As much as I may strive to be a critical thinker, sometimes things happen that tempt me to succumb to certain stereotypes. Take, for example, the notion that many Albertans are rednecks. As you will see in the following, some are certainly sending that message to the rest of Canada. They should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.
ReplyDeleteAlberta has always been America's 51st state and it's hardly surprising that these hoodies, so reminiscent of the garb worn by the Gullibillies to deride Obama and Clinton, should adorn the thug crowd of Alberta. They've been indoctrinated, so steeped in every nonsensical bit of petro-lore about their bitumen pits, that they really see everyone else as out to thwart them.
That kind of victim mentality does no one any good, Mound. It's time they grew up.
DeleteI thought my mission was to dispel ignorance, Lorne. I failed.
ReplyDeleteAs we both know from experience, Owen, some are unteachable.
Delete.. the growing season.. whether planting or harvest from the seeds of discord is essentially year round. The pulpit is available to Jason Kenney or Ezra Levant, or trogs like Joe Oliver and Stephen Harper.. n Gawd bless em.. have at it.
ReplyDeleteThe people who are 'real' .. the Michael Harris's, the Nikiforuk's .. ie the exemplars, Mound, yourself and all the kickass common sense Indy Bloggers and Tweeters are where we need to get ploughing in the field of opportunity.. Forget the 'big tent' stuff.. we're the 'BIG LAND' .. like truly really big.. not some pipsqueak little bo peep partisan fan club.. we roll coast to coast with astonishing human and cultural assets..
For a moment, do you believe featherweight phonies Jason Kenney or Andrew Scheer would last a single round against a monster that we are all part of ? Haha.. they're a small sack of potato.. we are thousands of acres.. we cross vast provinces and territories.. we are the First Nations, we are women, we are men, we are families, we are immigrants and asylum seekers.. we are generations humbled by the very aspect.. the stunning privilege, the opportunity.. of calling Canada home eh.. yes home..
My family, maternal and paternal left Liverpool as steerage in different years, pre potato famine, early 1800's .. got lucky onboard and re icebergs off Newfoundland.. fair winds.. and made Montreal.. diverged further west to the pairies or parked themselves in southwestern Ontario
We do not seek office or loud voice, we wonder at the moose or the eagle, Orca or beaver, the giant trees, the wind of the prairie, the Plains of Abraham, the mystery of Cape Breton Island.. We do not wander.. we wonder. We are stoked not ruled ! Ever n ever.. n Amen eh
If political animals think they can squeeze us
Very well-said, Sal. I can think of nothing to add to your sentiments.
Delete.. think my comment truncated or more likely I forgot I put a 'thought starter' at the end of it, to complete for wrap up. Its an approach I utilize more and more.. as I tend to write approx 3-4 hrs daily, usually via 'Bear' a prose & memo, cloud based app
ReplyDeleteRegardless, I had two Premises for wrapup that were dumped into hyperspace void.. but retained in my mental RAM (if your web page reloads.. and comment in progress is dumped.. so copy here n there for a protective & restorative paste !)
Premise # 1 is to eliminate Party Whips
Premise # 2 is eliminate 'Majority Rule'
Why should our elected 'Public Servants' be whipped to support a political party's dogma ?
Majority Rule is just more of the same, piled higher and deeper
Why should a political animal from Ottawa, relocated by marriage to Saskatchewan lecture Canadians about the advantages of AR15's when hunting whitetail deer ? Why should a Cape Breton transplant electe in Oakville Ontario help dictate to Candian women what there 'rights' are re their uterus ? Further, what should a retired multimillionaire partisan bond broker from North York be doing pimping pipelines to 'tidewater' BC as a window of opportunity slipping away ? Where is the riding and community level 'public service' ?
That was my self truncated 'thought starter' and its a continuing thought for me. We have the power and the need to 'control' political animals, their parties and their actions.. so how do we reclaim control.. and when.. We outnumber them..
I have often wrestled with the principle of party discipline, Sal, whereby the whip supplants the individual's conscience and principles, and I have never resolved in my own mind whether it is better to have greater independence (remember Trudeau promising more 'free votes', a promise that, I believe never materialized). We have seen how, in the U.S., the lack of party discipline opens lawmakers more readily to the blandishments of the powerful lobbyists, although, of course, it also happens here in perhaps less obvious form.
DeleteThat being said, here in Ontario I am sure many of us are distressed at how readily the so-called adults in the room have acceded to Doug Ford, reversing their positions without the least shame. In my view, if I may be permitted a moment to rant, Christine Elliot and Caroline Mulroney are the most egregious examples of political prostitution on full display these days.
.. methinks this is fertile ground for 'reform' Lorne. To regain control of 'our governance' or at the very least have our local opinions or concerns 'heard & reponded to' - we must ensure we have a representative with a voice & legitimacy in 'our government'. Those we vote for or elect.. must adhere to our voices.. that's not negotiable or avoidable. That's the prime directive.. Its not what Ray Novak or Butts tells them to do via the PMO or party whip
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned to Mound this ayem.. if Parry Sound - Muskoka is A-OK with their MP dickflopping to young women via social media.. well, uh fine. Perhaps I'm a prude.. but I don't see a single damn shred of 'public service' being served by his escapades or personal idiocy. What.. ? Does he put his superhero MP cape back on every morning after removing kt at night ? Let him relocate to East York & I'll knock on every single door to suggest people need to know that's his personal kink.. and he likely does so from Ottawa while 'representing' his political party and his electorate.. Sayonaro Tony.. go seek help..
If Canadians take back control at the riding levels, we may see exemplars begin to see hope or potential. But just take a gander at Ontario or Alberta and see the rollovers or jaded sellouts we are being told to choose from currently.. You nailed ms Mulroney & Ms Elliott.. and there are so many more.. at provincial and federal levels.. and just look south to see how rancid 'the base' and the diseased partisan enablers can become..