Much Ado About Nothing

A great deal has been said about the new bylaw in Wetaskiwin forcing liquor stores in that city to close their days businesses by 10:00 PM. In fact that controversial move has even hit the daily newspapers across the province. In the wake of acts of bullying by interested parties, council's original plan to have liquor stores close at 8:00 PM was changed. Even so, the end result is still be lauded as a damaging element for Wetaskiwin’s spirits vendors.

The Edmonton Journal quoted one vender as saying, “I'll lose thousands, thousands of dollars,” stating that she will lose $40,000 per month due to the 10:00 PM closing. She is further quoted as saying, “It's just kind of taking away our rights. This is supposed to be free enterprise.” If this was the position of just one person, we could write this off emotional nonsense, but this vendor seems to be echoing the sentiments of many.

I'll go out on a limb, a very sturdy one and say, this to will pass with no ill effect. It smells a great deal like the noise made over the provincial smoking laws prohibiting bars and lounges from allowing smoking in their establishments. Many businesses cried out foul play quoting projected financial losses. Some closed their doors in protest shortly after the law came into effect. But as time passed, the bars kept in businesses, and many adjusted their practices. Now over a year later, the emotional reaction is no longer heard. Simply put, all these establishments ended up in the same boat and on equal status. Their market remained stable.

The liquor business is made up of several buyer types. The occasional drinker, who only buys when they are hosting family and friends. The casual drinker, who likes to indulge in the privacy of their homes, drinking wine or beer with meals or watching football. The third type is the habitual drinker, who requires the consumption of alcohol to function, and likes to drink whenever the need arises. All three of these consumers type will ensure that when the need for alcohol arrives, they will buy before 10:00 PM. In the case of the third type of consumer, it is reasonable to assume there needs will be top priority.

It could actually be argued that this forced change will be beneficial to the liquor store owner, as they can close their doors in a timely manner. Staff expenses are reduced, along with utilities. Once the buyers adjust to the new timeline, all will be well.

The concerns of our liquor store owner quoted here seem to be arguments reached for in order to support a position that is tenuous at best. One should remember that before liquor sales in Alberta were privatized, it was the provincial government alone that controlled its final sale to the general public. Which simply means that there is no real “taking away our rights” as she put it. In this province, since alcohol is a regulated substance, it is a privilege to sell liquor and not a right. Further, the establishment of any business within a municipality, is controlled by the municipal governance. The issuance of a business license is a clear indicator that even hanging a shingle is a privilege and not a right.

The Wetaskiwin City Council identified a problem that they believe is exasperated by alcohol consumption. Ask any police officer what keeps them busy during their nightshift and they will tell you that nearly all complaints received have some component of alcohol abuse to it. In the City of Wetaskiwin’s wisdom they decided to do the only thing available to them, and that was to place some form of regulation on the sale of alcohol within the city boundaries. Although it is not clear how much effect it will have to close liquor stores at 10:00 PM, it is reasonable to believe that if they had forced closure at 8:00 PM, the influence on alcohol consumption in the city would be more effective.

It has been also suggested that 10:00 PM closures will force buyers, who suddenly find themselves dry, driving north to Millet to fulfill their cravings. With four liquor stores and one off-sales vender, the small town of 2,200 is poised to take advantage of Wetaskiwin’s new bylaw. All I see in this is a great strip of road for the Police to set-up Alberta Check Stops. In light of this, it would also be reasonable to assume that the Wetaskiwin consumer will adjust to the new business restrictions and avoid being pulled over.

The last concern that has been brought up to the media is the possibility of increased offences of bootlegging. Bootlegging liquor is prompted by people under age, and usually in a situation when they are out late at night not supervised. Do you think that possibly closing at 10:00 PM will actually reduce bootlegging, since you need a liquor store open to commit the offence?

In the end, bootlegging will not turn into a ‘prohibition era problem,’ liquor sales in general will not be affected, and operating costs will be reduced. Lets just hope that the bylaw has the effect that the City of Wetaskiwin council was looking for, reduceing  property crime, drunk driving and domestic violence. Because, in the end, the reaction to this new bylaw has been much ado about nothing.

