Abraham Martin and John-Dion 1969
From a friend...
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Freedom's Just Another Word
We are a sleepy self-satisfied nation.
Democracy without vigilance is soon a memory.
Today we have three separate stories that remind us of these themes:
1. The National Post is asking the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court decision that demanded that the paper reveal its sources in a story. The rights of newspapers are enshrined in the famous and often annoying Charter. In this case, the Charter is bang on. We can only hope that the Supreme Court will hear this appeal and then reverse the previous dangerous conclusion.
2. The RCMP's information provided about its use of tasers is heavily edited. Why? To protect whom? I am first protected by knowledge and information. I don't want to learn that the police have secrets they need to hide. Transparency is everything in this case.
3. The Victoria police chief has been on payed suspension of duties for almost 6 months now. Why? No one will tell us.
When the Top Cop is under a cloud of suspicion, shouldn't I know what this is about? Where is the great Wally Opaque on this matter? Cutting more ribbons?
When these three stories are strung together, an unhappy scenario begins to emerge.
I ask my usual question:
What gulag are we living in exactly?
Headlines we can live without
"Cigarette Company Paid for Lung Cancer Study By GARDINER HARRISThe revelation that a researcher’s study was underwritten by a tobacco company has caused an appearance of bias."
You think?
But I was Just Gone for a Minute
To the commenter who asked, "Why didn't you call 911?"
Because last year when exactly the same thing happened on West 1oth Avenue (An infant in a van with the sliding door open and no sign anywhere of a parent...) and I immediately called the police, here's what happened.
Before the police arrived about 10 minutes later, the "mother" emerged from a tanning spa with a fashion mag in her hands. I asked her if this was her car and child. She said they were. I told her the police were on their way. She thought I was a public nuisance. She laughed at me.
When the police arrived, one officer stood by me. The other stood with the "mother," and the two of them - the "mother" and the police officer laughed a lot.
I asked them what was so impossibly funny.
A month before this incident, a friend who used to own a plant store down the street had precisely the identical experience - baby in car, no parent, police, much amusement...
Apparently there is something inherently hilarious about irresponsible senseless parents who are born to shop and tan and the crazy lunatic old men who accuse them of reckless child abandonment.
Watch for the new ABC reality show based on this growing trend called "Lose Your Kid, Find a Grumpy Old Man." The early returns from the focus groups say it's a smash run-away winner.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Alone
It happened again.
Yesterday, I parked the car in the Safeway lot.
As I was walking toward the store, I saw a baby, under 2 years, sitting in her car seat in the back of an expensive late model car - alone.
The front passenger side window was lowered. Lowered enough for me or anyone else to open the door.
I saw no parent.
I turned to a woman who was standing not far away and asked her opinion of this situation.
"Is it just me? Am I completely crazy?" Like that.
She agreed that this was not looking good.
The "mother" came out of the store.
Thirty-five-ish, attractive, beautifully dressed in casual sports clothes.
"Excuse me, Ma'am, do you think that leaving your child unattended in a car is really a good idea?"
She smiled benignly at me. Clearly I am a lunatic.
"I was about one second away from calling the police." Last year, in a similar situation, I did call the police.
She smiled again, even more warmly.
"Well, you do what you think you have to do."
She was so kind to me in my distress.
She got into the car and put it in reverse.
"Perhaps you could think about this today."
She smiled and drove off.
I ask what I asked several months ago when I wrote about the talking couple in the movie house.
Why is she happy?
Because, believe me, she is happy. Nothing I could have said or done would have upset her perfectly coiffed equilibrium.
I went across the street into a fruit and vegetable store, bought some broccoli and tomatoes, paid for them, and turned to leave, forgetting the vegetables.
Half an hour later, I was in a shop on Fourth Avenue. I paid for my purchase and asked the two young women the same question I asked the first lady in the Safeway parking lot.
"Is it just me, or...?"
They freaked. Thank G-d. They would never leave their child alone in a car for one second. No running in just for a minute bullshit.
I thought of that British couple who went for a quiet intimate dinner in Portugal (Spain?), leaving their daughters alone in a rented condo.
Has the "Me Society" peaked? Is it all about MY shopping needs and MY dinner needs?
And dare we speak up without being branded a public menace?
Monday, March 24, 2008
Ode to a Quiet Day
I've read three newspapers this morning and looked at several on-line sites as well, and you know what I found of interest?
Nothing, nyet, gournischt, zilch, bupkes, de nada, niente, goose eggs...
