Bill Walsh

The San Fransisco 49ers had been perennial doormats for years. Yes, they had some great players, like John Brody, who went on to become a pretty good scratch golfer. But they were rarely "contendahs."

Then, along came Bill Walsh, Joe Montana, Dwight Clark, Randy Cross and Jerry Rice.

Here is a wonderful write-up on Walsh's life and career from a Bay Area source.

My son was a huge fan of Tom Snyder...Snyder was a marvelous broadcaster. There is no place in broadcast for the likes of Snyder today.

Name Names and let Shame take its Toll

A maniac is driving along Marine Drive in West Vancouver at 10:30 in the morning with his kids in the car. He has a blood alcohol level of 3.3, which is a) 4 times the legal limit, and b) enough to embalm the hardiest among us.

The police will not release the name of this fool and public menace. Why?

"We are going to great lengths to protect the identity of the children."

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

The children are already deeply harmed by having a drunk for a father.

Publishing this man's name and foto might....might!...just shame him into sobriety. It is not a given, but it has worked for some others in the past.

By shielding this puke from public scrutiny, the police are ENABLING his chronic bad behaviour.

Doesn't anybody in charge know the mechanics of addiction?

Pull the covers on this guy and let him suffer. He is on the way to killing me and you and his kids and himself. By protecting him, you are NOT protecting me and his children. You are putting us all in harm's way.

Bombers Will be Protected by Charter

David Hahn, the CEO of BC Ferries, would like to see the lunatic who called in a bomb threat on Sunday caught and sent to jail for ever.

Clearly, Mr. Hahn, an American, who for all we know still carries and American passport, has much to learn about local jurisprudence.

Here is your lesson for today, Dave...if I may call you Dave.

If and when this sucker is ever found, his legal aid lawyer will have him off and out in a nonce, successfully arguing that the a-hole's Charter Rights allow him to practice his stand-up comedy routines from any pay phone in the land and using any funny accent he chooses.

"MAYOR ON COKE"

This is a perfect example of how headlines can be misleading.

You thought, perhaps, that I was going to give you some juicy scandal about an elected official on drugs.

Well...almost.

I just thought when the union is calling negotiations with the City "twilight zone," it might be a good time to remind you all what Mayor Sam Sullivan has said many times in public and private about Coca-Cola.

The Nutty Mayor reminds us whenever he can create the opportunity that in its original formulation, Coca-Cola contained cocaine in some small measure. He then goes on to suggest that the coke in coke should be returned because it would "help us all take the edge off."

This is, of course, the home-spun language of the addict.

And you wonder why the guy who starts his day with a shot of whiskey wants to give pills to teen-age addict prostitutes.

Bombing the Coast - Ferries Hit by Threat

BC Ferries were held at ransom yesterday afternoon by a bomb threat.

The Globe & Mail coverage of that story can be read here.

It strikes me that nothing could be easier to attack than the wide-open, vulnerable and trusting ferries system.

The federal government has recently given the company $4 Million to beef up security, but 2) that's a minnow in an ocean, and b) the underpaid, sleepy staff I would think would be most susceptible to bribes and duplicity of one kind or another.

We have been peacefully trolling these shores for some time now and we have come to expect a certain kind of generosity and neighbourliness of behaviour. To introduce the modern realities of middle-eastern terrorism to the Gulf Waters is jarring indeed.

The End of the World As We Know It

“Who knows, in 10 years we could be looking back on this as a very significant moment,” said Rob Correa, senior vice president for programming at CBS Sports.

What is this fool talking about? Philosophical debates on the place of human beings in nature?

Here is what he is talking about:

"Video Game Matches to Be Televised on CBS"

Read the entire bewildering saga here, and then you'll understand why I don't miss the wonderful world of broadcast.

You Can't "Dialogue" with Evil

Israr Ahmad is a fundamentalist Pakistani preacher who has been making regular appearances on Vision TV. He has now been removed.

Mr. Ahmad says that he doesn't hate Jews and he isn't an anti-Semite.

Mind you, he does believe that the Holocaust was "divine punishment," and that one day Jews will be "exterminated."

But he isn't an anti-Semite and h doesn't hate Jews.

Let me share with you my lovely correspondence with Vision TV in the past week.

First, I wrote the CEO this:

Bill Roberts,

"Finally, Sir, have you no sense of decency?"

That's the line that in time stopped Senator Joe.

What will stop you from airing a Jihadist, anti-Semitic hate-monger and then rationalizing your mistake.

If it happens on your watch, then you are the one responsible.