The Last Time, I Promise

And Foxy Loxy said,   "How do you know the sky is falling?" Chicken Little replied,  "I saw it with  my own eyes, and heard it with my own ears, and part of it fell on my head!"  "I see,” said Foxy Loxy, “well then, follow me, and I'll show you the way to the king."  So Foxy Loxy led Chicken Little, Henny Penny, Ducky Lucky, Goosey Loosey, and Turkey Lurkey across a field and through the woods.  He led them straight to his den, and they never saw the king to tell him that  the sky is falling.

.. and here ends the story. 

Of course, I have always suggested that those who have been carrying the “Global Warming” banner signs at rallies, or written letters to newspapers in attempts to educate “Global Warming Deniers” like myself are nothing more than Acorn Politicians in the making.  I always knew that the 'Goebbels' complex would someday crumble to the ground.  It was the Nazi Propagandist Joseph Goebbels that once stated that the larger the lie the more people will believe.

Well the big  Global Warming hoax, lie, conspiracy or lunacy this week finally came crashing down.   And, you have to thank a hacker for that... yes I said a computer hacker.

For those who are still with me, the story is rather interesting.  A prominent Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) think-tank, the University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit, was broke into and it’s computers were hacked this week, and over 1000 emails plus 72 documents were exposed.  These documents were correspondence and records of climatologist, who are one of four official sources for the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change.  The IPCC is the leading body of knowledge established by the United Nations and is the organization behind the push of the Kyoto Protocol which was the motivator of nations to alter economies by developing carbon capture technologies and to demonize the fossil fuel energy industry.  This of course was 'needed' to stem off the tide of global warming before we kill off 'Mother Earth'.

These documents, which were exchanged between prominent scientists behind AGW theory, suggest that they conspired to exaggerate warming data, possible illegal destruction of embarrassing information, organized resistance to disclose contrary data, manipulation of climate data, private admissions of flaws in their public declarations, to name only a few points.

As of this editorial I have to refer to these emails and documents as alleged, because even though the director of the Climate Research Unit has reported the break-in he has yet to comment on any specifics documents.  But here is just a small samplings from emails already reported from reputable sources.

Discussing the “Inconvenient Truth” hockey stick global temperature graph we read in an email attributed to Philip Jones, the Director of the Climate Research Unit; Keith Briffa, his assistant; Michael E. Mann of the University of Virginia and Malcolm Hughes at the University of Arizona, “I've just completed Mike's Nature trick of adding in the real temps to each series for the last 20 years (ie from 1981 onwards) and from 1961 for Keith's to hide the decline”. Emphasis Mine.

Recent reports have shown that the average global temperature have actually declined over the past ten years.  Here one email addressed those scientists concern over this trend.  “The fact is that we can’t account for the lack of warming at the moment and it is a travesty that we can’t. The CERES data published in the August BAMS 09 supplement on 2008 shows there should be even more warming: but the data are surely wrong. Our observing system is inadequate.” Emphasis Mine.

These documents even indicate that the scientists suppressed evidence that painted a different global climate trend.  “Can you delete any emails you may have had with Keith re AR4? Keith will do likewise. He’s not in at the moment – minor family crisis. Can you also email Gene and get him to do the same? I don’t have his new email address. We will be getting Caspar to do likewise.”

And, like many people influenced by the “New Religion” of climate change fear mongering, emotions and anger would peek through when considering the “deniers” view of global warming.  In  an alleged email a comment was made on the death of a public figure, a voice of global warming opposition, a John L. Daly who was also the founder of the “Still Waiting For Greenhouse” website.  The comment on Daly's death stated simply, “In an odd way this is cheering news.”  And in regards to another global warming denier an alleged email states, “Next time I see Pat Michaels at a scientific meeting, I’ll be tempted to beat the crap out of him. Very tempted.”

These are the voices of men of science. The same men that have been counseling the world stage of man-made global warming, through their influences with the IPCC at the United Nations.  The same men, who have influenced public policy here in Canada, and through public pressure have put into play carbon capture goals and plans that divert public funds to support a lie. The same men who have help deepen the debt of the public purse.

This news is almost too late to not only prevent the tide of further economic damage, but it is too late for many people who have been indoctrinated into the new religion.

