The War Comes Home

The following arrived via email last night from our good friend, Victor:


My nephew, a 22 year old Marine based in San Diego, got his orders on
Saturday to deploy to Afghanistan on Boxing Day. He is a young
father. Merry Christmas. He is in a battle unit. He will be there 8
months. But when you're a Marine in Insaneastan, you work 7 days a
week, Add to that pre-deployment training and post-deployment re-
orientation, what it means is this young man will give a year.

We, our family, expected this ever since the "President Who Can Do No
Wrong" (with all the "o's" in that title, I'll just all him Poodoo)
announced that he was ramping up the "War That Makes No Sense" ( we'll
call it WAMS).

One could take consolation that it will be a brief war, because Poodoo
wants all the soldiers home in time for his pre-election campaign in
2011. Poodoo is a man of resolve. He is resolved to be re-elected.

But although it will be a brief war ( if you believe that, you're
NASCAR stupid) it will be a horrid war because Poodoo wants results in
18 months. He has a victory speech on his 2011 teleprompter already,
don't you see? So he will command every sacrifice of young soldiers to
win an 18th month war.

America will have 80,000 soldiers in Insaneastan after this
deployment. The Russians had 100,000 soldiers there. They didn't build
schools, hospitals or roads. They didn't hand out candy or teach kids
to play hockey. They bombed the supreme shit out of the country and
left in defeat. The Russian soldiers were not constrained by an
election date. They lost and the wives and mothers in Moscow demanded
that they come home. The Kremlin listened.

I will leave a note for Santa, asking him to bring a soldier home.

Trial by Sentiment

Have you been following the bizarre case of Amanda Knox?

Knox is a young American student, who has been found guilty and sentenced to 26 years in prison in Perugia, Italy for the brutal sex game killing of her roommate, Meredith Kercher.

What has made this case so strange is the almost universal reaction of the American media.

CNN has been all over it and Larry King had Knox's parents on his show last night. I didn't watch.

The central message seems to be, "Amanda must be innocent because she's American!"

My take, based on nothing more than watching a few news reports last week?

She's guilty as sin.

Grinning idiotically and mugging for the cameras...Puleeeze.

But you should see all the smart American commentators and lawyers basically claiming that a lovely blond haired blue eyed American princess could never do something like this.

Are you kidding?

Feeding Frenzy

This list is typical of every newspaper in the world this morning:

• Tiger's alleged affairs now stand at 10
• Trooper suspected Tiger Woods was driving under the influence
• Wife of Tiger Woods has moved out of home, report says
• Tiger to pay price to keep wife, secrets
• Video: Tiger sins, sponsors so far forgive
• Video: Woods still mum about accident
• Woods frequently out of bounds: tabloids
• Gallery: Tiger's damaged SUV
• More stories on Tiger Woods

Now Oprah wants him on her show.

Positively ghoulish.

Art Theft

There are two imposters pretending to be art that invariably send me out the door screaming.

Both of these "forms are hustles and con jobs and it is always amazing how the glitterati continue to fall for these scams.

The first is anything that calls itself "Video Art."

I don't believe in such a critter.

Television came to our house with Ed Sullivan and the World Series when I was about 12.

It has changed and grown, but it is still what it has always been - an amusement box.

This morning as I surface the first 57 cable channels while waiting for Computer Boy to warm hisself up, I found 53 commercials and some other mindless odds-and-sods.

From this, you want to show me something clever sitting at the end of a room in an art gallery and call it art?

No. I don't think so.

The second Leopard with stripes in the Emperor's New Clothing World of Art is called "Installation Art."

My all-time favorite experience with this abortion happened a few years ago in the San Fransisco MOMA, or Museum of Modern Art.

Beautiful building, great cafe and some not bad art, scattered here and there.

At one point I entered a very spacious, round room filled with people.

Quiet people.

Silent people.

They were gathered in a circle and they were all staring I would say religiously, reverently at something in the middle of their circle.

The "something" of their devotion was a circle of poodles.