David Berner

A few days later, they responded thus:

Thank you for sharing your concerns about the issues raised in the recent issues of the National Post. The Post articles were misleading in suggesting that offensive comments were broadcast on VisionTV. At no time were derogatory remarks about people of the Jewish community, or any other group, broadcast on our network.As Canada's multi-faith network, VisionTV celebrates the freedom of religious expression and spiritual diversity that is uniquely Canadian. It is part of our mandate to make airtime available to a broad range of faith communities and ministries. However, we also understand that fundamental freedoms must be balanced against each individual's right not to be subjected to fraudulent claims and misrepresentations with respect to matters of faith. We therefore review each program on VisionTV prior to broadcast to ensure that the content complies with our Code of Ethics, Standards and Practices. It is not always easy to achieve an appropriate balance between these competing priorities. Decisions on what content to broadcast are not taken lightly but are part of our ongoing effort to provide both a wide range of faith perspectives and the highest quality programming possible. Israr Ahmad did appear on the program Dil Dil Pakistan, as reported in the Post. But his comments in that program were limited to readings from the Quran and interpretations of scripture from that holy text. The offensive comments quoted in the Post were apparently made by Mr. Ahmad in other writings. Again, those comments were not broadcast on VisionTV.Having reviewed this matter with the producer of the program, and having learned of Mr. Ahmad's comments outside of the Dil Dil Pakistan program, the producer voluntarily agreed not to have Mr. Ahmad appear again on Dil Dil Pakistan. We will also be broadcasting an on-air apology for any offence caused Mr. Ahmad's previous appearance on the show. VisionTV and Dil Dil Pakistan have a long history of promoting positive dialogue and the peaceful teachings of the Quran. We will strive to ensure in future that we maintain the highest standards of broadcasting to achieve those goals.As a broadcaster, VisionTV takes its responsibilities for content on our network very seriously. In response to your feedback and comments from other viewers, we have undertaken to review our Code of Ethics with stakeholders including the Canadian Jewish Congress, B'nai Brith, and leaders of other Canadian faith institutions. It is often through viewer feedback that we are able to improve our broadcast standards, and we appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns with us. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any additional information.

In response, I wrote:

I'm afraid that's not good enough.It couldn't have taken much in the age of the Internet to learn the values for which Mr. Ahmad clearly stands and regularly expresses.For the producer to not have taken that step in advance shows a laziness beyond employment. He/she should be fired.Maybe Goebbels or Hitler restrained themselves in some fora, but who didn't know what they meant at all times?This kind of pretense at "open dialogue" is a sham and an offence.You are in Canada, Sir. We do not welcome or encourage people who preach the violent elimination of others because of race or religion or colour or sexual orientation.The only additional information that I need from you is that you are now dedicated to a new kind of vigilance in your own standards.Are you?David Berner

There, for the moment, the trail ends....

The photo, by the way, is from "the selection" ramp at Birkenau/Auschwitz. People sent to the right went to labor camps. People sent to the left to gas chambers.

Howard Keel:

The City Streets are Too Tolerant

Can someone be arrested on style points alone?

Last week I was driving east along 12th Avenue. A black Hummer pulled alongside. The Hummer was even bigger than usual. It had an open cab at the back in addition to its two rows of closed in seats and its four doors.

The driver was smoking and flicking, smoking and flicking.

The noise emanating was a hip-hop CD on repeat, reshuffle. The boom level was maxed out.

The "lyrics" to the "song" went something like this:

"Up yo' ass, fuck yo' ass, punch yo' ass, kick yo ass..." Gershwin, it ain't.

The blond haired, spike-haired junior criminal posing as a legitimate "driver" wove, over the next many blocks in and out of lanes, switching and twitching and flicking.

Gee, I wondered, could this little puke possibly be a coke dealer? I mean, that's a pricey ride, and how does this unemployable shit get the lucre to pony up for this hulking monstrosity? It can't be from his paper route?

So, in another kind of Perfect World, the one we might called The World According to Dave, I might be permitted to arrest this a-hole just on style points alone, or maybe even shoot him dead.

Walter Mitty is alive and well and driving his '93 Mazda 323 in straight lines through the streets of Margaritaville.

US Sells Nukes to India...Nice...

Let this be his epitaph. This may be the most famous, last idiotic statement by the Worst President in American History ever:

In February 2004, President Bush, in a major speech outlining new nuclear policies to prevent proliferation, declared that “enrichment and reprocessing are not necessary for nations seeking to harness nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.”

This reminder comes to light in yesterday's astonishing and terrifying announcement that the U.S. will now sell both nuclear technology and nuclear fuel the extremely stable and reliable government of India.

Read the story and then ask yourself, "Who's cousin has the nuke deal?"

Charter Rights are my Shield

Rupidaman Malik was acquitted of involvement in the Air India mass murders.

When he applied for bail in 2000, he listed his net worth at $10 Million.

Three years later, he claimed he was broke and applied for legal aid, which he received.

To this day, he owes you and me and the Province of B.C. $6.4 Million for his defense.

Now, his son, a lawyer, Jaspreet Singh Malik has been cited by the Law Society of B.C. for his (mis)conduct during this entire charade.. The Society claims Malik, Jr. aided his father in hiding Malik Sr."s true wealth, so he could claim relief from Legal Aid.

The best part of this hideous tale is that Malik Jr is now calling on his Charter Rights in his argument that he doesn't have to testify to the Law Society!

This story is sickening.

Oscar Peterson Trio Live at Newport

Justice Blinded Again.

The cop in charge of the police department's school liason program is busted for child pornography.

