Sometimes, living in Canada's most populous province is embarrassing. Anyone know a remote mountain top I can retreat to?
These letter-writers define my problem:
In light of the recent PC leadership convention that saw the resurrection of the anti-abortion faction, the denial of climate change, the renewal of the “no tax is good tax” fallacy, an anti-gay bias and the assertion that only parents undertake sex education of their children, I would propose that the party change its name from Progressive Conservative to Regressive Conservative — taking a giant step backward for all Ontarians.
Peter Lower, Scarborough
A mere two days after we observed International Women’s Day, the Ontario PC party membership decided to bypass a strong, highly qualified, intelligent woman in favour of a dense, inexperienced, impudent man who rode the populist wave to victory much like another well-known politician did south of the border over a year ago. For a man who doesn’t have an original idea in his head, Doug Ford certainly has a lot of people betting on his ability to beat Premier Kathleen Wynne in the upcoming election. Let’s hope this time the electorate chooses the strong, highly qualified, intelligent candidate.
John Fraser, Toronto
Columnist Martin Regg Cohn tells us that we should not rule out the possibility of Doug Ford being elected Ontario premier, and he may well be right. It is possible that Ford’s populist appeal will be sufficient to propel the PC party into government. However, it is also possible that Ford’s election will revitalize Liberal party fortunes and give Premier Kathleen Wynne a fighting chance of clinging to power. In electing Ford, PC party members chose to roll the dice with the future of both their party and the province, and they apparently did this with their eyes wide open. On June 7, we will know whether those who voted for Ford allowed Wynne to once again beat the odds.
Jonathan Household, Niagara on the Lake
.. suggest you instead seek out a tropical marine environment with living coral & astonishing trade winds and climate. Let the distant political drums fade for a while. One can only absorb toxins like Trump, Kenney, Ford et al for a certain amount of time before you are overloaded.. toxified.. poisoned.
ReplyDeleteIts either that.. or your inner warrior comes out suddenly.. and you decide to take it to such losers. I myself have never found sitting on a fence comfortable. Years gone by I would just relocate to Banff or Vancouver Island.. purge the baloney and soak up the grandeur, wildlife and fresh air. These days do physically demanding work.. and try to write at least 3 hours daily.. comment, fiction, poetry, ramblings and feed the local birds. I wanked this winter, went easy on bike riding & fought a wicked ass flu off n on for well over 4 weeks
We should have just gone to the Turks n Caicos Islands, beat the flu, tuned out the political animal show and had steamed grouper daily at Rick's Flamingo Bar and Grill.. I swear we would be far healthier & have stunning suntans, far less stress
Your prescription seems sound, Sal. I do get that sense of renewal every year when we go to Cuba, and when we were in England last year, I was able to put the Canadian political scene in a different context, amidst a much larger canvas.
DeleteWhile I am discouraged, I haven't quite given up the fight, though I have no intention of holding my nose and voting for Wynne in the election to counter Ford's threat. Her betrayal over Hydro One is something I can never forgive. As for Andrea, I may have sufficient lung capacity to endorse her, but only if she doesn't go on about the middle class to the exclusion of 'working folks', thereby forsaking the NDP's roots, as she did last time.
Lorne, if you're not busy between 2:30 and 4:00 Thursday afternoon, I can show you a couple of lovely mountain tops that you can pick up for a reasonable price. You do have guns, don't you? You'll need guns. And ammo, lots of ammo. And don't forget, check the roof for that cougar before you step off the porch. Those buggers are quick.
ReplyDeleteLiving in a state of nature might be an appealing improvement to what may come next in Ontario, Mound, should Ford and company take over.
Delete.. my wondrous cousin Hugh and wife Maggie live n love 'off the grid' near Nelson BC.. hight on a mountaintop.. Once upon a time Maggie who delivers her product to health food stores mentioned to Hugh there were strange footprints on n around her vehicle.. She had several bags of doggie kibble in there.. Hugh reports back.. it was a very big cat Maggie.. like really large.. like maybe 250 or 300 pounds.. Now just think what an adversary that would be.. a four legged furry NFL rush defensive end with claws n teeth.. I think I go about 170.. In the NBA they call this a mismatch.. Maggie goes about 95 lbs.. but I would bet the farm she would subdue and then release the beast.. She a force hard to comprehend
ReplyDeleteMaggie sounds quite formidable, Sal. Perhaps she should consider entering the political arena to tame some of the many beasts residing therein.
DeleteI tried to take some solace from Tom Walkom's column this morning, Lorne. But my gut tells me to be worried.
ReplyDeleteI read Walkom's column as well, Owen. He seems to underestimate the destructive power that ignorance on the part of both the politician and the electorate can wreak.
Delete.. somebody on the internet reported seeing a large bear on the run, pursued by a wolverine.. Beware the wolverine or honey badger.. two beasties that punch far above their weight. BTW my cousin Hugh ascended 400 feet to inspect the opening at the spring that feeds their pipe that descends to generate their electricity. Maggie cautioned him to be alert & careful up there. Haha.. Grizzly bear casually bathing, was sitting in the spring on the pipe inlet flotation flap & glared at him.. beat a retreat Hugh.. quietly now.. ease on back.
ReplyDeleteMaggie way too wise to get into politics and risk exposure to rabid creatures.. instead her gardens are well tended.. her pickles schmeck, all preserves are heavenly, the baked goods slay.. but as Mound says, look up, never know what is up on the roof
A cautionary tale to take seriously, Sal.
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