The Taser death of Robert Dziekanski, 40, from Poland, at the trigger finger of four RCMP officers in Vancouver International Airport on October 14th, was an event that lowered Canada’s international image below the ‘Bush’ and at the same time snuffed out a son, father and friend. The cries from the public, although quick, were fleeting, with calls for RCMP reviewing their policy on Taser use. Colin Kenny, the Chair of the Senate Committee on National Security and Defense, is calling for a moratorium of the Taser use. Nonsense! I simply don’t agree. I call for an abolition of the Taser! Period!
Nearly 30 years ago when I patrolled the streets in uniform, all I had for public defense was my wits, handcuffs, flashlight and a Smith and Wesson revolver. Some 28 years earlier my father, who retired as a Deputy Chief for the Edmonton Police Service, was issued handcuffs, revolver, flashlight… the wits he pitched in. Between my father and I, we saw social problems, violence, and the evolution of law enforcement that covered half a century. I am happy to say both of us are here today to tell stories. Do you think for one minute that we did not deal with a personal life-threatening situation?
The use of deadly force is always the last resort and only used when a life is threatened, whether it be the life of the officer or a citizen. In the case of Dziekanski, he was not threatening anyone, it was obvious to me and I assume all that witnessed the event, and that includes millions by now thanks to YouTube, that he was undergoing a form of anxiety attack. From the time the officers arrived and let loose the electrodes, it was no more then 20 seconds after initial contact.
Where was the wit? Where was the dialog? Why did not these big burly officers grab Dziekanski? He was not brandishing a weapon, nor was he swinging at the officers. And if so, a punch in the face is always a risk when choosing law enforcement as a career.
The bottom line, police killed a man, a man that was here to visit our beautiful and peaceful country. If this was the only case of deaths as a result of Taser happy police you could shake an accusing finger at me and say, nay, nay.
However, last month on November 19th, Jerrel Gray, 20, died as a result of being tasered by a police deputy at Fredrick City, Maryland, and in Chicago, IL in 2005, Ronald Hasse, 54, died due to electrocution as a result of being tasered by the Chicago Police.
Misuse of the Taser is also being reported with Allen Helms, 52, of Waxahachie, TX. While suffering from a seizure he was tasered by officers after his girlfriend called paramedics for medical assistance for him.
When police officers arrived before the ambulance, they burst into his bedroom and ‘subdued’ him with 50,000 volts, apparently in an attempt to make him more pliable for paramedics.
In Miami a six-year-old child in an elementary classroom, was tasered by police when the child threatened to cut his leg with a piece a glass. I guess the officer was afraid to approach the brawny sixty pounder.
Another incident in Miami saw a 12 year-old girl tasered after she was caught smoking and drinking by police.
When she tried to run across the street to get away from the officer, she was tasered with 50,000 volts. In this case, Miami Police’s only policy preventing the girl from getting electrocuted at the hands of police would be pregnancy. What ever happened to the footchase?
Back here in Canada, Howard Hyde, 45, died in police custody after he was tasered by Halifax Regional Police which prompted Nova Scotia’s Justice Minister’ call for a review on police use of
the Taser.
In all, unofficial numbers of deaths as a result of Taser electrocution runs at 140 between Canada and the United States (source: The Arizona Republic) since their introduction to law enforcement in 1998.
So who is to benefit from the use of Tasers in law enforcement? Certainly not the victims or their families. Nor the public, as we can see by these few examples that imminent threat to life was not the case. Certainly not the police, because since these Tasers were so easily accessible, by members of what is a noble profession, they have probably destroyed their careers not to mention their state of mind.
So why the Taser, over wits, bravery and balanced enforcement? The answer lies in the shareholders of Taser International, the sole manufacturer and patent holder of the Taser. Rick and Thomas P. Smith, the founders, directly out of university, started the business in 1993 after inventor Jack Cover showed them the light. From the Smiths’ own website, their profile shows no law enforcement experience or military training. They are businessmen, plain and simple, and they had a great idea, a great invention, that could earn them millions. They also had the business education to back them up. In 2001, the success of Taser International took the company public on NASDAQ.
So who is to benefit from the Taser? The success of any sales campaign is to create a need where one did not exist and then fill that need with what your peddling.
There is an old sales maxim. “He’s such a good salesman be could sell ice cubes to Eskimos.” The irony here is very evident. The police are those same eskimos. The ice cubes just happen to be the traditional defense issues of the past. Handcuffs, Flashlight, Revolver, and of course their wits.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Monday, August 20, 2007
A Show About Nothing
It sounds like a scene out of Seinfeld. A show about nothing! Three guys sitting in a board room trying to convince would-be supporters that a “show about nothing” will fly. Is Ed Stelmach a show about nothing!
A new poll suggests support for Ed Stelmach's Progressive Conservative government has dropped significantly in August to 32 per cent from 54 per cent in January.
In a Cameron Strategy poll provided to The Globe and Mail showed during that same time period the
number of undecided or unsure voters has risen to 36 per cent from 18 per cent. What this spells out is a minority government after the next election. The only question is, will that minority government be Conservative or Liberal?
For a fleeting moment I though of running half naked to my garage and grab a spade. I needed to dig fast and see if ‘hell had really froze over’. This is Alberta, the heart of redneck country. We are salt of the earth folks that bury firearms in cans, flirt with all the bad words, and spit on the ground just before walking into a Walmart. (Man that drives me nuts.) A liberal government!? No amount of greenhouse gas could make Alberta vote in a Liberal Government. The sky is falling!
Stelmach in true, duh, fashion is reported as blaming the influx of Eastern Canadians as the reason for the drop. A 22% drop in popularity in Alberta is like losing over 360,000 possible voters confidence in less than a year.