Black wool plush hand-made toy poodle dogs, each standing about two and a half feet tall.

The poodles were in circles themselves about 10 deep, all staring blank button-eyed at something special in the empty centre of the circle.

Lying on the floor in the middle of the room, in the centre of the many circles of toy poodle dogs and adoring guests was a very cheap, very ugly toy dolly.

She looked like she cost about $3.95.

I looked at this macabre scene for a moment, wondered briefly if the drones-disguised-as-human-beings had also been placed there for my special amusement and then...

Then, I burst out laughing shattering the observant silence like crystal.

I roared.

I laughed and laughed and then said very loudly on exit, "You folks have got to be kidding!"

I mention all of this because we here in Vancouver have now been blessed with a very pricey piece of public "installation art."

Here is the description taken from yesterday's Globe:

"Public art can be high-minded and it can simply be, well, high. Vancouver's newest work of public art - to be unveiled tomorrow - spans 16 floors of the not-yet-open Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel, starting on the fifth floor (which is actually the fourth). Created by internationally renowned British artist Liam Gillick, the text-based work wraps around parts of the south and east-facing exterior, rising to the 22nd floor. On each floor the title of the work is spelled out in 60-centimetre-high stainless steel letters: Lying on top of a building the clouds looked no nearer than when I was lying on the street. There are no spaces between the words."

Now, why should you arr I care about this silliness?

Here's why we should care a lot:

"The $1-million installation is part of Vancouver's public-art program."

Dare we count the urgent needs that have been de-funded and underfunded and never funded at all here in this perfect of all worlds?

Do you understand that some very powerful and very obscure mandarin at City Hall has recommended this obscene waste of taxpayers' money and that some elected officials have bought into it?

Oh, yes.

Those of us who see through this sham will be hailed loudly as boors and philistines.

So be it.

This is a crime.

Can no one stop it or punish the guilty?

Balance Please

In a nicely balanced editorial, the Globe has captured the frustration that many Canadians feel about the courts hamstringing the police.

It seems an almost daily occurrence that the police will nab some fool with guns and/or drugs and then be told that they had no business even questioning, let alone arresting the crook.

Due process and protection of privacy, yes.

But giving the bad guys a pass on the most spurious and arcane reasoning, no.

Quote of the Day

Forty-year old quarterback Brett Favre, asked if he felt his joining the Minnisota Vikings team after a legendary run with the Green Bay Packers had caused a "schism," replied,

"You know after I quit drinking about 10 years ago, I took up cross word puzzles and now I do them every day."

Good Morning

If you're reading this, you are probably not homeless and very, very cold.

That's Gratitude #1.

If you're reading this, you're probably not Barack Obama or Tiger Woods, so you don't have to deal with the weight of the entire world or what may feel like the weight of the entire world.

G2.

If you're reading this from almost anywhere in Canada, you may have noticed the great absence of mortal shells, skuds or other flying materiel.

G3.

If in Vancouver, it is a sunny, sunny morning, some flowers are still in bloom, some Christmas cacti are already showing the red, some hardy birds are still fluttering about and two or three of the NFL games today are really worth watching.

G4.

Then there's 1001 coffee shops with great espresso and not-too-fattening munchies, beaches to stroll and hills to climb, if strolling and beaches are still in your repertoire.

Your eyes and/or your glasses are apparently working, and if you listen to The Stones in a minute, so are your ears.

Gratitudes 5 through 9.

Enjoy your Sunday.

Brilliant Comment Deserves Own Post

I am very lucky to live in co-op housing. We pay less than $1200 per month for a three bedroom townhome (near schools, parks and amenities) plus utilities. The city property tax is included in our housing charge.

This co-op was partially financed through funding from the CHMC around 30 years ago (in the early 1980'). It has provided safe, affordable housing and a community of mixed incomes (from subsidized members paying 30% of their gross income to working and lower professional classes paying the regular rate - which is still much lower than true market rates).

The members of our co-op are a stable bunch. We know each other and participate in our own community and the community at large.