Children stories have a funny way of teaching a universal truth.  Like Chicken Little, the lie drew all who believed the deception into the fox's den.  Lets just hope that over the next few weeks as public inquiries ensue over these documents, a few lemmings can find there way out of darkness.

Until then, this is the last time I will be discussing this matter.  I promise.

We Really are a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts!

How often have you heard your family member or friend say, “I love people watching.”?  If you are honest with yourself, you may realize you are also a people watcher.    And, really there is a good reason for it.  As far as sideshows go, people are, and do the strangest things. Sometimes funny, sad, heart warming and in many cases, just plain stupid.

If we take just a seven day period it is interesting what we find people doing. So in order to run my people watching experiment, rather than sitting at an airport and looking like potential stalker, I decided to see what has been reported by other people watchers.  What I found was sick, funny, weird, stupid and even heart-warming.

First the sick.  In the world of strange romance, a South Carolina man,  Rodell Vereen was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to buggery. A judge also ordered Vereen to get counseling and to stay away from the Lazy B Stables when he is released.   You see, he was charged with having sex with a horse that was being stabled at Lazy B.  Being particular in mates, Vereen had a penchant for one member of the equine species.  The owner noticed her horse acting funny, so she decided to install a hidden video camera.  In the middle of the night she caught Vereen consummating the relationship.  This was not the first time he was caught with this filly; two years earlier he was found sleeping in her stable snuggled in the hay.  Odd, Vereen, is an anglicized spelling for the German word Verein, which means a union or association.  With what, the courts are still trying to decide.

As weird as some animal lovers are, a 39-year-old man is approached and asked,  “Is that a ferret in your pants or are you just glad to see me.”  With that Rodney Bolton pulls out his weapon from his drawers and points it directly at a 17-year-old pet-shop workers face.  The animals hisses and bites the young fella.  Since this happened in Florida where they take their personal protection seriously, Bolton is charged with brandishing a concealed "special” weapon and shoplifting.  I wonder if the ferret was loaded?

Then from the world of weird we go to just sad.  On Halloween night, a man dresses up for a party. He takes himself out for what is going to be a night to remember.  Wanting to send a message of responsibility, he dresses himself up as a roadside breathalyzer complete with a reading warning all drivers of the legal limit.  Four hours later, he is pulled over by the police still in costume.  He is arrested, and within 40 minutes blows over the legal limit, still dressed for success!

Not to be outdone, a woman only 100 miles away, in Granston, Wisconsin, 49-year-old Mary Strey, after an evening of binge drinking is driving down the interstate.  Worried for her safety and the safety of others on the highway, she picks up her cell phone and calls 911.  She connects and states, "someone really drunk is driving down Granton Road." When asked which direction the drunk is traveling Mary says, “they are going, um....”  The operators says, “are you behind them.” to which Mary replies, “I am them...” With that the 911 operator finally convinces her to pull over, stop and turn on her four-way flashers so the police could find her.  A few minutes later, the police arrive and arrest Mary for drunk driving.  She is booked into a cell next to a funny dude wearing a breathalyzer costume.  We really have to get these two together.

Two days later stupid checks in for action.  In Cyprus, a Moreno Tavares Lizason was arrested after leaving a commercial airline.  No, he did not quit a job as an airline steward, Moreno just got up from his seat on an Airbus A320, a 150 passenger jetliner, and decided to deplane.  The problem was the jet was already heading down the runway for take-off when he opened the rear emergency hatch and decided to slide down the chute.  Once on the ground Moreno ran, jumped a fence and was arrested on the other side.  His excuse, he says he wanted to test the aircraft's safety features.  Everyone needs a hobby.

But the heart-warming treat for the professional people watcher come to us from Colorado Springs. Two weeks ago 88-year-old Martha Michel, who has been walking around a nursing home in memory of her deceased husband has hit a milestone. Martha and her husband Lester Michel were the perfect couple and spent much time just walking.  You see, after his death in 1998 she dedicated a daily routine of walking, as her and her husband had made a point of doing each day around the Namaste Alzheimer Center.  Her dedication and love for her husband resulted in Martha clocking in her 10,000th mile this weekend which is the same as walking across Canada nearly three times.