Good Job Ed! The sad thing really, is that as a ‘card carrying conservative’ I am looking at other pastures for leadership.
What ever happened to the Alberta Alliance? How about the Rhinos? The problem really is that Ed Stelmach is living up to his name ‘Steady Eddie’. Like a lumbering 1940’s Cockshutt tractor, pulling 8 foot machinery, the job is getting done but you could time the second hand or your watch by it. It’s like watching snails mate. Unlike his predecessor Klein, there really are no surprises. We don’t hear anything interesting about Ed in the press. He’s not insulting homeless people, or spilling a drink or two. Ed is just not giving Albertans something to gossip about.
People like to talk about our leaders and celebrity types. If folks aren’t wagging tongues about poor table manners, or disorderly family members in a desperate need for stimulation we will actually point to the only thing we see Ed doing. NOTHING!
Get the lead out Ed. As a conservative member we voted a farmer into office, and one we know to be very smart. Stop being so smart and spill a drink or two. Get our attention with the left hand, while you manipulate the right hand. As Canadians we have come accustomed to being manipulated.
So for the sake of all Albertans, Ed, please do something interesting and at the same time do the
job. I personally don’t want to be forced into seeing a Kevin Taft type looking out the big office window.
All our Premier really needs to do is let the press in just a bit. Because as the old saying goes; Everyone is normal until you get to know them.
A new poll suggests support for Ed Stelmach's Progressive Conservative government has dropped significantly in August to 32 per cent from 54 per cent in January.
In a Cameron Strategy poll provided to The Globe and Mail showed during that same time period the
number of undecided or unsure voters has risen to 36 per cent from 18 per cent. What this spells out is a minority government after the next election. The only question is, will that minority government be Conservative or Liberal?
For a fleeting moment I though of running half naked to my garage and grab a spade. I needed to dig fast and see if ‘hell had really froze over’. This is Alberta, the heart of redneck country. We are salt of the earth folks that bury firearms in cans, flirt with all the bad words, and spit on the ground just before walking into a Walmart. (Man that drives me nuts.) A liberal government!? No amount of greenhouse gas could make Alberta vote in a Liberal Government. The sky is falling!
Stelmach in true, duh, fashion is reported as blaming the influx of Eastern Canadians as the reason for the drop. A 22% drop in popularity in Alberta is like losing over 360,000 possible voters confidence in less than a year.
Good Job Ed! The sad thing really, is that as a ‘card carrying conservative’ I am looking at other pastures for leadership.
What ever happened to the Alberta Alliance? How about the Rhinos? The problem really is that Ed Stelmach is living up to his name ‘Steady Eddie’. Like a lumbering 1940’s Cockshutt tractor, pulling 8 foot machinery, the job is getting done but you could time the second hand or your watch by it. It’s like watching snails mate. Unlike his predecessor Klein, there really are no surprises. We don’t hear anything interesting about Ed in the press. He’s not insulting homeless people, or spilling a drink or two. Ed is just not giving Albertans something to gossip about.
People like to talk about our leaders and celebrity types. If folks aren’t wagging tongues about poor table manners, or disorderly family members in a desperate need for stimulation we will actually point to the only thing we see Ed doing. NOTHING!
Get the lead out Ed. As a conservative member we voted a farmer into office, and one we know to be very smart. Stop being so smart and spill a drink or two. Get our attention with the left hand, while you manipulate the right hand. As Canadians we have come accustomed to being manipulated.
So for the sake of all Albertans, Ed, please do something interesting and at the same time do the
job. I personally don’t want to be forced into seeing a Kevin Taft type looking out the big office window.
All our Premier really needs to do is let the press in just a bit. Because as the old saying goes; Everyone is normal until you get to know them.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Take China for Example
Last month the Chinese government announced that it was going to purge it’s government of corruption by first removing any and all public officials who have in the past committed adultery or is currently keeping a mistress.
This move was motivated by recent media pressure showing corruption on many levels of the public service. "As anti-corruption pressure of the central government is increasing, the number of direct corruption of the executives is reducing, but the indirect corruption (by the family or the mistresses) increases", says Hu Xingdou, specialist in the Chinese questions and professor of the Institute of technology of Peijing. (rough translation)
Interesting how sexual immorality is seen as a root cause of corruption in the Chinese government. This effort by the chinese is an attempt to remove the curse of corruption and restore the faith of the people.
It’s easy for us to peer across the pond and point fingers to our global neighbours, whilst lounging in front of a TV with a false sense of security at the state of our political processes. It was not too long ago that our press core were hammering the past Liberal government over “Adscam”. Interesting after a few trails how we Canadians tend to allow our memories to fade.
Maybe we trust the conservatives, but we should always hold our government officials to higher standards.
But is sexual immorality connected to other forms of corruption, or should we be ‘god-like’ and treat all sin as equally offensive? Maybe we can learn of our communist neighbours.
Former US President Bill Clinton would not have fared well at the hands of the Chinese if he held a post as a National Postmaster, would he? There would not have been millions of dollars spent on public hearings, and a huge amount of airtime examining a stained dress. Clinton would have been purged from the process as he should have been. Did Clinton's sexual romping damage the US government? I say it did.
Clinton’s romp resulted in “Filegate”, a misuse of FBI files to compile a list of democratic enemies. Of course, unlike the Chinese, that was swept under the carpet. The same year Clinton was on his knees, the United States campaign finance controversy arose where twenty-two people were eventually convicted for fraud or for funneling Asian funds into the United States elections.
A number of the convictions came against longtime Clinton-Gore friends and political appointees. It was “TeamsterGate” that exposed Clinton’s 1996 campaign money funneling between his campaign fund and the campaign to reelect the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
In all, the Clinton administration had sixteen scandals to deal with, all that were eventually quelled in an effort to ‘save the american image’. Maybe the US of A should instigate the ‘Chinese Corruption Purge Policy’. By the looks of things it may have saved the Americans some grief. But what of Canada? In our case, where there is fire do we have smoke?