This is in stark contrast to most townhomes/condos where there are so many units sitting empty (pied de terres for out-of-towners and speculative buys for property investors).

There are members who have young children who were young children living here with their own parents when the co-op was first opened. How is that for a stable neighbourhood!!

As we are paying hundreds of dollars less per month than we would on either market rents or the high costs of regular home ownership - we have more money to spend to stimulate the economy or invest for our retirements or children's higher education.

Keep in mind - this is not "social housing" in the sense that it is only for low income. This co-op is made of a mix of people - the way a healthy neighbourhood SHOULD be. Most members pay full price for their units and others have degrees of subsidy - depending on their individual circumstances. We manage our own property and stay within budget each year.

There needs to be more of this type of housing in Vancouver so that singles, families and seniors can live, work and participate in the city. With more affordable housing options. It is horrifying to hear of working people having to avail themselves of shelters and other emergency housing because of the dismal lack of options.

Hot...Beautiful

Where We Are Going

Just in case you were wondering...

Diane Finley, posing these days as Human Resources Minister in the Harper Federal Government, has cleared the air.

"By no means are we getting back into the housing business."

Oh, that's nice.

Like we hadn't noticed, Di.

Let's get clear about a few things.

For a great many years, CMHC funded social housing in a wide variety of useful and creative ways.

Those days evaporated about 30 years ago.

Notice the rise in homelessness, did you?

There is no single bigger cause than this withdrawal of basic funding.

Now, the current administration has committed $5-billion over the next five years to provide shelter to the needy, and that is a good thing.

But then?

Perhaps I am not making myself clear on this issue.

I believe the federal Government has the crucial and central role in social housing. I believe we have a moral responsibility in this matter.

It is disgusting to me to hear an elected representative denounce this obligation from on high.

May her brother, aunt or neighbour never find himself in need.

Fact of the Day

Google's revenues surpass the revenues of the four major US TV networks combined...

and ALL of the advertising revenues of the entire US magazine industry.

Provinicial Priorities

In an excellent editorial yesterday, the Sun's Daphne Bramham, captures the way we ignore and disrespect our own history here in the greatest place on earth.

Writing about the dislocation of the BC Sports Hall of Fame, she points out the half a BILLION dollars that will go into the new roof at La Grande Mushroom vs. the $20 Million needed over the next few years to honor our best.

Read the piece and ask if we shouldn't rename this important and soon-to-be displaced institution The BC Hall of (Gordon Campbell) Shame.

By the way, the new Sea-to-Sky Highway gets considerable coverage in today's Globe. The road cost about one BILLION.

Apples and oranges?

Not really.

Think about it.

Lakewood, Through the Eyes of a Police Officer

"The murder of the four officers in Lakewood, Washington is no longer on the
front pages, but it has stayed with me". "It haunts me"!

Well David it haunts me as well. Every day.

That morning in Lakewood I lost 4 Members of my extended family. I wore an
R.C.M.P. Uniform for several years in the 90's. We are "Members" because
it is a family, and you can never really separate yourself from family. During my Training I was taught that "it is not YOU, it is the UNIFORM" that
some people will turn on. I was also taught, "when you are in UNIFORM, you
are a target".

Well David, no truer words have been spoken. I experienced that so many times, and the 4 Members in Lakewood experienced the ultimate example.

Back in the olden days, when I had hair, there was a group of our peers chanting the Mantra "question Authority"! I, and perhaps you, was taught in our formative years that if you wanted a slap or a grounding, just march into your parents kitchen and "question Authority"! You wouldn't like the response!

In light of that upbringing, I had a "problem" with the "Question Authority” crowd. However, in light of how "Authority" had run amuck, and acquired a lust for Power, by any means, I came to the conclusion that Authority should be held to account. I instilled this in our daughter, and my Son.

Being "held to account" first of all meant, that no matter the Authority figure, he/she
puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like the rest of us. NEVER be intimidated!

