Who elected these goons?

Fear-mongering seems to be the way of our current government. We need to build more prisons but the government's own studies show that the crime rate is DOWN. We need to take steps NOW to avoid the same economic disaster befalling us that has been suffered in Europe but the government's own financial reports clearly indicate otherwise. Now, we need to prepare for drastic changes in the Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, and the Guaranteed Income Supplement but the government's own studies say none of this is necessary.

The January 31^st Globe and Mail reports that “Expert advice commissioned by the federal government contradicts Stephen Harper’s warnings that Canada can’t afford the looming bill for Old Age Security payments...research prepared at Ottawa’s request argues Canada’s pension system is in far better shape than the Europeans’, and there’s no need to raise the retirement age. Edward Whitehouse – who researches pension policy on behalf of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Bank – was asked by Ottawa to study and report on how Canada stacks up internationally when it comes to pensions. His conclusion: 'The analysis suggests that Canada does not face major challenges of financial sustainability with its public pension schemes,' and 'there is no pressing financial or fiscal need to increase pension ages in the foreseeable future.' (emphasis added)

“Kevin Milligan, a University of British Columbia economics professor who co-authored (one) of the supporting research papers prepared for Ottawa, is also of the view that there is no OAS crisis. He says the government’s use of statistics showing the cost of OAS will climb from $36.5-billion in 2010 to $108-billion in 2030 is not very meaningful because of the impact of inflation. He notes the rise is less alarming when measured as a percentage of economic growth.

“When the House of Commons finance committee studied pension issues in 2010, Mr. Whitehouse (mentioned above) appeared as a witness and discussed his research. He noted, 'Canada's pension system is looking good on the measures of adequacy. It is also looking good on measures of financial sustainability,'... 'Canada does not face the same financial sustainability problems as many other OECD member countries do, particularly in Europe and among the East Asian countries, Japan and Korea, whose populations are aging most rapidly.'

“At the end of its study, the committee’s final report did not recommend raising the age of eligibility for OAS or reducing benefits. However, a minority report by the committee’s Conservative MPs said payment rates for the OAS and the Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors should be reviewed.”

Several concerns come to my mind, and not just because I am a pensioner:

1. Why is our current government in Canada not attending to the advice they have requested be provided to them “by experts”?
2. Is it not possible that we – the people of Canada – could save a lot of money if we insisted the current government ceased and desisted in undertaking any more studies on which they might make policy decisions?
3. Who elected these goons anyway?

What is the real issue behind Stephen Harper's persistent fear mongering of the Canadian people?  It can't just be stupidity, can it?

Newt Gingrich? You gotta be kidding!

I just do not understand the good citizens of the state of South Carolina. How could they give Newt Gingrich such overwhelming support against the other Republicans vying to become President of the United States?

There are, I know, many things that could be debated in those opening two statements. For now, I will continue to believe that there are good citizens in South Carolina; some of them may even be Republicans. I will even allow as how I would support Newt before I would give my vote to Ron Paul. But really...

How is it, that the “party of family values” can give such significant support to a man who is twice divorced, proposed an open marriage to his second wife so he could justify playing around with his mistress, and even proposed to said second wife before he was even officially divorced from the first? That kind of hanky-panky is not what comes to my mind when I think of Republican Party family values.

Then you set that alongside the likes of apparently squeaky clean (marriage-wise, at least) Mitt Romney, who I would never vote for for different reasons, and the Hollywood glamour of Rick Santorum (my opinion) and you still gotta' wonder how Newt walked off with such a convincing win.

Oh, well, on the positive side, the Republicans will be battling this nomination all the way to the convention floor giving Barak Obama lots of opportunity to campaign without an obvious opponent. Obama is not perfect; never said or suggested he was. But the field of Republicans duking it out over the next few months is increasingly pathetic.  And the travelling circus hauls in to Florida next.  Lucky us. 

Come on, America; wake up!

A Salute to MLK Jr.

“We must learn to love together as (brothers and sisters) or perish together as fools.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

The citizens of the United States of America paused this past Monday to once again remember one of its true heroes – Martin Luther King Jr. When I came upon this quotation from King, I quickly noted two things in my mind. First, we still struggle to realize this dream. Second, he calls us to “love” together not just live together.

You see, we do live together on this planet, in our various countries, in our many communities, on our zillions of streets and lanes and avenues. We really don't have a choice. We live together in many ways of accommodation and resignation. A variety of circumstances come into play in determining where we live: job opportunities, school for the children, closeness of a variety of services and shopping possibilities, other family, other friends, etc. Each of us and all of us have some aspect of our living arrangements determined by these and other factors.

