Harper’s brilliant Senate strategy

In one of those slap-the-forehead moments I now know why Harper put Duffy in the Senate. It’s simple, really. Appoint a buffoon who will either piss off or otherwise embarrass enough of the population that we will all soon be begging for an elected Senate so we can throw the bum out.

How devilishly clever of the greatest political strategist of the modern era.

The promise of spring

It’s another crisp, cold morning, the likes of which we’ve seen too often this winter. The thermometer is hovering around 20-below, and the chickadees and nuthatches, feathers puffed up for warmth, are swarming the feeders looking for the energy needed to get them through one more day.

But the sun is up, a little higher in the sky than yesterday, and higher still than the day before that. You can now begin to feel the warmth of its fire, especially in those tucked away corners out of reach of the north wind. And on the deck, the snow is starting to melt, throwing up a thin fog as the heat-generated moisture reaches the still frigid air a foot or so above the surface.

It’s only February so winter still has lots of nasty tricks up her sleeve, but the promise of spring is in the air, and with that promise comes optimism for a brighter, warmer future.

There's probably no God....

These ads have been approved for display on buses in Toronto and efforts are being made across Canada to get them approved in other municipalities as well.

Personally I would lump them in with ads exhorting one to “eat broccoli – it’s good for you”. In other words, meaningless and pretty harmless, destined to be ignored for the most part once the initial reaction to them wears off.

But not so the reaction from the more religious among us, including everyone’s favourite wing nut, Chuck McVety . To them these ads are an outrageous attack on their beliefs and their response is to rage at the audacity of “atheists forcing their views down our throats”. A typical reaction was a woman who called in to an Ottawa radio show and who, after establishing her bona fides by explaining that she was raised Catholic and later converted to Islam, termed the ads “offensive”.

Okay folks, let’s get a grip on reality here. No one is trying to subvert your personal faith or steal the children from the bosom of your church (synagogue, mosque) under cover of darkness. Your faith will be none the weaker for having read these words, and in fact, may even become stronger if they cause you to reassess and reaffirm your own beliefs. That’s fine if that’s what works for you. But for McVety (the poster boy of intolerance) to call these ads “intolerant” is about as stupid as calling the “God is Love” billboards publicly displayed outside churches intolerant, or “Jesus Saves” painted on barn roofs intolerant. They simply offer a perspective with which it is your option to agree or disagree. You have no more right to be offended by them than by a sign in a travel agency that offers you “The perfect winter get-away vacation.”

We’d all get along so much better if people just remembered that it’s freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion.

Reality bites!

Is this the perfect budget? No, probably not. But the problem is that no one – NO ONE – can define the perfect budget for these times. This budget, much as I hate to admit it, stands just as good a chance of success in helping Canadians and Canada’s economy as any other – whether it’s put together by the Liberals, the NDP, the Bloc or the Green Party. And let’s be honest here, any alternative budget by any other party would only be remarkable in its similarity to Flaherty’s latest effort. (After all, the right wing media and blogosphere isn’t screaming about Budget 2009 because it’s too “Conservative”.)

And as for all the whinging, wailing and gnashing of teeth in the progressive blogosphere, the Liberal Party is well aware that its constituency extends far beyond the realm of the politically polarized who occupy these pages. The general Canadian population will see this budget as a pragmatic response to difficult times and expect their MPs (all MPs) to get on board and make this work. To simply vote non-confidence on principle and thereby trigger an election (for it surely would) would be viewed as crass political opportunism to be subsequently, and severely, punished at the polls.

So I have to agree with Ignatieff on this one. To bring the government down over this and leave Canada’s economy in this current holding pattern for several more months while we go through an election would simply be irresponsible, both to those Canadians who desperately need some help now, and to Liberal fortunes which would be seriously damaged (again) by forcing an election at this time.

It sucks, but deal with it.

Yes, your brain CAN freeze...

Last weekend the OPP were called out to investigate an accident between a pickup truck and a snowmobile. In the middle of the Rideau River. While ice-fishing. Alcohol was involved.

So how Canadian is that, eh? Expect to see it in a Canada’s Hinterland episode coming to the small screen soon.

Awake?

I awake with a start, the gossamer remnants of a dream swirling and fogging my mind. It’s 3 am and but for the deep, steady breathing beside me, the house is silent. Outside, the waning moon offers only a suggestion of a shadow among the cold, snow-wrapped trees. Nothing moves. The disturbance that interrupted my sleep prefers to remain hidden and unknown.

These words take shape as I drift back into sleep, hoping I can remember them in the morning.

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For some reason I seem to do my "best" writing (yes, of course, that’s subjective) in that sliver of consciousness between fully awake and sound asleep. There’s something about that twilight zone where perception and reality blend so seamlessly that we can simultaneously think ourselves brilliant and yet still be aware that brilliance may be but a fuzzy deception that will not stand the light of day.

I love that not-quite dream space. It’s rare and precious in its creativity and unpredictability, and far, far too fleeting.

You knew this was coming.....