OK.
Let's just be grateful for a quiet day.
Spring has sprung,
Da grass is riz.
I wonder where da boidies is.
Da boid is on da wing.
Dat's absoid.
Da wing is on da boid.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Memories
Jasper, the wizard who manages my website, has added 10 old fotos from my ridiculous, but very fun, acting career.
You can find them at: http://www.davidberner.com/actor.php, Acting Gallries #1 & 2.
The top is Harry Da Horse in "Guys and Dolls," the other is Conrad Birdie in "Bye Bye Birdie."
And in the red corner...
A wonderful argument had broken out in a post made here yesterday about one of my all time favorite groups, the BC Teachers' Federation.
The comments are worth price of admission alone.
Bula Blogged and it feels good...
Yikes!
I've been Bula Blogged...
Sun City Hall Cover Lady has written a very funny piece on her blog about how I might or might not run for city council in November.
Demonstrating my relentless solipsism, I added a comment on her blog and added her blog to my list in the right hand column.
Ain't life just a big cyber party?
Big Pharma Outdoes Itself
Big Pharma continues its steady march up the ladder of infamy.
The latest story involves a company that only charges $300,000 a year for its product. Nice.
This in spite of the fact that "the federal government did much of the scientific work that led to development of the drug and provided contract money that got the company started."
The gruesome story is here.
Cheney & Iran - God Save Us
This frightening little piece from The Real News includes a video of Mr. Evil, Dick "I Never Met a man or Woman I couldn't Sneer at" Cheney telling us about how he and bush are going to save the world.
The story is headlined, "Dick Cheney tour sparks Iran war rumors," and you can read and watch it here.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Attentione, Amici
Please note along the right hand column that I have added a new link today titled: "Samantha Speaks: The Vancouver Manifesto."
For a quick look, go here now:
http://thevancouvermanifesto.blogspot.com/
She is an interesting writer with a distinct point of view.
Cheers.
We Don't Want to Help the Homeless
Here are the things wrong with the front page story in the Sun today on the cost of homelessness:
1. Who didn't know that the millions we spend on useless social programs could have been spent on housing? Well...lots of people I suppose...
2. How much did the study cost that is the basis of this report? And why not put that into housing instead of into the pockets of academics?
3. This tragedy lies mostly at the feet of our feral government..uh, federal government, who began about 30 years ago to no longer fund social housing. CMHC used to do this and then thanks largely to Liberal regimes, they stopped. Just as they stopped funding the military and cut back health care dollars from 50% to 18%.
The Crimes Of "Helpers"
The needle exchange in Victoria will not be allowed to move into a St. John's Ambulance building on Pandora Street. Parent at a nearby elementary school quite rightly screamed bloody murder and the ignorant, unthinking civic authorities had to back down
That's the good news.
Now, the bad.
Undaunted, the authorities will make the Victoria needle exchange mobile.
That's right.
Coming soon to a neighbourhood very, very close to you will be a travelling troop train and side show circus called the needle exchange.
Question:
Are you familiar with the Mobile Arthritis Unit? The Mobile Cancer Truck?
No, you are not. Because they do not exist.
But we will spend your tax dollars serving up needles to addicts.
And let's look at what that brings.
The very same report tells us "users have been loitering outside the Cormorant Street location in large groups, leaving dirty syringes, blood and human waste."
In case, you think human waste means envelopes or file folders...no, it means pee and poo.
Do you understand that the mayor of Victoria and AIDS Vancouver Island in their superior wisdom were preparing to bring this loveliness to a site near a junior school. And now that they have been deterred from so doing by righteous public outcry, they will instead bring it on wheels to ALL neighbourhoods?
This is what happens when you sit at home and watch The Biggest Loser instead of being involved.
Terrible Realization
I have a truly horrible thought.
I am now almost certain that Mayor Sam Sullivan will be re-elected.
As inappropriate or against the common good as that inevitability may be, it now seems unavoidable.
The mayor has the biggest possible advantage: His every utterance is front page material.
He can play out one insincere notion after another, every second or third day until November, and each of these pronouncements will get attention.
And each time his face is shown in the press with the title attached - Mayor - the thoughtless, sentimental average stupid voter will be passively impressed.
Whatever else I may think of Peter Ladner, Gregor Robertson, Raymond Louie, Allan De Genova or whomever else may throw his or her hat into the ring, not one of them has at his disposal the free publicity machine that is availed the incumbent. Not one of them has to date created an impression that is in any way bigger than Sullivan's.
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