Had forgotten about this letter....

I'm impressed, any letter to the editor taking a swipe at the media usually doesn't get published. Snaps to the editor of the Guelph Tribune.

http://www.guelphtribune.ca/trib/viewpoint/viewpoint_776010.html

Governments tightening the noose around our necks

Sue-Ann Levy of the Toronto Sun does a good job of explaining Toronto city council's latest folly, removing a consumer's choice...

http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Levy_Sue-Ann/2007/04/26/4130712.html

This may seem minor, but when combined with all the ban, restrict, tax out of existence legislation that the McGuinty Liberals and the Miller city council have passed, it leads to the frightening scenario that we have less and less choice, fewer and fewer rights.

Complacency is the enemy of democracy.

We'd better start screaming at our elected representatives (who seem to have forgotten that they represent the people, not their own agendas), and remember at the polls how the Ontario Liberals and Toronto city council are legislating us into severely restricted lives, taking away our choices one by one by one.

What happens to your letters....

I wrote a letter to the Edmonton Sun about a junkyard dog that bit some people and is now slated to die. Here's the original text....

I am very sorry for the victims in this incident, which include Bruiser. A dog chained in a junkyard by a negligent owner, left isolated, untrained and unsocialized, is an accident waiting to happen. I note that there is a comment that the dog had bitten before. Was the owner charged at that time? Did animal control do any followup to see whether the dog's living conditions had been improved, whether the dog was receiving any obedience training, taken off-chain?

Now the junkyard owner refuses to acknowledge ownership of the dog and thinks to wipe the slate clean by killing Bruiser. There is nothing to stop this person from getting another dog, chaining it, failing to train and socialize it, and creating another dangerous dog.

Even David Aitken, director of complaints and investigations for the city bylaw department, stated, "There's concerns with the dog owner's ability to keep the dog on the property". How will this owner keep any other dog on the property?

Had this dog been a german shepherd type (a common junkyard dog), would people be asking about a "breed ban"? Breed is irrelevant. Responsible dog ownership is all.

Poor Bruiser. Chained, isolated, unsocialized, and now slated to die because of a negligent human.

Any law concerning dogs must look to behaviour of the human owner, not at the shape of the dog.
===============================================================
The letter was printed by the Edmonton Sun, after some editing, fifth one down....as you can see, letters can be severely edited. I'm grateful they kept the basic thought behind the letter.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/Comment/Letters/2007/04/26/4130547.html

I am very sorry for the victims in the pit bull incident, including Bruiser. A dog chained in a junkyard and left isolated, untrained and unsocialized is an accident waiting to happen. Breed is irrelevant. Responsible dog ownership is all. Poor Bruiser - slated to die because of a negligent human. Any law concerning dogs should consider the behaviour of the human owner, not the shape of the dog.

First rule in a bad relationship

I've been going through today's headlines and note Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty's response to most questioning is to go on the offensive.

Premier defends 'flick off' campaign
McGuinty suggests bias behind grant questions
Liberals defeat motion for auditor to probe grants
Liberals refuse to release cost of vague, shoddy and unjust amendments to Dog Owners' Liability Act (okay, I made up the headline, but not the Liberals' refusal)

I've learned through a series of bad relationships that the best defense is a good offense. When questioned, don't justify, attack. The attack should distract the questioner, and get you off the hook for answers to serious questions.

Seems to me like we're in a bad relationship with the Ontario Liberals.

And in case you think the federal Liberals aren't as bad...remember this outstanding relationship of theirs...

Lafleur pleads guilty to 28 fraud charges
Canadian PressMONTREAL — Jean Lafleur, a fraudster with the taste for the sunny high life, admitted in court today that he duped the federal government out of $1.5 million in the sponsorship program.

Opposition 'flicking' mad over green campaign

It's all over the papers. Yep, flick off is what I've been saying to the Ontario Liberals for the last three and a half years. They can't flick off, because their lights have been out all this time, never went on.

Do the Ontario Liberals pay carbon credits to offset the hot air emissions coming out of Queen's Park?

Miller fiddles while Toronto burns?