He gets a 12-month conditional sentence.

Huh?

Mayor Entirely To Blame for Strike

Richmond and Surrey have settled, or are about to settle, their labour disputes, while the Vancouver strike continues.

You know why?

For the same reason it began.

Sam Sullivan.

The City offered the union a 39-month deal to take them clear through the famous Olympics. The union countered with 48 months, wanting a good round 4-year number.

Mayor Sam said, "No."

You know why?

Because that would take the issue into the next civic election.

Like he's going to be re-elected. Talk about delusional.

Already, the Ideal candidate is poised and when, announced, will walk into the job.

Getting frustrated already with no pools, no libraries, no garbage pickup?

Call Sam.

He's The Man.

Curb Drug Costs - oh Yeah...

It is a rare enough thing for me to praise the B.C. Medical Association, but today must be the day.

Congratulations to Dr. Geoff Appleton, the BCMA President, and his team for presenting to BC Health Minister, Geoff Plant, the position paper called "A Prescription for Quality: Improving Prescription Drug Policy for BC."

For the full story, read the Vancouver Sun coverage here.

Prescription drugs are now the biggest expenditure of our Health Dollar, after hospitals. Our costs have risen from $259 Million in 1985 to $2 Billion today.

One of the biggest reasons is the outrageously aggressive sales tactics of Big Pharma, who visit your family doctor several times a week.

But the other reason these costs have so drastically escalated - and, as I don't have the full report in front of me, I don't know if this is covered therein - is the enormous jump in psychotropic/psychiatric medications. It is my firm belief that at least 90% of these prescriptions are inappropriate, dangerous and unnecessary.

But, remember that next to armaments and illegal drugs, pharmaceuticals are the biggest industry in the world. So good luck to all of us on cutting down.

At least we can thank the BCMA for hollering a bit of a wake-up call.

Guest Blogger on Langara Station Name

The comment on our "What's in a Name? Only Blackmail," post of yesterday was so good, we had to give it guest blogger status:

"There continues to be a tremendous amount of lobbying and possibly, political interference to switch the name to the Punjabi Market - Langara Station.

I have lived in the community for over 40 years, the corner of 49th and Cambie has always been known as Langara. This area includes the Langara Estates, Langara Golf Course, Langara College and it's even in the Electoral district of Vancouver Langara. The corner of Main and 49th is where the Punjabi Market is located. If the Canada line was going down Main Street, then name the station after the Punjabi Market. Main street is a full 1,000 meters away and has no connection to Cambie and 49th. I live near the Punjabi Market and the majority of it's patrons drive to the market, they don't use transit. However, each week there are 9,000 students and staff trips using transit from Langara. 61% of the residents in the Cambie + 49th area are Chinese, and the Indian population is less than 2%.

I'm shocked that this name issue has once again come up. What ever you think about Translink, they shouldn't be pressured into changing the name. A name change will be very unpopular with the community living on or near Cambie. Guess what they are calling the station at 41st & Cambie? Oakridge! Guess what they are calling the station at Marine Drive and Cambie? Marine Drive! And finally what are they calling the station at King Edward and Cambie? King Edward!

Do you see the pattern? Duh, what else would be call it Kerrisdale or the Jewish Community Centre station? Politics makes me crazy!"

What's in a Name? Only Blackmail.

The NDP can't lose in proposing that the new Canada Line stop at 49th and Cambie be named after the Punjabi market at 49th and Main St.

Even when Translink says, "No," the NDP has gone on record and thus secured their votes for the next election.

But this is a classic case of multi-cultural ethnic blackmail. Vote against our wants and you're a racist. Ha!

The new stop will be called Langara. You know why?

Because it should be.

The stop is immediately adjacent to Langara Estates. Langara Gold Course and Langara College.

Langara College will provide the largest and most consistent daily ridership on the Canada Line to that stop.

The Punjabi Market is not on the line. It is about 6 blocks away.

There is nothing to stop Transclunk from providing the obvious, practical solution of signage around the station pointing to the market.

But the attempt to rename the Langara stop for the market is a classic case of political correctness gone mad.

Strike Points

A few small points about the civic strike.

There are many among us who believe that private sector workers should have the right to strike, but public sector workers should not.

I don't agree with that position.

Strikes are never fun, often disruptive and potentially dangerous and violent. Who ever wants them?

But governments in Canada are now, regrettably, our biggest employers. Are we to deprive more than half of the work force the bargaining tool that others enjoy? What other means are available when management simply says, "No?" When you agree to work for a municipal, provincial or federal jurisdiction, must you be signing a deal with the devil? You can work here, but, above all, keep your nose clean and above all, shut up.

In spite of the fact that many believe we are sprinkled latte culture, we are not that far removed from the dark days of the 1930's. Unions and strike rights are still an important part of the working fabric.

Secondly...I add my voice to the chorus who have been appalled by the idiot mayor using words like "never" and "last offer." If the mayor could get his Olympic medal out of his ass long enough to do some serious thinking, he might realize that he is not a monarch, but an elected official and his responsibilities go somewhat beyond posturing.