Then Again, More Often Than Not ...

 ....justice does not occur, but police brutality does.

Sometimes, Justice Really Does Happen

The following is self-explanatory; there is no need to watch TizzyEnt's original video posting, as the one below reveals all we need to know about the crimes, and the arrest of the woman who perpetrated them:

A Window Into Their 'Minds'

 

If you read this blog with any regularity, you probably know that I hold the crazed right in abject contempt. Their eagerness to embrace conspiracies, their elevation of 'Queen' Romana Didulo to other worldly status speaks to both the weakness of their minds and their extreme credulity. As well, the fact that they continue to protest against non-existent vaccine mandates suggest they live in a fantasy-fueled world of their own. 

I applaud Peterborough mayor Diane Therrien's assessment of them. And rather than treat them with kid gloves or pander to them a la Pierre Poilievre, more political leaders need to strongly denounce them and their disruptive, illegal tactics. I want nothing to do with them.

And I will lump these people into the results of a recent Abacus poll. When asked the question, All things considered, which is a better place to live - Canada or the U.S.? 91 % of Canadians polled preferred Canada, of course, The other 9% did not.

Looking into how they answered the other questions, reveals that the plurality of younger men [those under 45] think they would be better off financially and enjoy life more if they were living in the US.

Conservative voters also tended to be less keen on Canada.

Only 60% think they have better health care than they would have in the US, and only just over a third think Canada is a better place to earn a living and enjoy life.

Those who are unvaccinated against Covid, of which the deranged are a large part, also have reservations about our home and native land.

Only half of this group think living in Canada means being safer from violence or having better health care.  A plurality thinks they would be better off financially and enjoy life more living in the United States.

Now I realize that I am conflating the 9 % with the crazies, but it seems to me that they all have something in common: an unwillingness or an inability to see things as they really are. By objective standards, there really is no basis to argue that life in the U.S. is better, unless one thinks the freedom to engage in violence, to carry and use guns at will,  to support insurrectionists, and elevate cult-like movements as legitimate expressions of democracy is preferable to life here at home.

In which case, all I can say is, Don't let the door hit you on your way out.

 

 

UPDATED: This Is Gonna Hurt

 

I have a friend whose daughter recently started her career in healthcare as an occupational therapist in a facility where people are awaiting placements in LTCs, and already she is feeling burnt out.

- burnt out over the fact that she cannot do her job properly in assessing people for their needs, as she is being called upon to perform much more basic functions, such as changing patients' diapers.

- burnt out over having to do the paperwork her job entails on her own time at night, without additional payment.

- burnt out over the fact that her facility keeps accepting new patients, which leaves her even less tome to assess the ones she already has.

She is just one of thousands of  healthcare workers toiling under stressful conditions across the province, and thus far, despite the proclamations of Doug Ford and his health minister, Sylvia Jones,, little relief seems pending. 

Other people as well are losing faith in a system that is supposed to be there, up and running well, when we need it. Thus far, Ford's 'vision' is not inspiring confidence:

‘Just a code word for privatization,’ Aug. 18

The unconscionable and heartless directive by the Ford government to free up hospital beds by having “elderly” patients transferred to long-term care (LTC) facilities far removed from their families and communities, follows the same scheme the McGuinty-Wynne Liberals hatched, which brought the same outrage that families and others are expressing now.

The Conservatives have blatantly put ageism forward by discriminating against people of a certain age as “elderly.”

Where do those other adults waiting for nursing home placement fit into the government’s solution of clearing hospital beds?

To label those of any age waiting in hospital for accommodation in a long-term facility as “bed-blockers” shows a disturbing indifference to them. 

The chaos in hospitals is not the fault of Ontario seniors, but government has shamefully placed the blame on some of our most vulnerable people.

Ellen Watson, Aurora

Privatization does not work, Aug. 12

Remember how former Premier Mike Harris “created a crisis” in education with the goal of privatizing?

Well, today Premier Ford has created a crisis in health care and, surprise, surprise, he is talking about privatization, which has already wreaked havoc in long-term-care (LTC) homes.

Ask yourself if education is any better for Mike Harris’s heavy-handed disruption tactic?

I submit that things are much worse.

If anyone thinks privatizing healthcare will make things better, look to the past, then think again!

As George Santayana once wrote, “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

Jonathan O’Mara, Whitby, Ont. 

Privatization does not work, Aug. 12

While I am not schooled in the intricacies of economics, it does seem to me that any model of privatization means profit, by which the provider must charge more, through extra billing, not covered by OHIP, or reduce costs, such as offering staff less money and benefits, and/or reducing the number of staff, and thereby lower the quality of service.

It only makes sense that privatization results in greater costs to the tax-payer and consumers, and less quality to those unable to pay for enhanced services.

While privatization advocates claim that fewer people will be waiting in the public system, they fail to state that a private tier would syphon off professionals (already in short supply) from the public system, contributing further to the strain on our public system.

We must maintain the integrity of our universal heath care system.

Norah Downey, Midland, Ont.

Sylvia Jones warns ‘status quo’ in Ontario health care is not sustainable, Aug. 17

It apparently was not bad enough the Ford government opted for mass institutionalization of our seniors in long-term care facilities in defiance of their stated wishes to age in place.