I don't understand it. From everything I'm reading in the newspapers, the current Toronto city council has just about drained the city's reserve fund dry, and has now passed a budget that will suck more money out of the reserve and require a tax hike, while refusing to give up perq's. These people must have flunked out of Management 101, where the best lesson is "Lead by example". City council cannot continue to feast on benefits while the peasants search for bread. I think they've been hit in the head with golf balls too often while making use of their free rounds on city courses.

I've also discovered that Councillor Mark Grimes of south Etobicoke is once again hellbent on destroying Col. Samuel Smith Park, a naturalized park. Thanks to the Friends of Samuel Smith Park group and the Etobicoke Guardian, the article is at http://www.insidetoronto.com/to/etobicoke/story/3950376p-4562409c.html?loc=etobicoke, it's now out in the open that Grimes is trying to push through a $1.8 million outdoor skating oval on a beautiful reclaimed meadow that houses rare species of plant and animal life. Now, a skating oval is an antiquated design that wastes space and is useful for a very few months a year. Considering Toronto's precarious financial position, is this a wise move? I think not...but then again, we had to battle very, very hard to get a skateboard park planned for the same meadow, cancelled. Are city councillors not thinking? Green space is vital for residents' well being. Residents must have peaceful places to escape the city's noise and stress, to walk quietly and enjoy nature.

Col. Sam Smith Park is one of my favourite places in the city. I've seen snowshoe rabbits, geese, swans, and even a beaver in the park. Of course, I saw the rabbits and the beaver a long time ago. Another area resident told me that Animal Control came around and spread poison, because the yuppies moving into the area were complaining. If that is true, it's tragic.

If New York City council tried to do this in Central Park, the residents would string them up. Rhetorically, we must do the same and protect our green spaces from the Philistines at Toronto city hall.

Cellphones in schools and the Baldwins

This is a random post. I've seen the infotainment articles on Alec Baldwin's rather harsh message to his daughter, and newspaper articles about the new ban on cellphones in schools.
Both stem from one thing, methinks - the lack of consideration, lack of manners, I see in children, adolescents and adults.
Baldwin was apparently upset because his daughter did not make herself available for a scheduled call.
Children in school should be paying full attention to the teachers, not to text messages from their friends. The full attention part is particularly important; I've met too many semi-literate university graduates to be comfortable with the education children are receiving in Canada.
Must admit, I don't understand the desperate need to "be available". Why are these kids so wedded to their cellphones?
Seguing back....Parents are failing their children badly by not teaching consideration for others, basic manners.

Ontario Liberals to open province's books

HAHAHAAAAA. I find this political ploy hugely amusing, in light of the Liberals' shabby refusal to provide the public with the cost of its vague, shoddy and unjust amendments to the Dog Owners' Liability Act. The Liberals refuse to open the books on a matter that would probably be embarrassing, but trumpet opening the books when it is potentially to their advantage. Can anyone say, hypocrisy?
Over on Caveat, a reader wrote to say that on Legal Briefs, which I think is a CityTV or CP24 show, the reader called in and asked Lorne Sossin, a constitutional judge, for his take on this refusal.He said that he disagrees with this type of refusal where they hide behind client/solicitor privilege and other things.He said the if the government is going to pass laws and use taxpayer money to do it then they need to be able to justify it and be open and transparent. I couldn't agree more.
Then again, in the years since the Ontario Liberals came to power - and that's a deliberately chosen phrase, they do not responsibly govern but wield power rather aimlessly - I have not seen any evidence that the Ontario Liberals have any plan for governing this province and are obstructionist rather than transparent. They leap from issue to issue, flailing about, governing by crisis control and photo op potential.
The McGuinty Liberals are not what Ontario residents need and deserve. I'm going to work very hard to see them all turfed out in October.

Opening salvo

First blog post. I intend to use this blog as my sounding board for issues that truly annoy me. And people who truly annoy me.Read at your own risk.

I will be ranting about politicians, special interest groups, and general social stupidity, fuelled by caffeine, nicotine, chocolate and menopause. I may be considered a low-rent Hunter S. Thompson...all the anger and none of the booze, drugs and guns. Or talent.

Switchover!

A friend told me about Blogspot, so I'm giving it a whirl since it's not cluttered with the ads and other junk that AOL imposes.