The Sacred President

The reverence that Americans have for their presidents, good or bad, is something I have never fathomed. It almost amounts to idolatry. If not bred in the bone, it must be inculcated in early childhood as part of the American mythology. They should get over it.

Other countries only respect their kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers if there is something to respect. Otherwise it's open season. They can be criticized to their face, have their lies exposed. They can be harangued by reporters. Tony Blair knows all about it. On the other hand, following Hugo Chavez' famous (or infamous) description of George Bush as a devil emanating sulfureous fumes, a leading Democrat opponent fulminated "How dare he speak of my president that way!"

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Nigerian Disaster

The gas pipeline explosian in Nigeria killed hundreds of people. Poor people. Here is a photo of the devastation. Is this not the most surreal picture you have seen in a long time?

Remembering Tommy Douglas

True heroes come few and far between. Many who are considered heroes are anything but. Napoleon was a psychopath. I don't much admire Churchill, although he may have been the right man at the right time. Lou Gehrig might qualify but Babe Ruth was a bit of an ass. John Kennedy was not what we thought of him at the time - once you read Seymour Hersh's "The Dark Side of Camelot" his aura vanishes.

Peewee Reese, the Brooklyn all-star shortstop, qualifies. In the year that Jackie Robinson broke the colour barrier, he played second base next to Peewee. In one particular game, the players in the opposing dugout were hurling racial barbs and insults at Robinson. Peewee, a Kentucky boy who was respected by players throughout the league, quietly walked over and stood shoulder to shoulder with Jackie while staring at the bigots. The message was clear. Robinson, by the way, had a lot of courage.

Charles Lindbergh, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldren & Yuri Gagarin did brave things. There are many others.

As for Canadian heroes, who can compare with Tommy Douglas? I am priveleged to have met him. As a matter of fact, my wife and I had dinner with him. It was in downtown Halifax at the home of a party member sometime in the early 70's. After dinner, we sat around the kitchen table and chatted of this, that and the other thing, but we mostly listened as Tommy told us stories, jokes and anecdotes. He was a born entertainer and we passed a most pleasant evening. This was the man who transformed our society, the father of medicare, and he was right at home at the kitchen table.

Yet, when he started out he was considered to be a danger to society, especially by those who were favoured by that society. He was a socialist and in the minds of many, that meant he was a communist. He had seen the misery that the depression brought to the prairies, and he put aside his Baptist minister's duties to serve his fellow humans, and serve well he did. As a result, the RCMP kept tabs on him, and now upon the 20th anniversary of his death, records have been released, although many pages are still blacked out. It's a sad fact that the secret police of most countries keep tabs on progressive and "left-wing" people, while seemingly allowing right-wingers free rein.

Grateful Canadians will not soon forget Tommy.

What is this foolishness?

A young hockey player, Dave Bouchard, has been suspended from the Saint John Sea Dogs for not signing a Canadian flag that was to be sent to our troops in Afghanistan. His coach, Jacques Beaulieu, is quoted as saying "Morally, we have standards . . . ."

I would nominate this coach for Idiot of the Year, for advocating a form of mind control. If Bouchard wouldn't sign because he is against the Afghan deployment, what business is it of his?
Is this a hockey team or a branch of the red shirt - support the troops - brigade? Are we all to be told what to think?

Gun Control

The gun control debate never ends. Some folks opposed to control are fond of quoting the old tired and tiresome NRA mantra "guns don't kill people, people kill people". Well ok, let's admit that people kill people. With guns. Another argument seems to be that a killer would otherwise use a knife or other weapon. But you can run from a knife. Even if the attacker can run faster at least you have a chance. As to whether the murder or crime rate goes down where there are strict controls is hotly contested, each side quoting statistics or factoids to support its cause.

A recent report caught my eye. In Australia, in the fifteen years prior to 1996, there had been 13 mass shootings. The toll was 104 dead and 52 wounded. The 13th claimed 35 dead and 18 wounded. Days later, the federal and state governments passed laws banning semiautomatic and pump action shotguns and rifles. The federal government funded a buyback program and 700,000 guns were surrendered.

No mass shooting has occured since. There has been a dramatic decrease in shooting deaths.

An interesting twist to this story is that Prime Minister John Howard, an archconservative if ever there was one, is chiefly responsible for thes laws. As a rule, liberals favour strict controls and conservatives don't. So, here's to you Mr. Howard, for breaking the mold.

An Issue for Our Time

A headline in our local paper caught my eye the other day. Mother wants stores to stop selling alcohol-filled chocolates. It seems that her 14-year-old daughter innocently bought some. Mother was furious. She believes anything containing alcohol should be available only in liquor stores. The store has stopped selling them, no doubt in fear of the battalions of moral rectitude descending upon the premises. Other stores don't sell them to minors, but Mom wants them off the shelves entirely.

She must have been calling around, because the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says liquor-filled products are the responsibility of the liquor board, but a spokeman for that august assemblage claims the treats are food. Well!

Mom says she's not giving up. She wants the Premier of New Brunswick to do something.

The Premier has lately been busy with more mundane matters and he may not be aware of the over-riding urgency. Perhaps it's a matter for the Supreme Court. Or perhaps the Canadian Senate could put aside, for the moment, its onerous work load and give consideration to the matter. Many an afternoon could be whiled away with their well known sober second thought, prior to happy hour. Whether this turns out to be the over-riding issue of the 21st century only time will tell.