Secondly it meant to give respect, to get respect. This eliminated questioning Authority by spitting on them, threatening their families, chucking beer bottles at them, and other such idiotic actions.

I experienced those actions escalating David when I was in Uniform, from verbal
taunts, to spitting, to throwing rocks, bottles etc., to ground fighting, and now in our new Millennium, shooting Authority Figures in cold blood.

I Posted on your Blog this morning David, that "the Rules have changed". Back
in the day, the perps had a Code of their own. You didn't hit on women or children, you didn't steal from the Sally Ann, if and when you were detained you complied................ Not today.

As you alluded to the fact that if one doesn't feel safe in a Public place with Members present, when can we? It reminds me of the hand wringing and sobs that I see on the 6 o'clock News every night. Someone has been shot/raped/kidnapped, take your pick, and some lunatic is braying, "It's such a quiet neighbourhood, I can't believe it happened here"! Like bad guys have no access to "quiet neighbourhoods"? It's all I can do, to refrain from throwing the TV out the window, when EVERY night I hear this nonsense.

In the REAL world, I remember a fellow Member saying to me one evening, that if the good folks in our small rural Gulf Island Community knew what is out there at night,
"they wouldn't walk alone". My response is always, "yup, here's Breaking News, our
Ferry transports BAD GUYS too! Go figure David! But alas, many people don't or
won't.

Anyway, I won't bore you any longer David. I seem to have gotten off the Topic a
bit. I just really wanted to share with you, that "it haunts me", as well.

Reflection

The murder of the four officers in Lakewood, Washington is no longer on the front pages, but it has stayed with me.

It haunts me.

I have been asking myself why I have felt so impacted by this gruesome tale.

I am not sure of the answer, but here is something.

These four people were sitting at a booth in a popular coffee shop, each writing on his and her laptops.

I spend considerable time doing exactly this - sitting in cafes, writing on my laptop.

I love the new cafe culture.

Dozens of people of all ages, colors, ethnicities, and inclinations are drinking coffee and eating snacks and writing on their laptops.

And...

Oddly enough, interacting.

Little hellos and chats sometime wander into full discussions about life or the affairs of the day or the arcane minutia that make the day interesting.

In short, these places have the air and feeling of civility.

Everyone likes to bandy about notions of the civilized society and what we aught to do to get there.

I find that these little WiFi cyber cafes have spontaneously become the best example of the civilized society.

They are comfortable and friendly and interactive, even with people staring down their computer screens.

Now...

The idea of some mad man crashing through this sense of local community and safety and neighbourliness by firing a gun and murdering people sitting in a booth working on their laptops ... my god, it's just horrifying.

To make it worse, the victims are young people, in their 30's and 40's. Trust me, that's young.

To make it even worse, they are police officers.

If ever one should feel safe, it is in a cafe with four police officers near by.

But no.

Bang, bang, bang, bang.

Clemmons, the killer, killed four real human beings.

And he has caused dreadful unimaginable pain for the surviving families of these four officers.

But he has also punched a great gaping torn hole in basic notions of civilization and community.

What an unspeakable horror.

Please, God, enough.

My New Vision of "NO!" Justice

A man drives a truck into a restaurant.

First he waits until his path is clear.

He is bent on revenge of some kind.

The act is premeditated.

He kills two people and injures seven.

He is an alcoholic.

The geniuses who run something called The B.C. Review Board have decreed that this fellow will be set free next month - his crimes occurred last year - on only 10 conditions.

These conditions include, among other impossibilities, you must not drink.

Did I mention that he is an alcoholic?

My first question is this:

Who will be following this Living Danger around to monitor his Good Boy behaviour?

The parole and probation people no longer leave their offices. They spend all day filling out forms.

My second question is this:

Who reviews the Review Board?

These people are irresponsible in the extreme and when this lunatic kills his next innocent victims will Barry Long, Garnet Warrian and Lily Chow - the three members of the Review Board who have set free this walking time bomb -will they be held responsible? Will they even attend the funerals of Crazy Guy's next victims?

