Shut Your Pie Hole and Go Home

  Obama arrives for G8 I'm somewhat saddened by the fact that Obama's arrival in Toronto made front page news.  What about the other world leaders?  I know what other countries are being represented next week, but I don't know who has arrived.  I personally don't think Obama is that big of a deal. It's not really the article that got me going this morning.  It was the idiotic comment by someone who makes me ashamed to be Canadian.  I'm proud that these meeting are being hosted on Canadian soil, but for once, I wish there could be peace. StanJohnston wrote, " Since when has it become ok for Canada not to respect protesters or the idea that their are many valid opinions? We are becoming more and more like the US every day and it's a terrible thing for Canada to become." Okay to not respect protesters? You have got to be kidding me, right?  Respect protesters ?  The same protesters who created a situation so dangerous a disabled kid could...

After reading an article on the education of black kids in America, I got to thinking about the education on minorities in Canada - specifically aboriginals.  It is my understanding that anyone with a registered treaty number is entitled to a university education at any public post-secondary school in the country without paying a penny of tuition.  I wonder just how many people take advantage of this opportunity and how many people without a treaty number would give just about anything to gain such an advantage. My proposition is this:  for every registered aboriginal who does not take advantage of a free post-secondary education within a year of graduating high school, award a full-ride scholarship to a young person whose family is on welfare.  This could accomplish two things:  1) more aboriginals would take advantage of furthering their education and/or 2) more financially insecure families could send their young people to university. If everyone plays n...

National Day of Prayer goes on despite ruling "America was birthed in prayer and founded on the God of the Bible, on his biblical principles and on his moral values," Day of Prayer organizer Shirley Dobson said. Thank God for people who still have faith and morals!  God bless Shirley Dobson and Rev. Franklin Graham.  Even though the US Army rescinded its invitation to Rev. Graham, I am beyond overjoyed that he refused to back down or apologize for his comments against Islam. Why is it that Muslims can speak out against Christianity and it's call free speech, but when Christians speak out against Muslims, it's called hate speech? It saddens me that the President of the United States does not see the importance of participating in the National Day of Prayer.  Presidents before Obama took seriously counsel from various Christian leaders within the country.  I may not be American, but as Canadians, we feel strongy the effects of our southern neighbour. "In ...

So all you naysayers and protesters - how do you like them apples? The Olympic Games ended in Vancouver with a giant street party. Canada glowed golden and its citizens glowed red and white. The games were played, games were won and lost. No, it was not two weeks without incident, but what are we going to remember? We will remember the Georgian luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili, who died tragically that first day. We will remember the tears of Joannie Rochette and her glorious bronze medal win. We will see Sidney Crosby score that final goal for gold. Who cares if there wasn't quite enough snow? The games went on. Transit issues? Oh well, people still made their way downtown. That last arm of the caulrdon didn't lift? We're Canadian, we can make fun of our own mishaps. Our city, our province, our country came together to celebrate an historic event. And, if I do say so myself, did a dang good job of it, too! Stand up Canada, be proud! We've nothing...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/feb/15/vancouver-winter-olympics-2010 I wish I had written the following in response to the article by Lawrence Donegan in the February 15th of the UK Guardian. This says it all: We never claimed to be perfect That means we've learned to be humble We say excuse me and I'm sorry as well as please and thanks Even when its not our fault we apologize Sure one arm of the torch didn't rise, But when the earthquake struck Haiti, Canadians raised their hands to say we'll help And yah, there is a fence around the torch But you can walk right up and shake hands with our prime minister and most famous Canadians We put Gretzky in the back of a pick up, in the rain, not surrounded by police and he was okay And by the way... The great one is Canadian and he wasn't complaining! We do have security at the games, of course, but most people don't even have a gun they have to leave at home The medals ARE under lock and ...

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2010/01/13/montreal-haiti-canada-support.html Another day, another complaint. Tragedy has struck a severely underdeveloped nation and what do Canadians do?  Complain!  Today is a day I'd like to shout from the rooftops, "shut your pie hole!" over and over in every city in our country.  Never have we known disaster of the magnitude of that which has struck Haiti, nor are we likely to. I am appalled at the number of comments stating that Canada should save the tax dollars for in-country improvements.  Don't send help.  Keep the money.  Let other nations take care of it.  We always do it.  Shut your pie hole! Until you have spent time in a third world country, getting to know its citizens, living with them, eating with them, sharing with them, how dare you have the audacity to say we should deny them assistance. Let us for a moment play make-believe.  Let's say that "the big one" hit Vancouver....