I truly hope not, but in light of the fact that PM Harper’s weak Anti-Corruption Bill the Federal Accountability Act (Bill C-2) has done nothing to make us feel protected from the hands of our leaders, I would suggest that the Chinese solution be at least considered.
Cigar anyone?
This move was motivated by recent media pressure showing corruption on many levels of the public service. "As anti-corruption pressure of the central government is increasing, the number of direct corruption of the executives is reducing, but the indirect corruption (by the family or the mistresses) increases", says Hu Xingdou, specialist in the Chinese questions and professor of the Institute of technology of Peijing. (rough translation)
Interesting how sexual immorality is seen as a root cause of corruption in the Chinese government. This effort by the chinese is an attempt to remove the curse of corruption and restore the faith of the people.
It’s easy for us to peer across the pond and point fingers to our global neighbours, whilst lounging in front of a TV with a false sense of security at the state of our political processes. It was not too long ago that our press core were hammering the past Liberal government over “Adscam”. Interesting after a few trails how we Canadians tend to allow our memories to fade.
Maybe we trust the conservatives, but we should always hold our government officials to higher standards.
But is sexual immorality connected to other forms of corruption, or should we be ‘god-like’ and treat all sin as equally offensive? Maybe we can learn of our communist neighbours.
Former US President Bill Clinton would not have fared well at the hands of the Chinese if he held a post as a National Postmaster, would he? There would not have been millions of dollars spent on public hearings, and a huge amount of airtime examining a stained dress. Clinton would have been purged from the process as he should have been. Did Clinton's sexual romping damage the US government? I say it did.
Clinton’s romp resulted in “Filegate”, a misuse of FBI files to compile a list of democratic enemies. Of course, unlike the Chinese, that was swept under the carpet. The same year Clinton was on his knees, the United States campaign finance controversy arose where twenty-two people were eventually convicted for fraud or for funneling Asian funds into the United States elections.
A number of the convictions came against longtime Clinton-Gore friends and political appointees. It was “TeamsterGate” that exposed Clinton’s 1996 campaign money funneling between his campaign fund and the campaign to reelect the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
In all, the Clinton administration had sixteen scandals to deal with, all that were eventually quelled in an effort to ‘save the american image’. Maybe the US of A should instigate the ‘Chinese Corruption Purge Policy’. By the looks of things it may have saved the Americans some grief. But what of Canada? In our case, where there is fire do we have smoke?
I truly hope not, but in light of the fact that PM Harper’s weak Anti-Corruption Bill the Federal Accountability Act (Bill C-2) has done nothing to make us feel protected from the hands of our leaders, I would suggest that the Chinese solution be at least considered.
Cigar anyone?
You'll Put Your Eye Out with that Kid!
Well hunting season will be upon us this fall and the lake areas will be run-amok with mad hunters armed to the teeth with shotguns, and high powered rifles. NOT!
When was the last fall that you heard the sound of gun fire in the air, or the days when you could drive down any country road and come across fathers and sons patrolling the countryside for geese or ducks. Or even the backroads of Alder Flats with vehicles pulled into the ditches while hunters hiked into crown land looking to bag a moose. It just does not happen anymore. It certainly happens less.
The disarming of common folk at the hands of federal liberals at the turn of the century has reduced hunters and gun owners at a rapid pace, and at the same time gun crimes is up in the country while federal spending to disarm the public has run-amok.
I was one of those ‘gun nuts’ who years ago had a Browning 30.06 Semi-Automatic rifle, a Cooey 20 gauge shotgun, a Winchester 12 Gauge shotgun, a Remington 3030, and a Cooey 22 single shot.
I was raised by a father who taught me gun safety and gave me an appreciation of weaponry. My father was a career policeman who also instilled in me a respect for the law. A respect that saw me enter service in 1980. I last worked in uniform in 2001 on a First Nations Reserve near Hobbema, Alberta.
When the new gun law regulations came in effect, I like many, were perplexed because I knew as a police officer that it would not make any difference in reducing gun related crime and it was only a liberal money grab. The bad guy, who wanted to procure a firearm for the purpose robbing a convenience store would not be the type to fill out a application form, not to mention registering it.
Refusing to ‘go through the ropes’, I did the next best thing. I sold all my weapons to a qualified couple on the Indian Reserve. Those folks have the ability to hunt when they want and I am sure they are in the hands of very responsible people.
So there I was, a man without any of his rifles that were handed down by my father. The government had in essence told me that unless I came under scrutiny I was not trustworthy enough to possess weapons used for hunting.
Yep, I was a man in uniform that conformed to the regulation is spades. Did you catch that? The government did not trust me, an average citizen, like all other Canadians, so my guns were no more. But on my hip in the course of my employment I carried a Semi-Automatic GLOCK hand gun, which I was fully qualified for, and scored a perfect 300. The irony of it all.
Today, I am reduced to hunting with a Daisy Red Rider BB gun with a muzzle velocity of 273 fps. Yess- siree, I don my red cap with a bow tied on the top and plaid jacket, while slinging my Daisy over my shoulder and head out at fall. With a Daisy I can raise welts in the backsides of them there critters.
“Oh Wabbit, come out a Pway!” is a call of the sportsman in Alberta. You’ll put your eye out with that kid!
When was the last fall that you heard the sound of gun fire in the air, or the days when you could drive down any country road and come across fathers and sons patrolling the countryside for geese or ducks. Or even the backroads of Alder Flats with vehicles pulled into the ditches while hunters hiked into crown land looking to bag a moose. It just does not happen anymore. It certainly happens less.