Yes, many people tend to show us their bad side as these former examples of Darwinian science have proven, but if you 'people watch' long enough you are able to separate wheat from the chaff as exampled by Martha Michel.

Maybe Mr. Vereen's better half can run laps for him.

War does not determine who is right - only who is left.

Bertrand Russell once said that, “War does not determine who is right - only who is left” and with those cold words one is left with a chilling proposition; ‘Good does not always prevail over evil.’ Sobering thoughts because modern society is indoctrinated to believe that when faced with true evil, good will prevail. This indoctrination takes place through pop media. We see it in our movies, Saturday morning cartoons and pulp fiction. Every action hero of the silver screen that fights the bad guys, in the end they either walk off into a lonely sunset secure in the belief that everyone who witnessed the action are pumped for the next sequel, or, they get the girl, while the villain lies vanquished.

Four generations have passed since World War II, and another since The Great War, and in this country where military service is optional, many people today just don’t have the appreciation or the understanding of what the foot soldier has given them.

Jane Fonda, the half naked “Barbarella” of the 60’s and daughter to Henry Fonda, was only a child when World War II broke out. She lived through the threat of Nazi expansionism and the threat that Hitler and the death camps promised. But even though she had the opportunity to at least read and see in “Film Reels” these threats, she rallied her celebrity status to openly denounce not only the wars of the day, but the also the individual soldiers fighting. In an open rally she is quoted as saying, " If you understood what Communism was, you would hope, you would pray on your knees that one day we would become Communist.”   Later she would regret many things she said in the face of veterans. She asked for forgiveness when she said, "It hurt so many soldiers. It galvanized such hostility. It was the most horrible thing I could possibly have done. It was just thoughtless." Today at 72 years-old she speaks a different tune, "When you can't remember why you're hurt, that's when you're healed."  But the influences of like-minded individuals and the softening of the society has a way of diminishing or even trivializing what the war veteran means to society.

And there you have it!  As Fonda said,“When you can’t remember why you’re hurt.” This is precisely why we must don the poppy and take at least a day out and gather in remembrance.

Many people do not remember the fear of a world at war, and for that matter my generation does not live with that memory. Only recently with our Canadian military fighting in Afghanistan, do some families feel the effect of war, but the consequences of a military failure today has not been made very clear to each Canadian.

The veteran whose failure would have had dire consequences has either been killed in action, lived out his life or is languishing in a nursing home.  Very few people even take the time to ponder an alternate history, where men and nations run by despots would have won the largest military conflict the world has ever seen.

There were many villains in the theater of World War II. Our foot soldiers fought longer and harder than their American counterparts since that country stayed neutral for the first three years of the conflict.  By the time the Americans woke up to reality and joined the Allies, Germany's expansionism and doctrine of hate had spread to neighbouring nations.  Their sights clearly aimed at England and their submarines patrolled off the coast of Newfoundland.  Everywhere they went, they gathered citizens and interned them to labour or death camps.  And, it was our foot soldiers that were fighting and dying in battles slowing the progress of Nazi policy that was being executed by the Wehrmacht.

Time was not on the foot soldiers side, and every man that jumped out of an airplane, or landed on a beach knew that they were running headlong into their doom.  To say that the foot-soldier does not feel fear is naive.  They were put into a situation where they had to overcome their fears with a sense of purpose and duty.  War is not glamorous for when a mother nurses her baby, she looks lovingly into the child's eyes with no knowledge that in a short 18 years that same child would be fighting for it's life and the livelihood of people he had never met.  The war veteran is just that.  Someone's son, grandson or even father.  The war veteran is a person who has given so much and yet was given so very little. The war veteran is the soldier that made it home, while they live with the memories of their friends calling out to them from the mist of a battlefield in agony. They live with the understanding that when they left for war as a innocent teenager, they came back only a few years later with their innocence ripped from their soul.

So when you see a senior citizen pushed in a wheelchair dressed in their uniform, remember not only their sacrifices, but what that veteran has tucked away in their minds.  When you shake their hands and thank them for giving us this soft life, remember that in order to do that, the veteran had to shake off all that made him human and become something that his own mother didn't even see. For in the end, the war could have been been lost, for war does not determine who is right - only who is left.