Gay Tourists not Market Niche, Report Suggests First of all, I didn't even know that there was a Gay Tourism Association.  Does Canada need one of those?  I think there are already plenty of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people in our fair nation (105 out of about 2200 surveyed - 4.77% for the math geeks out there - I didn't realize there were THAT many, either). Second of all, do we really need to hype up our national treasures to make them more appealing to gay people?  Frankly, I'd rather have fewer people of the GLBT group out and about in the hot vacation spots.  What are good Christian parents supposed to tell their kids when they see two men snuggling on a bench at Niagra, or two women groping each other in Banff National Park?  Apparently nothing is sacred anymore. While I'm not going to tell gays and lesbians that they are wrong, I believe that freedom of speech allows me to say that I do not appreciate public displays of affection betwee...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,580405,00.html I'm impressed.  Go France!  Here is a country who knows who they are and what they are and they want to keep it that way!  Now, I'm not saying that I agree with everything that France is trying to do here, but I like the principle.  What would happen if we asked Canadians what it means to be Canadian?  (And by this I mean real Canadians - at least those whose parents were born in our fair nation.)  Would the Canadian idenity have to do with The Hudson's Bay Company?  Indiginous people groups? Metis?  French Canada?  Farming, fishing or forestry?  Christianity?  Or would it roll into Punjab and Hindi?  Muslim and Sikh?  While I don't believe in other faiths but Christianity, I'm not going to tell people they're wrong or that they can't worship which ever god they chose - it is a part of our rights and freedoms as Canadians.  However, when the world looks at our count...

Heating Oil Poured into Wrong House Ready... Set... Go! (Steps on to soapbox, clears throat, begins...) There are so many things I could say here, I scarcely know where to start, but you must know by now that all of us here at SYPH and GH have little trouble expressing ourselves (we live on a soapbox, remember). First that this even made the FRONT PAGE of CBC.com is astounding.  Appparently we're hard up for news this week. Moving right along... dude in a truck drives up to a house, presumably he checks to make sure he's got the right one (let's give him the benefit of the doubt, shall we?), and proceeds to pump oil into a fill pipe.  Now, I've never lived in a house that uses heating oil, so I don't know all the specifics of this, but these are supposed to be professionals delivering this stuff, are they not?  I assume that this is a potentially highly dangerous and flammable subtance that they are delivering, not to mention, expensive, especially in this...

http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20091103/bc_torch_protest_apology_091103/20091103?hub=BritishColumbia" I read this on ctv.ca this morning, and I'm appalled. A young man was honoured with a dream come true, and protesters ruined his moment. What is wrong with you people! The Olympics are coming, and there's nothing you can do at this point. This example crossed the line of peaceful protest. How do you sleep at night knowing that a 17 year-old kid with cerebral palsy was forced to walk away from his dream (bless the people who were able to give him another chance) because you had to completely block his way. Good for you. I hope you're happy. And I hope you find it in yourselves to apologize to this young man. You crossed the line. So apologize, then SYPH and GO HOME!

Allow me to introduce myself - the Minister of Corrections and Dismemberment. A little harsh, you say? I think not. Our current system of incarceration is hardly a punishment. Three meals a day, warm bed, a free college education - all at my (a Canadian taxpayer) expense. Am I thrilled that my hard-earned dollars are being used to comfortably house criminals? Hardly. Does a warm bed, nourishing meals, and an opportunity to get an education sound like a great way to reform a criminal so that they won't become a repeat offender? I don't think so. I think some people would be more than happy to "upgrade" their way of life by becoming criminals. My solution? Offer a more efficient way of rehabilitating them. Build a road with a pick axe through the Rocky Mountains. Go work a quarter section of land in Saskatchewan. Go dig for diamonds in Nunavut. (again with a pick axe) Or for repeat sex offenders, castration. (Again, too harsh? Wouldn't you think tw...