O.J. Simpson Kicked Out of a Restaurant

This self-explanatory bit of Americana is...what? Bizarre? A statement about Our World?

Guest Editorial from V. - Most Important!

The provincial government has come down on the farmer whose van was involved in the needless, heartless deaths of those Indian women who perished in an unsafe van ,while on their way at dawn to process food for our tables. Fine Mr.Falcon, but not enough. This is a far bigger problem than one farmer.

See, here's the thing.

I don't want to buy my broccoli , from a store that buys its broccoli, from a farm or greenhouse that abuses or causes the death of its workers.

I think most decent people feel the same.

So we need to take a page from the great Cesar Chavez who fought so gallantly for farm workers in California.

I want to see a vigorous inspection system for farms. One that tells me they are treating their workers right, protecting my health, and protecting the environment. Maybe BC Fed could do this.

Then I want all stores , large and small, that sell farm products, to have their supplier list reviewed by the inspectors. Stores that buy farm goods from farmers who respect workers, public health and the environment get a window sticker. Losers don't.

If there's no sticker, I don't buy my broccoli there. Neither would you.

Cheaters would try, but a scum list could be published for those that attempted to forge a sticker.

Yes, I can hear the yeahbut crowd saying " What about food from Mexico, China, Thailand,California etc.". I can't change behaviors in those countries. But I sure as hell can do it here.

I hope you or I never ate a single tomato that came from that man's business. I can't be sure.

But if we did, those dead women were working for us when they died. How does that feel?As the commercial says " Can you hear me yet?"

I never want this to happen again. It's not enough to make one person the official sin eater, no matter how guilty he was.

Let's fix this. Let's demand that it be fixed.

Hola Cesar Chavez. Your work continues. It is our job now.

Regards

A Boulevardier

Claims and Damn Claims

Why does the press publish lies? Or uncontested claims?

In a tiny announcement about the hiring of more child care workers here in B.C., the Sun announces - as if this is a fact - that "one in seven B.C. children suffers from a mental disease."

This is utterly false.

This is not true.

Where is the evidence for this?

There is none.

It is simply what the Caring Industry wants governments to believe. The issue is money.

Why would anyone believe a statement so evidently wrong? Why would anyone casually print it?

Whisle Blowers Beware

The intersection of 2 stories in this morning's press should raise some alarm.

An Environment Canada employee was led away in handcuffs by the RCMP because he is alleged to have leaked information about our government's plans to scuttle any involvement in the Kyoto accord.

And the Supreme Court is now 0 for 3 in hearing appeals from fired whistle blowers. Two are Health Canada scientists who complained that major health decisions were being made politically rather than based on any good and reasonable science. One was an RCMP officer who complained about corruption at the Canadian High Commission in Hong Kong.

All three were fired or severely punished for their transgressions.

The Court has refused all their appeals and, as is tradition, given no reasons for its decision.

How are we to protect our public institutions?

Poison The Pear

(Now, that's a curiously suggestive photograph, isn't it?)

The Letter writers get it right, and the government gets it wrong - again.

An obscure bureaucrat, hidden away in the bowels of Obfuscation & Mismanagement Directive, has dusted himself off and emerged into the light long enough to declare that Canada will INCREASE the amount of pesticides allowed on fruit and veggies because our current rate - already 1400 times higher than European standards! - has become a trade irritant with the United States of Consumption.

The fool's name is Richard Aucoin. Good name, as many ordinary Canadians are now questioning how much money (Oh Coin!) the chemical lobbies have filtered into federal coffers for this decision.

Mr. A is the head of our Pest Management Regulatory Agency. Which I guess makes him Mr. Pest, or Monsieur La Pest.

God forbid we should count on our governments to protect the foods we eat, instead of worrying about what Mr. Bush thinks...assuming that Mr. Bush is capable of thinking...

John Lennon Beautiful Boy(darling boy)

Do you all remember the lovely scene in "Mr. Holland's Opus," the movie for which Richard Dreyfuss was again nominated for an Oscar? It is a rare thing when an actor can make us forgedt for a brief moment John Lennon.

Here is Lennon singing his beautiful lullaby...