And my last question is this:

How do I get me appointed to this B.C. Review Board?

Whom do I have to know or blow?

I am sure there is a pleasant little remuneration attached to these duties.

But that's not the main reason I want this appointment.

The main reason I want the assignment is so that I can say, "NO!" over and over and over again to all the dangerous nut bars who think they should be walking around in my neighbourhood.

I want to sing "NO!"

I want to shout, "NO!"

I want to dance, "NO!" in a dizzying array of languages.

Management From a Caring Administration

As a follow-up to yesterday's story in this space about 200 care workers being fired after they voted to join a union, I recommend that you read Justine Hunter's first-rate analysis of the entire Seniors Care game here in SuperNatural British Columbia.

It comes down to two familiar phrases: underfunding and contracting out.

The people who will suffer will, of course, be the elderly and their families.

Another well-managed file from the good folks in the funny old building behind the lawn in Victoria.

The Callousness Award goes to...

Don't worry.

Housing Minister Rich Coleman is on top of this "bit of homelessness."

Reap What Ye Sow

The news that 200 workers at a seniors' care home had been fired just after they voted to join HEU would not even be noteworthy if we had not noticed which particular care home is in question here.

Completed in June 2008, the privately owned Sunridge Place facility was built to replace Cowichan Lodge, a government-run care home that served the Cowichan Valley for close to 80 years.

Despite a strong community effort to save Cowichan Lodge, the last patients were moved to Sunridge Place about a year ago.

The closing of Cowichan in favor of this new private facility was just one of many similar initiatives by Gordon Campbell.

This case was particularly galling because of how much the local community enjoyed the staff and services of Cowichan Lodge over such a long period of service.

Now, with private contractors happily in business under the Gordo banner, closing s and labour strife are the norm.

Thanks again, GC.

Fox in Hen House

Two of the biggest - or scariest - stories are related and hiding in the Life section at the back of the Globe this morning.

They are both about Big Pharma taking seats at the table for medical research and medical education.

The CMA has teamed up with Pfizer to run a program for doctors.

Huh?

And a Pfizer VP has been appointed to the governing council of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Now, we can take two different looks at this creepy news.

One, CMA and CIHR are clearly whores.

They should be ashamed of themselves.

Or two, "Remember to keep your enemies closer than your friends." Perhaps this is wise strategy.

Hm...

Doubt it.

They are whores.

Watch for nothing but bad results and increased revenues for Pfizer in the near Pfuture.

3 More Minutes

Jon Ferry was my editor at the Vancouver Province.

In fact, he was the fellow who so kindly surprised me with an invitation to write columns for the paper.

I enjoyed that assignment immensely and the often vigorous parry-and-thrust with Jon over what was written and what needed to be written.

I was equally disappointed, when a little over a year later, the editor in chief called to tell me that my assignment had ended.

I was one of 500+ folks summarily dismissed across the country as Canwest Global attempted once again to scotch the bleeding.

Ah, well. Such is life...

Thus, imagine my delight yesterday at Jon giving me another three minutes of fame by using one of my blog entries ("Armed & Dangerous - An Entire Country" posted on Monday, November 30/09) as his starting point for a column of his own.

More laws and anti-U.S. bigotry are no answers for gun violence

By Jon Ferry, The Province

It's a good one and a riot and well worth the read if you missed it.

I don't feel the need to defend my position or re-hash the argument other than to say that America is a gun culture in a way that Canada is not.

I haven't forgotten for a moment the six people executed in Surrey or the four mounties or the victims of Mark Lapine.

But here is the telling difference.

I know many, many people across Canada.

And I don't really know very many who own a gun of any kind or calibre.

Almost everyone in the USA is packing.

I am not familiar with thousands of strip mall and corner stores in Canada who sell ammo and Uzis.

Canada and America are very similar, and in this regard in particular, very different.

To point out bad public policy is not America Bashing.

It is legitimate and necessary commentary.

Cheers, Jon!