The disarming of common folk at the hands of federal liberals at the turn of the century has reduced hunters and gun owners at a rapid pace, and at the same time gun crimes is up in the country while federal spending to disarm the public has run-amok.
I was one of those ‘gun nuts’ who years ago had a Browning 30.06 Semi-Automatic rifle, a Cooey 20 gauge shotgun, a Winchester 12 Gauge shotgun, a Remington 3030, and a Cooey 22 single shot.
I was raised by a father who taught me gun safety and gave me an appreciation of weaponry. My father was a career policeman who also instilled in me a respect for the law. A respect that saw me enter service in 1980. I last worked in uniform in 2001 on a First Nations Reserve near Hobbema, Alberta.
When the new gun law regulations came in effect, I like many, were perplexed because I knew as a police officer that it would not make any difference in reducing gun related crime and it was only a liberal money grab. The bad guy, who wanted to procure a firearm for the purpose robbing a convenience store would not be the type to fill out a application form, not to mention registering it.
Refusing to ‘go through the ropes’, I did the next best thing. I sold all my weapons to a qualified couple on the Indian Reserve. Those folks have the ability to hunt when they want and I am sure they are in the hands of very responsible people.
So there I was, a man without any of his rifles that were handed down by my father. The government had in essence told me that unless I came under scrutiny I was not trustworthy enough to possess weapons used for hunting.
Yep, I was a man in uniform that conformed to the regulation is spades. Did you catch that? The government did not trust me, an average citizen, like all other Canadians, so my guns were no more. But on my hip in the course of my employment I carried a Semi-Automatic GLOCK hand gun, which I was fully qualified for, and scored a perfect 300. The irony of it all.
Today, I am reduced to hunting with a Daisy Red Rider BB gun with a muzzle velocity of 273 fps. Yess- siree, I don my red cap with a bow tied on the top and plaid jacket, while slinging my Daisy over my shoulder and head out at fall. With a Daisy I can raise welts in the backsides of them there critters.
“Oh Wabbit, come out a Pway!” is a call of the sportsman in Alberta. You’ll put your eye out with that kid!
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Are you Proud?
Canada has lost another hero. Trooper Darryl Caswell, 25, was driving in a convoy's lead vehicle, a Coyote, was it hit a bomb en route to a remote NATO base in Kandahar province's Shahwali Kot district.
This is our 57th solider killed in action since Canada entered the war in Afghanistan. What do you think about when you hear this news?
For years Canadians have lived in a country where the average person believes that we are lovers and not fighters. "Those American's are clanging their swords again," is a common smugness of many of us, when we describe our war-mongering neighbours to the south.
Canadians have for years sat comfortably on the sofa watching episodes of the Beachcombers, W5, and the CBC News being spoon-fed our backwoods, red serge, beaver loving, quiet peaceful international demeanor.
"We are peace keepers, not warriors!" is imbedded in our collective psyche. The average Canadian truly believes that our Canadian Forces relegate themselves to guarding outposts, and shaking the hands of less fortunate nationals.
This is not even close to what we are in the eyes of countries outside our borders.
It pains me to hear one of us (citizens) belittle our Canadian Armed Forces with punch lines like, "Yeah, we sent a bus 'over there' and a box of sling-shots," when we discuss our troop's abilities and movements internationally. I have even heard someone refer to our military response as a joke, or embarrassment when we step up to the plate to contribute to the foreign policy of NATO or the UN. Do people who spew these catch phrases think for one minute that the military families in our country do not hear them and are not hurt by them? I am proud of our Armed Forces, and know that we have one of the best, trained military service in the world!
Canadian soldiers are in the line of fire.
Yes, it's true. We currently have 2,673 military personnel serving in various missions around the world, of which 2,545 of them are fighting in Afghanistan. Yes, fighting.
They are not just guarding an outpost of the USA or shaking the hands of an Afghan national. Fifty-seven of these soldiers have died by gunfire, bombs and accidents, including friendly fire incidents. Their families, friends and fellows members of the Canadian Armed Forces felt these deaths. We have a commitment to keep our troops in that country until 2009, and I wouldn't be surprised if we did not extend that beyond that date. To put a timetable on a pullout is like predicting the state of Afghanistan at a particular point in time. This is not a football game, there are no time limits on war, there never will be.
Canada is at war.
Canada is currently at war with an enemy that is virtually invisible. There are no geographic boundaries that we can neatly wrapped in a box or war fronts that can be drawn on a map. Afghanistan is being invaded by radical Muslim insurgents from neighbouring countries.
These insurgents are about to get a boost from India, because that country is threatening to kick Afghan refugees out of their country.
Some of these refugees have been in India for over 20 years, a holdover from the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. When these people are tossed back into Afghanistan, many will be recruited for survivals sake to join the Taliban. Do you think that maybe 2,545 soldiers will be enough of a contribution by Canada?
Don't be fooled, Canada is needed in Afghanistan.
This really pains me, because I have a family member currently fighting in Afghanistan in our armed forces. As a matter of fact, all members of the Canadian Armed Forces have been advised that they will be serving in that war zone. I am proud of my brother-in-law and all the members of our armed forces. As a Canadian citizen I would not have it any other way. The truth is, Canada is needed overseas, in all our international commitments, and many families of our military service sacrifice their loved ones.
They worry necessarily, they fear necessarily and they love necessarily. My sister has a rendezvous with these emotions, and hopefully her children will see there father return within the year.
So when we sit at home watching reality TV...
