which will happen…fyi and stay tuned).  So somedays when it sucks in the gym, or on the road, trail, on following the black line in the pool/hamster wheel, I am doing it because she can’t.  She once stood on a treadmill next to me (it wasn’t moving) and yelled me through a half marathon.  I can channel those expletives. So yeah, if you are blessed enough that you can move, do it.  If you are blessed enough to see the frost on the trees and the mist off the river in the mornings, soak it in.  If you are fighting a battle, slow down and look for the blessings the battle is giving you.  If you need a reminder on how to do that, she’s giving lessons in a brutally honest way that you will carry with pride.  But do me a favour: stop and look for what in your world is going in the right direction.  We all have a pile of shit to shovel, we just gotta accept that even when shovelling shit there is some good stuff going on around us.  Slow down and have a look and remember that you could always have a worse smelling pile.  It’s not about having the perfect moment, it’s about taking the moment and making it perfect.  So go soak something beautiful up.  And swear at it just for fun! I hope others will do as I have done and share this message. God Bless and keep reading

Snow Glorious Snow

I can’t explain it but songs of winter weather keep popping into my head, The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain, to, its a Winter wonderland, or The weather outside is frightful and even Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer . Can it have something to do with all the snow on the island, or possibly I’m becoming cabin crazy from being shut in for such long periods. I could just be dreaming and will soon wake up, Oh no!!! Sorry Bing, I refuse to dream of a white Christmas. But I’m not dreaming,  I’m wide awake and yes there is snow everywhere. This is life in the Great White Canadian Winters. I still sometimes ask myself why I didn’t immigrate to New Zealand way back in 1963. .Really I have no regrets and although I no longer enjoy winter as I did when I was younger, I still like to look out at the oceans of snow knowing as an old submariner I can just open main vents and dive below to the calm green and beautiful silent world below.For you landlubbers that means pulling the blanket over my head and going back to sleep

So if you have read the above you can now perhaps give  an opinion as to the state of my mental health??? I don’t think I’m losing it, just bored and with very little news to write about other than snow!!!! Island schools are closed again today, making it a full week of no school. Its understandable considering the conditions of the roads. How many schools buses could actually cover their routes on such dreadful and treacherous roads? More importantly how safe is it for young children to wait at their driveways for the bus. Kids like to play, climb snow banks, jump and slide off drifts, throw snow balls and generally run around without due care and attention. A certain recipe for disaster in blowing snow, icy roads and poor visibility. Stay home kids, be safe and sound, summer is coming!!!

God Bless and keep reading

Where do we Find These people

Where do we find these people? a very good question indeed. I imagine just prior to Ghiz becoming Premier and forming a government, he’d have chatted with his newly elected fellow liberals concerning cabinet posts. Lets imagine a chat with Wes Sheridan! — Hi Wes, what did you do before getting into politics, Wes, — I was a banker! Wow! that’s great Wes, — I’ll make you my new Minister of Finance.  I wasn’t there but it seems quite possible this is how we ended up with Wes Sheridan holding the purse strings to the province. As for being a banker!!! it is my understanding he was an assistant manager at a small town credit union. Doesn’t exactly place Wes at or even near the dizzy heights of the of world financing. Nevertheless, Off he went to run our little province (into the ground some would say) into a time of prosperity and plenty. How should he do it!!! why by introducing an Island wide tax that the poor could not avoid. HST was his answer and for him it created a level playing field and made him very proud. At about this time with millions of tax dollars rolling in Wes turned his genus to the world of gambling. Why not invest islanders money (4 million) in a cannot lose guaranteed lotto game! Enter Geo Sweep!!! and off went Wes to an all expense paid visit to London UK. He stayed at the best hotels, was wined and dined, probably on the Islands bank roll. For Wes the Banker! things were looking up, so much so he decided all Cabinet ministers should have new vehicles and a couple of pay raises. Wes was riding high on his conceived-imagined wonderful tide of success. Then it happened, slowly at first when the first wheel came off his money machine. New Brunswick  announced they were dissatisfied with the Geo Sweep investment and were pulling out.  Our stalwart banker held firm, he would not pull out saying he was confident the game would turn around. Meanwhile the Island deficit was growing at an alarming rate and the peasants were becoming restless. Wes was in trouble Island fortunes were dwindling (not his personal fortune) and several rumours circulated that a new leader was coming to town. Ghiz suddently and without warning resigned. This left his Finance wizard in a spot of jeopardy. Would the new leader want Wes the banker as his Minister of Finance, it seemed very unlikely. On top of all this misery came more Geo Sweep troubles, Wes now (actually us) owed the gaming company something in the area of $800,000 over and above the initial 4 million dollar investment. What to do, where to go, should he hid, run, maybe the credit union would take him back. The new leader wanted nothing to do with Wes, the poor guy was given the push. What a sad ending to such a hard working banker, how sad we islanders did not appreciate his amazing financial wizardry.

But wait!!!! Every story has a silver lining. Wes will receive a grand pension and a very generous severance package to take off into the sunset. Sadly no such silver lining awaits the peasants, we are left holding the bag for Geo Sweep plus plus plus.

God Bless and keep reading