Election 2008 -- Canada

2008 is a banner year.  Canada and the USA have scheduled elections in the Fall of the year.  Now Canada's Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, contradicted his own stated policy by calling an election when an election was not needed.  He thought he would go up a notch from a minority government to a majority government.  And so, $100,000,000 later we're back in then same place: the Conservatives have a minority government.  Harper should be jailed.

I didn't vote Conservative, Liberal or NDP, I voted Green  I could have voted strategically but I finally realized that I had to vote my with conscience, hence Green.

Why on Earth did those with the power to see some real change take place, vote in Stephane Dion as the leader of the Federal Liberal Party?  The thing they forgot was that leaders need to be able not just to be the head of something but to motivate other to follow.  Mr. Dion couldn't motivate a dog to eat a bone.

Why are the Bloc allowed to participate in Federal elections?  The Quebecois, like a spoiled child having tantrums and holding their collective breath until they get what they want, consistently hold the rest of Canada to ransom.  The fact is the French lost whatever war it was that saw the English take the leading roll in Canada and they can't get over that.  Relatively few people care about the French.  The rest of Canada does not want to see the country broken up, so we give in time after time.  The French don't give a damn about Canada so the blackmail always works.

Get the Bloc out of Federal politics!

NDP? Jack Layton is a good guy.  Well spoken, emotionally charged, honest.  Like all great NDP leaders, won't get anywhere until he joins either the Conservatives or the Liberals.

Conservatives?  Stephen Harper does not have the best interests of the majority of Canadians at heart.  He is a typical of the breed who believes they can implement a series of policies that combine a sense of "survival of the fittest" with "conservative financial and social policies."

That is not a reality, Mr Harper.  The world has its drivers and its passengers and some people do move up to the driver's seat; some people won't or can't get a drivers license.  That's all.

    

Come home, Jimmy. All is forgotten...um, forgiven.

Just thinking about my father. James Carter (nothing to do with a well known President (ret) of a certain large country).
I'll tell what I know and you can tell me if you know him. The problem is that by now he's probably dead, even if he died of old age.
What sketchy information I have comes from a now deceased aunt who lived in Meopham, Kent.
James Carter was a little younger than my mum-Hilda Arnold. Hilda was born in 1916 in Swansea, Wales. James was born in the county of Gloucester and we'll put his DOB somewhere around 1916-1922
At some point he moved to Swansea where he met my mum and they were both working at the Mackworth Hotel, Swansea. They were both wait staff.
Details are a little vague around this time but apparently they went to work at the Black Bull around Stoke in 1951/2.
My mother return to Swansea in 1952 to have me and neither of us saw dear old James again.
I did try what I could to find him in the 80's and 90's but doing this search from Canada was really frustrating and somewhat costly and I was told that my lack of deatils were a hindrance.
The thing is that I know exactly where he was working in 1952 (Mackworth Hotel) and know his full name (James Carter). If I could only get into the National Employment Insurance archive in Newcastle I could find his Social Security numbera nd it would be easy to track him.
(Sound of screeching brakes). This information is not available to the public. So unless I can find an employee willing to take a bribe, or Tom Cruise and the cast of Mission Impossible to break in, I'm not getting anywhere. If anyone has any ideas, let me know.

Evil Beings

Another thought occurred to me while writing my list is how much I abhor the men, and women who take lives of others so easily and all, substantially, in the name of greed or religion.
I grew up with a small amount of faith. My mother didn't really attend a church after I was born. I know she attended a Spiritualist church at the time of my birth because I was "Christened" in one. I still have somewhere proof of that. She always told the proselytising intruders that came to the door that, "(she) had her own faith, thank you very much."  ...Now push off!
In this new century we have men and women who are willing to blow themselves up and take innocents with them and all in the name of religion. They are evil enough to talk children (some with developmental handicaps) into completing their monstrous deeds for them. They're all idiots (I hope they're reading)!
Whether they are Muslims or Christians or Atheists, they are, thankfully, doomed to fail. The majority of people in the world just want to live their lives. Perhaps they don't want to be part of a democracy or be free to vote. America has shown that being free is only a state of mind and that the freedoms for which they so ardently fight, are fleeting-see Amber to Red Alerts.
I hope there is no God for any of us. That's right...no virgins, no right hand waiting, nothing. All there is, is right now. What a mess we're making of that.

Life goes on.

I've added to my "Things about me " list. That in itself is a good sign. It means that no longer am i in the grip of depression, rather I am in its shadow. Ah well, better than nothing I suppose.
When writing my list I started to think about a few things. The one that is most on my mind is that I feel and have felt this way for a long time, is that I'm losing touch with mt oldest daughter.
It's certainly not anything I want but just seems to be happening. I know she has got a life of her own, she's very busy and our geographical separation doesn't help, but I wish it were different.
Now she's off in foreign lands taking the sun. I missed her departure through procrastination...more regret.
I'm also losing touch with my oldest friend-the Runner.
The runner is single and thank God, older than me. I know I'm gray but the runner is actually wrinkling. Maybe my mirror just isn't a clear as it used to be.
We're all busy but I have to make a better effort.

In the beginning

I've often thought of creating a personal blog but felt that I have nothing to say. Which is strange when I think of how opinionated I am. Finally though, in the throws of another bout of depression, I thought I would create a blog and put my thoughts and feelings out into the world.
So if you want, take this journey with me or leave it at a run. It will be here if you change your mind.