Remember that on the other side the globe there are real Canadian troops fighting for their lives and the lives of innocent Afghan families. When you see the Canadian flag flying at half-mast, pause and shed a tear because somewhere in Canada a family is shedding many tears. If you hear one of our fellow citizens belittle our Canadian Heroes for the sake of a joke, kindly remind that person that a brave soldier is at that moment entrenched in conflict to secure his right to mock that very soldier in that way. Get behind our government who is trying to garnish support for troops in parliament all the while playing the weak hand of a minority position. If you see a member of our Canadian forces on weekend maneuvers in our community, make a point of approaching them, if possible, shake their hands and tell them how proud of them you are. Most of all, pray for our Armed Forces and their families.
Canada is an important member the coalition involved in the war against terrorism and tyranny. Yes, we are peacekeepers, but before peace is achieved, our troops must fight to secure it.
This is our 57th solider killed in action since Canada entered the war in Afghanistan. What do you think about when you hear this news?
For years Canadians have lived in a country where the average person believes that we are lovers and not fighters. "Those American's are clanging their swords again," is a common smugness of many of us, when we describe our war-mongering neighbours to the south.
Canadians have for years sat comfortably on the sofa watching episodes of the Beachcombers, W5, and the CBC News being spoon-fed our backwoods, red serge, beaver loving, quiet peaceful international demeanor.
"We are peace keepers, not warriors!" is imbedded in our collective psyche. The average Canadian truly believes that our Canadian Forces relegate themselves to guarding outposts, and shaking the hands of less fortunate nationals.
This is not even close to what we are in the eyes of countries outside our borders.
It pains me to hear one of us (citizens) belittle our Canadian Armed Forces with punch lines like, "Yeah, we sent a bus 'over there' and a box of sling-shots," when we discuss our troop's abilities and movements internationally. I have even heard someone refer to our military response as a joke, or embarrassment when we step up to the plate to contribute to the foreign policy of NATO or the UN. Do people who spew these catch phrases think for one minute that the military families in our country do not hear them and are not hurt by them? I am proud of our Armed Forces, and know that we have one of the best, trained military service in the world!
Canadian soldiers are in the line of fire.
Yes, it's true. We currently have 2,673 military personnel serving in various missions around the world, of which 2,545 of them are fighting in Afghanistan. Yes, fighting.
They are not just guarding an outpost of the USA or shaking the hands of an Afghan national. Fifty-seven of these soldiers have died by gunfire, bombs and accidents, including friendly fire incidents. Their families, friends and fellows members of the Canadian Armed Forces felt these deaths. We have a commitment to keep our troops in that country until 2009, and I wouldn't be surprised if we did not extend that beyond that date. To put a timetable on a pullout is like predicting the state of Afghanistan at a particular point in time. This is not a football game, there are no time limits on war, there never will be.
Canada is at war.
Canada is currently at war with an enemy that is virtually invisible. There are no geographic boundaries that we can neatly wrapped in a box or war fronts that can be drawn on a map. Afghanistan is being invaded by radical Muslim insurgents from neighbouring countries.
These insurgents are about to get a boost from India, because that country is threatening to kick Afghan refugees out of their country.
Some of these refugees have been in India for over 20 years, a holdover from the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. When these people are tossed back into Afghanistan, many will be recruited for survivals sake to join the Taliban. Do you think that maybe 2,545 soldiers will be enough of a contribution by Canada?
Don't be fooled, Canada is needed in Afghanistan.
This really pains me, because I have a family member currently fighting in Afghanistan in our armed forces. As a matter of fact, all members of the Canadian Armed Forces have been advised that they will be serving in that war zone. I am proud of my brother-in-law and all the members of our armed forces. As a Canadian citizen I would not have it any other way. The truth is, Canada is needed overseas, in all our international commitments, and many families of our military service sacrifice their loved ones.
They worry necessarily, they fear necessarily and they love necessarily. My sister has a rendezvous with these emotions, and hopefully her children will see there father return within the year.
So when we sit at home watching reality TV...
Remember that on the other side the globe there are real Canadian troops fighting for their lives and the lives of innocent Afghan families. When you see the Canadian flag flying at half-mast, pause and shed a tear because somewhere in Canada a family is shedding many tears. If you hear one of our fellow citizens belittle our Canadian Heroes for the sake of a joke, kindly remind that person that a brave soldier is at that moment entrenched in conflict to secure his right to mock that very soldier in that way. Get behind our government who is trying to garnish support for troops in parliament all the while playing the weak hand of a minority position. If you see a member of our Canadian forces on weekend maneuvers in our community, make a point of approaching them, if possible, shake their hands and tell them how proud of them you are. Most of all, pray for our Armed Forces and their families.
Canada is an important member the coalition involved in the war against terrorism and tyranny. Yes, we are peacekeepers, but before peace is achieved, our troops must fight to secure it.
Club a Fish!
If I actually told you to go out clubbing fish, I’m not too sure what reaction I would get. For some I guess a picture of a mean hairy looking man who drags his knuckles and whacks every cute guppy looking water creature would come to mind. Some may wonder just how to wade into your local lake and find a fish. For others, I guess no thought would enter their mind. There are those you know, take a look at Paris. But when I was a young’in clubbing a fish was that moment when you knew you had arrived.
Yessirree, my pops and me, had taken that time in our lives to drive out to our favorite pond, drag our aluminum boat into the water, tie on our Canadian Wiggler, and trolled for that ever elusive walleye.
When that fish bit, I would fight it onto the boat, and WHACK that sucker on the head! What a feeling!
I remember the first fish clubbing I ever did, it wasn’t pretty. I was only six years old. Pops handed me his wooden club and while he held that poor creature while it struggled to wiggle away, I hit it over the head. It rolled its eyes and wiggled more. Pops said, “Hit it again boy, this time put it out of it’s misery!” So I whacked it again. It rolled it eyes again, and wiggled some more. Pops said, “Son, hit it right here!” and he pointed to a sweet spot. So with my tongue protruding out the right side of mouth and my left eye closed for good aim, I raised that wooden club and WHACK! Down went the fish, and up went my pops hand. That day I learned a whole new language that I later thought was the official language of the fisherman.
