Updated: Decline -&- Doggerel -&- Parachutes & Cupcakes

Update below of items omitted earlier (see green) . . . for some reason.

Quebec and the decline of the West November 29, 2005, Re: Andre Boisclair's Quebec, Father Raymond de Souza, Nov. 17.

[. . . . ] Surely, Quebec culture survived and flourished under 200 years of English political and socio-economic domination by maintaining its strong Christian faith.

How ironic, now that Quebec's rebellion against its Catholic heritage is nearly complete, that it struggles to protect a French-Canadian culture that may no longer exist long into the future, considering that the birth rate of Quebec francophones is so low. Their utter repudiation of their Catholic heritage would be pitiable if it weren't for the reality that Western civilization, in much of Europe and North America, is threatened in the same way. [. . . . ] Patrick O'Connor, London, Ont.

I would add that there is across Canada, not just in Quebec, an attempt to have us repudiate our Judeo-Christian heritage in favour of . . . whatever . . . situational ethics . . . no ethics at all . . . just what you can get away with . . . or, if you belong to the right circle, not being judged at all . . . a values-free assessment of any activity which, if carried out by all, and if subjected to the traditional values of a Judeo-Christian heritage, might have been judged as not entirely positive for a healthy society.

Think about this: who was Canada's most famous father of a child out of wedlock? . . . and there was nary a word of mainstream censure about the fact that the child would likely grow up having lost a father in youth?

The Red Wheelbarrow

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

I just couldn't help but think my own doggerel as diversion:

Canada's Red Wheelbarrow

so much depends
upon

charisma and
family

of socialist
bent

in China
red.

With apologies to William Carlos Williams, author of The Red Wheelbarrow.

http://
www.writing.upenn.edu/
~afilreis/88/wcw-red-wheel.html:



Of Parachutes & Cupcakes

I realize, Canadians are not supposed to notice nowadays, but consider this.

What colour is your parachute? Ask this well-connected, high profile single mom . . . baby momma in less elite circles . . . for those who reproduce without marital strings to a legal spouse and parent . . . so au courant . . . a class act to shake up Toronto Danforth . . . more socially hip than Jack, is this candidate.


After a whipped Liberal vote which FORCED cabinet members, under pain of banishment to the hinterland of the back benches or worse, to vote with the government on SSM, guess who is being slagged for suggesting that MP's should have a free vote on contentious issues such as SSM?

Many of us are on the fence on this one but we want our MP's to be able to vote freely without threats of heavy-handed retaliation from the PM/PMO.

Free votes make sense to me.

There is a wonderful editorial on a heavy-handed example of political engineering over the "thinking woman's cupcake", Michael Ignatieff's parachute drop into Jean Augustine's Toronto riding. PM just has no idea what democracy is and how it is supposed to work.

Paul Martin usually thinks in $$$ terms, it seems. Force of habit and all that.


Update 1: This was omitted, somehow, from this morning's post.

The skinny on Michael Ignatieff's parachute drop into Jean Augustine's riding NP, Nov. 30, 05


Enough with the sound bites -- Did the Editor read what I wrote at the top of FHTR Nov. 27, 05?


CFRA Poll: Make your views known -- Results as scientific as those done by government pollsters under the guise of . . . soliciting . . . opinion . . . never contracts, I assure you. How do I know? My LibPropOrg?

CFRA Soundoff on "Conservative leader Stephen Harper confirms he will ask Parliament whether it wants to reconsider gay marriage with a "real" free vote. Harper personally believes same sex unions should have equal rights and protections, but prefers the traditional opposite gender definition of marriage."

End of Update



PM & Team's "Democratic Reform"

"I must admit, I was shocked when I came across Bill C79 and read its contents. . . . Basically, the Election Gag law is to be extended to prevent any money raised six months prior to an election from being used for any advertising during the writ period. Here's the summary: Nov. 26, 05, BlueBloggingSoapbox [spelling changes mine NJC]

http://
soapbox22.blogspot.com

C-79 An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (third party election advertising) The Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister responsible for Democratic Reform

Belinda, is it you reforming the rest of us, or is it de udda guys?

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