Now to fill empty LTC beds in the white elephants his government has funded to the tune of over $6 billion of taxpayer’s money? They plan to ship our seniors, like cattle, from one community to another so they don’t “block beds” in hospitals. Remove them from all that is familiar at the most vulnerable time in their lives to a place they don’t know, to be cared for by strangers, where it is difficult for family to visit?

In other words, abandon them after a lifetime of helping to build this province.

Could this government possibly have a more contemptuous view of older adults? Is this really what Ontario voted for?

Patricia Spindel, Ajax, Ont.

UPDATE: Let's give the final word to Brittlestar:

UPDATED: The Inmates Run Amok

One of the people I follow religiously on Twitter is Caryma Sa'd. A Toronto lawyer and satirist, her online presence is largely devoted to video she shoots of the unhinged amongst us, i.e., those Canadians obviously infected by the American disease whose symptoms include uncritical acceptance of conspiracy theories popularized by groups like QAnon.

Sa'd's brilliance lies in the fact that for the most part, she merely documents their madness, letting their words and actions indict them. Because they appear so clearly foolish and deluded, it is fair to say they strongly dislike, even hate, her. Such people rarely enjoy having a mirror held up to their delusional behaviour.

The following CBC report makes use of some footage Sa'd recently shot in Peterborough, where a group went to make citizen arrests of its police force. It did not go well:

As in the United States, these inmates seem to think they are in charge of the asylum. How to get them on much-needed medication eludes me. Perhaps some Thorazine or Haloperidol in their water bottles would be a good start?

UPDATE: To add insult to injury, now the Americans are starting to notice:

H/t TizzyEnt

The Devil In Ms. Jones

To those 57%  who couldn't rouse themselves to vote in the last Ontario election, please do not make sounds of outrage over the likelihood that Doug Ford will introduce more privatization into our healthcare system. You didn't participate, so I really have little regard for your thoughts on the matter. Electoral silence, in my view, gives consent.

Sylvia Jones, our new Minister of Health, is starting to use the word innovation a great deal, which many see as code for privatization. Indeed, one can well-imagine that one of her early innovations will benefit the many private operators of long-term care facilities including, of course, the Chair of Chartwell Homes, the infamous Mike Harris.

Here is one of the brilliant ideas Ms. Jones is sharing:

Jones and Long-Term Care Minister Paul Calandra will outline a spate of “operational” reforms Thursday morning at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto.

One move, first reported by CityNews and confirmed by the Star, is to make permanent a pandemic emergency measure that allows the moving of patients in hospitals awaiting a long-term care bed to nursing homes in other communities.

Progressive Conservative sources said the decision to transport elderly people to an available bed elsewhere would be left up to doctors and could free up some 250 hospital beds by year’s end.

A bloodless solution, eh, unless you happen to be an essential caregiver to the relocated senior, likely a senior yourself.

I won't bore you with the details of how, despite the mantra that private enterprise always does things more efficiently, the private model is more a shell game than a solution; you probably already understand it is merely rearranging those deck chairs on the Titanic and ultimately confining many to the steerage section to await their doom.

I'll let the always entertaining and infinitely more witty Brittlestar speak for me.

Revised: Sometimes, All You Can Do Is Feed The Birds

I have revised slightly my original post. With lunta's comments I realized my point was not entirely clear, that sometimes we have to "just feed the birds," whose meaning I had hoped was clear.

I hope the revisions clarify my point.

For many years, there was a popular saying that everyone seemed to know: "Think globally, act locally." Basically, it was a call to consider the global environmental implications in every decision we make. Not a bad sentiment, but I find myself living by something quite different in these latter days of my life.

In my backyard, which is perpetually sun-challenged, I have an array of drought-resistant perennials ranging from Hostas to Black-eyed Susans to Purple Coneflowers. Unfortunately, I have never had any luck with my Milkweed efforts, but at least the 'garden' offers something for pollinators.

Also in the backyard I keep a birdbath and two bird feeders, both of which I replenish regularly. Seeing the birds come and the bees collecting pollen offers me a small measure of comfort in these dark days. Because, when you think about it, sometimes all you can do is feed the birds.

The above  essentially encapsulates what has become my philosophy of life. Recognizing that the big issues like war, famine, drought, massive climate change, to name but four, have little likelihood of remediation, I was forced to change my outlook in order to keep even a semblance of hope and positivity.

Feeding the birds both literally and metaphorically allows me to maintain my humanity. Metaphorically, it means doing a little good, usually locally, when I can. Such acts do not have a world-shaking impact but perhaps might make someone else's life just a little bit better or at least reduce their suffering in a small way.

I will not bore you with details of how I try to practise this philosophy, but opportunities to help abound: community refrigerators, hot-meal programs, foodbanks, mentoring, helping a neigbour, providing a sympathetic ear to someone in distress, etc. Because some people enjoy a graphic, l bring to your attention, and only as an example, the situation of a young boy whose family is facing real challenges in living with and accommodating his rapidly deteriorating condition. I am not advocating for them, but only offer this as one example of how all of us, in our way, in our own communities, can "feed the birds." 

Here is Brodie's story:

In my life, I have much to be thankful for. I accept the goodness in my life with gratitude, knowing that days of grace are guaranteed to no one, nor are they really ever merited. As grateful as I am, if I can do even a little to show monetary/emotional support for individuals who are suffering, I feel called to do so.

We sometimes really do underestimate what a kind word, a sympathetic voice, a show of support or a small donation can achieve in someone's life.