Pops was just as good holding the fish’in pole with his left hand as he was with his right.
But that fish still wasn’t dead, and pops had to finish it off. I later looked at my kill and noticed that it’s appearance was a bit like Rocky Marciano in the final round. I wondered how I was going to get it past the game warden, because I was sure that an assault charge was forthcoming.
That day, I clubbed many fish, and each one we clipped onto a fresh water chain and hung over the boat, giving all the other fish in the lake an opportunity to see their loved ones drug off to the frying pan. In all we caught at least twenty fish.
This is where my bubble burst.
I went out to pick up a copy of the fishing regulations because I recently acquired a nice boat from a buddy and decided I better go out and club me a wack of fish. I could not believe what I picked up!
What has happened to the days of Pisces slaughter? The day when if it had fins and was big enough, you clubbed it, cleaned it, froze it, and later fried it in butter, with a little bit of rice, some lemon, a slice of Tomato, and the peas.........
Ok, I’m back! Those days are gone. Today, if you catch a fish, you have to act like a Sunday Fishing Show Host. You know the type.
The one that sits in his boat, talks to an invisible friend, and speaks very softly and respectfully to his catch, only to sweetly pat the creature on its backside and watch as this mammoth looking Pike swims away. Yep, I bet that fish is thinking. “What a moron, you had me at .. hello!” In some Alberta lakes such as Pigeon Lake you have to apply for a draw. I grew up in a time when you only drew for game that required shooting it with a firearm. I know some like to shoot fish in a barrel, but it’s just not sporting.
Then there is the hold-over from the big game regulation. If you catch a fish, don’t clean it. In the good-old-days, many cleaned fish in the boat, then put the beautiful filets in a cooler to keep fresh. That way the meat stayed fresh. God put a process in place on this earth called decomposition. The moment a living creature dies, it begins to rot. In fishing, your best defense against it is to clean the sucker! Well, today you really can’t do that. You have to carefully do an autopsy, and ensure that the fish’s sexual identity is easily identified. OK, I must be a real hillbilly, because I really didn’t know that you could sex a fish. It’s not like I tipped them over to closely examine its undercarriage. So I absorbed these changes, and decided I would fish anyway. I would talk to them in a soft voice, let them go, and only keep the grand-daddy of the species. Off I went to my local sporting goods store.
Then the other shoe dropped.
I had to use fish friendly, politically correct, liberal loving, nonevasive, barbless fish hooks. That entails buying fish hooks where the fish could optionally stay-on the hook. No Barbs. Did it ever occur to anyone that if the fish fights without barbs, it could just decide to leave. That leaves me with the thought.. Will I only be landing a suicidal fish, and if so, what does a manic depressed fish taste like? Do I even want to assist in a fish suicide. I’m not Dr. Kvorkian! So I finally understand sport fishing. Be kind and let them all go to make more fishes, so we have more of them to let go another day. Don’t eat fish you catch in our lakes, go to your local grocery store and buy them there. Use fish friendly lures, and no live bait. You don’t want the bait to be hurt or insulted. If you catch a fish you are legally able to keep, get its permission before you club the life out of it.
So, have you hugged a fish lately? No! I didn’t think so.
Go ahead and club that fish
Yessirree, my pops and me, had taken that time in our lives to drive out to our favorite pond, drag our aluminum boat into the water, tie on our Canadian Wiggler, and trolled for that ever elusive walleye.
When that fish bit, I would fight it onto the boat, and WHACK that sucker on the head! What a feeling!
I remember the first fish clubbing I ever did, it wasn’t pretty. I was only six years old. Pops handed me his wooden club and while he held that poor creature while it struggled to wiggle away, I hit it over the head. It rolled its eyes and wiggled more. Pops said, “Hit it again boy, this time put it out of it’s misery!” So I whacked it again. It rolled it eyes again, and wiggled some more. Pops said, “Son, hit it right here!” and he pointed to a sweet spot. So with my tongue protruding out the right side of mouth and my left eye closed for good aim, I raised that wooden club and WHACK! Down went the fish, and up went my pops hand. That day I learned a whole new language that I later thought was the official language of the fisherman.
Pops was just as good holding the fish’in pole with his left hand as he was with his right.
But that fish still wasn’t dead, and pops had to finish it off. I later looked at my kill and noticed that it’s appearance was a bit like Rocky Marciano in the final round. I wondered how I was going to get it past the game warden, because I was sure that an assault charge was forthcoming.
That day, I clubbed many fish, and each one we clipped onto a fresh water chain and hung over the boat, giving all the other fish in the lake an opportunity to see their loved ones drug off to the frying pan. In all we caught at least twenty fish.
This is where my bubble burst.
I went out to pick up a copy of the fishing regulations because I recently acquired a nice boat from a buddy and decided I better go out and club me a wack of fish. I could not believe what I picked up!
What has happened to the days of Pisces slaughter? The day when if it had fins and was big enough, you clubbed it, cleaned it, froze it, and later fried it in butter, with a little bit of rice, some lemon, a slice of Tomato, and the peas.........
Ok, I’m back! Those days are gone. Today, if you catch a fish, you have to act like a Sunday Fishing Show Host. You know the type.
The one that sits in his boat, talks to an invisible friend, and speaks very softly and respectfully to his catch, only to sweetly pat the creature on its backside and watch as this mammoth looking Pike swims away. Yep, I bet that fish is thinking. “What a moron, you had me at .. hello!” In some Alberta lakes such as Pigeon Lake you have to apply for a draw. I grew up in a time when you only drew for game that required shooting it with a firearm. I know some like to shoot fish in a barrel, but it’s just not sporting.
Then there is the hold-over from the big game regulation. If you catch a fish, don’t clean it. In the good-old-days, many cleaned fish in the boat, then put the beautiful filets in a cooler to keep fresh. That way the meat stayed fresh. God put a process in place on this earth called decomposition. The moment a living creature dies, it begins to rot. In fishing, your best defense against it is to clean the sucker! Well, today you really can’t do that. You have to carefully do an autopsy, and ensure that the fish’s sexual identity is easily identified. OK, I must be a real hillbilly, because I really didn’t know that you could sex a fish. It’s not like I tipped them over to closely examine its undercarriage. So I absorbed these changes, and decided I would fish anyway. I would talk to them in a soft voice, let them go, and only keep the grand-daddy of the species. Off I went to my local sporting goods store.
Then the other shoe dropped.
I had to use fish friendly, politically correct, liberal loving, nonevasive, barbless fish hooks. That entails buying fish hooks where the fish could optionally stay-on the hook. No Barbs. Did it ever occur to anyone that if the fish fights without barbs, it could just decide to leave. That leaves me with the thought.. Will I only be landing a suicidal fish, and if so, what does a manic depressed fish taste like? Do I even want to assist in a fish suicide. I’m not Dr. Kvorkian! So I finally understand sport fishing. Be kind and let them all go to make more fishes, so we have more of them to let go another day. Don’t eat fish you catch in our lakes, go to your local grocery store and buy them there. Use fish friendly lures, and no live bait. You don’t want the bait to be hurt or insulted. If you catch a fish you are legally able to keep, get its permission before you club the life out of it.
So, have you hugged a fish lately? No! I didn’t think so.
Go ahead and club that fish
Thursday, April 5, 2007
4:20 and all is well!
Dear Editor,
Kudos to Brian Hahn for his article on "Numerology of a Stoner". There are "smoke" shops popping up in our communities that blatantly laugh at the Canadian Justice or lack thereof when it comes to drug Paraphernalia.
The very idea of a shop owner having the legal backing to sell drug Paraphernalia and advertise for that purpose sickens me as much as it frustrates me. Not only can I walk into a certain unnamed business and buy a bong or glass pipe, perhaps even a fake can of WD40 to hide my stash in, but I can also purchase a product called Salvia. "Depending on dosage, the Salvia experience can vary from a subtle, just-off-baseline state to a full-blown psychedelic experience. At higher doses users report dramatic time distortion, vivid imagery, encounters with beings, travel to other places, planets or times, living years as the paint on a wall or experiencing the full life of another individual.
Needless to say these can be extremely powerful experiences and should only be attempted with a sitter. While most people remain unmoving during the experience, some individuals will attempt to get up and walk around while in a completely dissociated state". The worst part, it is legal for anyone to buy it and use it. Anyone meaning any person regardless of age. I hesitate in writing this letter to you, but if we as parents and as citizens who are willing to take a unified stand against drugs in our communities can be educated in the culture, than perhaps we can reach out to our local, provincial and federal politicians to say
"ENOUGH" already.
Sincerely
John Norton.
Dear EditorBoston recorded a song called "Smokin" back in the 70's. That song is exactly 4 minutes and 20 seconds long. The "secret code" started when Roadies needed the code to see who was in the "sub-culture" and who was clued out. Needless to say, the code arose to mystical levels because cannabis users need to be wary of the witch hunters. Once the code becomes universally understood and the mystery taken out, something else will come along.
That the sub-culture has such a presence is testament to the popularity of smoking cannabis in social ceremonies. The "sub-culture" of cannabis users to be more precise, have been around since the bamboo plant from which cannabis is derived has existed. Cannabis and opium are the ceremonial and ritual substances of the Asians. Alcohol is the ceremonial and ritual substance of the Western "Christian" culture as evidenced by toasts to the bride and the priest goblet.
The South Americans have used coca as their ceremonial and ritual substance for thousands of years. The Editor should enlighten himself and practice more tolerance for other cultures instead supporting the immoral war on other than Christian cultures. That the youth's in our culture are ignorant of the above facts is testament to the failure of our education system to have a truthful discussion about drugs. The youths may not be able to make the intellectual arguments that expound the virtues of tolerance, prudence, justice and fortitude, but I most certainly can. Drug prohibition doesn't live up to a single one. I have no fear of the witch hunters, crusaders, demonizers or prohibitionists in our midst. All I ask is for a chance to expose their lies before a jury of my peers.
Chris Buors
Libertarian
President
Freedom Party of Manitoba
Dear Editor,Thank you for the very passionate if not xenophobic editorial by Mr Hahn. I do not know if Brain would care to know the story behind 4:20 that most historians agree on but here it is anyway. ”The most widely-accepted birth of 420 puts the date of the phrase at 1971, five years after Dylan's '60s anthem, conceived by a group of pot-lovin' California high school students. When one of the members of the clique uttered “4:20 Louie” it meant to meet for a smoke session at the Louis Pasteur statue 70 minutes after school dismissed at 3:10 p.m.” P.S. Tell Brian, “Don't worry. We are keeping an eye on you as well. We're just a bit more tolerant.”
Ally Lorton
As a Federal Medical Marijuana License holder who is also married to one, I deeply resent the use of the word “stoner”. This word is as offensive to medical pot users like myself and my epileptic wife, as the word “junkie” might be to someone who uses prescription pain killers, or the word “cripple” might be to someone in a wheelchair. Brian Hahn has demonstrated that not only does his mind need opened and his third eye cleaned, apparently he doesn’t even know how to use Google! “Whatever the origins...”
It is widely accepted that in the early 1970s, a group of teenagers at San Rafael High School in San Rafael, California used to meet every day after school at 4:20 p.m. to smoke cannabis at the Louis Pasteur statue. They even have letters from college after the fact to prove it. That is the origin. True, most pot users don’t know what it means. I tend not to observe it, as I am a medical user and drug law-reform advocate, not a pot “enthusiast”. As for “international pot-smokers day is April 20th - 4/20”; yeah, that is true, but that was just a co-opt by a bunch of over enthusiastic pot fans. In reality, the date means nothing beyond that association with the afternoon time frame. Like anything, it has been co-opted and mutated over the years, and the meaning twisted. Aren’t words magnificent?
Russell Barth
Federal Medical Marijuana License
Holder
Ottawa
Dear Editor,You are wrong cannabis is not legal. Canada and the USA no less do have federal legal medical cannabis programs currently in place and have for years now. I do have one question for you that I hope you will answer. How many more expert studies do we need that clearly state prohibition of cannabis creates a lot more social harms then cannabis it's self ever has or ever could?
Keith Fagin
Calgary 420 Alberta
Response to Keith,My article clearly stated, “It’s not legal, it’s not even decriminalized!” As for your question... I agree?
Brian Hahn
Dear Editor
Your article on 420 was hilarious, don't know if it was a joke or not. Why is the religious right so bent on fear-mongering against pot users. There's a lot more of us than you think and we are not the slackers you believe we are. Saying anything derogatory about stoners as a group is as accurate as saying “All christians are pedifiles because a few catholic priests are.” Its not founded in any reality. There's some great pot grown in your part of the country, maybe you should try some. Thank you for your time.
Jason Baker
I am responding to your article about the number 420. I really have no clue as to it's origin, however, if you look at famous deaths. I have been told that Bob Marley died on April 20th. But I personally think that 420 goes back before Mr. Marley. Really if I have to guess I would say that 420 was something an ancient pothead said one day and it caught on like a trend, but because smoking can be a religious ndeavor it never faded out. Potheads are very much a culture of their own and of all different walks of life but generally
have a few things in common. Thank you for your time.
Odisomus
AZ, USA
Dear Editor,I just read your article on the numerology of a stoner and thought you may want a little info that I learned in high school about five years ago. The time 4:20pm is an hour and 20 minutes after most high school students get out of school. This amount of time is how long takes a high school student to get out of school, get home, and roll a joint. Then the pot smoker has to just wait a few minutes and light up at 4:20.
Luke Lyons
Thursday, March 29, 2007
The Numerology of a Stoner
"Mary Jane" when referring to marijuana.
Nowadays that seems pretty "square-man" But the language developed in the sub-culture has not really changed all that much. Lingo or codes are used that many folks just don't get, and parents tend to lay a blind eye towards. Sure, if you look in little Johnny's bedroom and see a Canadian Flag with a three-pointed leaf in the middle, chances are he may be more familiar with the illegal substance than you wish.
Hidden in your child's bedroom is one thing, but to advertise it in public is another. Today, the marijuana culture has a new set of codes, which is usually in plain view for all to see. It is the use of the number 420. Have you seen it?
You can see 420 in advertising, high school yearbooks, and storefronts. Smoke shops have popped up in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia with the number 420 in their registered business name. So big deal, what's in a name?
Plenty.
The phenomena of the number 420 in the marijuana sub-culture is a universal moment in time, a time when all potheads stop and light up! If they are awake at 4:20AM, they can light up and puff away. Many pot smokers take solace in the fact that at that very moment of the day, they will be smoking with maybe thousands of other stoners throughout the country. The number 420 has become the transforming universal code into the collective consciousness of the stoner.
So why 420? I started to ask around, and found that most people whether young or old never took notice, and could not answer that daunting question; Why 420? One gal told me it was to celebrate Bob Marley’s birthday, meaning he was born on April 20th. But our Jamaican friend was born on February 5th, 1945. One other told me it was Tommy Chong’s birthday, the famous Edmontonian from the “Cheech and Chong” drugged out comedy team, but again Tommy was born on May 24th, 1938. Missed again. “Hey man... what gives!” Looking for more famous stoners to give credence to the secret dopers code 420, I was then told it was to commemorate the exact time of Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead’s death.
Garcia died on August 4th, 1995 at 4:23 AM. Oooh close! Maybe it takes three minutes to roll your own. Still no fit. A check of famous birthdates and I discovered that Adolf Hitler was born April 20th, 1889, but I’m sure that most pot smokers are not skin-heads. Still no fit. Whatever the origins, the pot-smoker does not know the reason for the observance only that it is the universal code that identifies a member of that particular sub-culture. One of the first lessons smokers learn is that while the meaning of 420 is “obvious” to insiders as “universal” or as an “international symbol” for marijuana, marijuana-smoking, and the subculture, it also a secret code or secret advertiser. A method of attracting the customers of likemindednes to an individual or business.
The mere presence of 420 on a business store front sends the wrong message to the youth, since if pot-smoking was illegal they wouldn't let a respectable businessperson to “set-up shop.” This became all to apparent when during my informal public survey of “420”, one young lady in her late 20’s said to me, “Marijuana legal now!” It’s not legal, it’s not even decriminalized!
So why are smoke shops allowed to open up in a city or town and sell drug paraphernalia, in essence promoting pot smoking? In the wacked out 60’s, drug users made their bongs and pipes. The truth of the matter is this. If a particular business is advertising "420" the universal stoner code in their business, chances are that they promote stoner culture and with
it, the consumption of an illegal drug. Take a look around your hometown or when you drive through a city, and you will find “420” proudly displayed on some smoke shops on store fronts and malls. Walk in and ask the store clerk, “What’s with 420?” You will instantly identify yourself as an outsider to the subculture, and I doubt a truthful answer will be forthcoming.
Come to think of it, the international pot-smokers day is April 20th - 4/20.
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