We may choose to get along with our neighbours. We may live well and happily side by side, friends with one another or totally unaware of each other. We can choose those things. We can also choose to love together in this great big world – or not.

“Follow your heart and you'll be fine,” commented one of my Facebook friends today. I think the sentiment is spot on. If we all follow our heart, history will never record that we perished together as fools.

Driving - A Necessary Evil?

I am sure that every time a new baby is born in the USA, the car manufacturers must rejoice...another eventual driver, another customer. On our drive to Florida, Rob and I both commented – several times – that there was such an amazingly large number of vehicles on the road. At one point, I even asked, “Who is working?” because there were so many cars on the 4-lane highways that I did not think it was possible that anybody was doing anything else but driving. At another point in our trip, I commented that I was sure we had spent the last couple of days driving in traffic where we were never in a slew of vehicles of less than one thousand strong. Where were they all going?

Of course, because we were travelling between Christmas and New Year's Day, some of the traffic was holiday travel. Some of it was shopping mania. Another time I will write about America's fixation on the shopping mall. But as we drove along it seemed we were always in rush-hour traffic. The volume was staggering. And it didn't diminish when the weather got nasty. It is definitely NOT fun to be driving in stop-and-go traffic on a major thoroughfare in a downpour of rain! Why do people do it if they don't have to?

Even here in sunny Florida, in small-town Englewood, the traffic seems way out of proportion to the size of the community. It never seems to stop. It does diminish a bit on Saturday and Sunday. We are not that far from a main, 4-lane highway and the cars and trucks and tractor trailers just persist. And the motorcycles! No problem knowing that there are a few Harleys in Englewood.

What is it about driving? I know some people really like it. Why?

Calling ALL Heroes

“Heroes are not giant statues framed against a red sky. They are people who say: This is my community, and it is my responsibility to make it better.”

                  - Studs Terkel (American author, historian, actor, broadcaster)

I had heard the name Studs Terkel but had no idea who he was. So, I went to Wikipedia to find out a little bit. I still don't really know that much but I do fully agree with the sentiment of the quotation above.

Wayne Gretsky and Sidney Crosby are not heroes; they are sports icons. Brent Hawkes and Troy Perry are not heroes; they are leaders in the gay church movement. Pierre Trudeau and Robert Stanfield are not heroes; they are political figures.

Wikipedia tells me that the term hero/heroine “refers to characters who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and a will for self-sacrifice...for some greater good for all humanity.” Sidney Crosby might be considered a hero for his stand on doing something to diminish or eliminate risk of head injuries/concussion in hockey. Brent Hawkes might be considered a hero in the gay community for his political stands on inclusion, especially for equal marriage rights in Canada. Robert Stanfield might be considered a hero for never betraying his “roots” in order to achieve higher political office. But according to the Wikipedia definition, most heroes would be women and men who are much, much less in the public eye.

Like the individuals who fought Toronto City Hall this past year to keep libraries open. Like Chief Theresa Spence and the people of Attawapiskat in their struggles with the government of Canada to establish and maintain 'reasonable' housing and living conditions for their community. (I am aware that Chief Spence may potentially be part of the problem but I believe she is trying to stand up for/ with her people as a mouse against a great elephant.) Or like many moms and dads who are called repeatedly to come up against the political bureaucracy and demand that the health and education of their children will receive priority attention. Folks like these are true heroes. Books will never be written about them. They will never receive rewards or any kind of public recognition. Thank goodness, despite this, they will persist.

"Ah, isn't he handsome!"

“Jack” is our four-year-old (February 19^th) golden retriever who has made the trip to Florida with us this year. Previous years, he has remained at the kennel where he was born. That has not been a burden for Jack or the breeder. However, this year we decided to bring him along. He travels very well!

Jack was my retirement gift to Rob. That means Rob has now been retired just over four years – though he continues to work on a part-time basis (even when we are out of the country) on projects for NB Power's Point LePreau Nuclear Generating Station. So, here are a couple of recent pictures - of Jack.

The first picture above was taken on January 3^rd. The second picture, taken on January 5^th, has Jack resting his head on the rungs of a chair at the kitchen table while I am doing some computing. He does not like to be too far away.

This is my first time ever for sharing responsibility for the care of a dog. Feeding, brushing/combing, daily walks, training – this is a lot of work, continually. The walks are very good for me. Jack and I do a morning constitutional that we both enjoy – mostly. I like the walking; I don't like it when Jack is distracted by other dogs, people (especially women), unexpected things on the route, or just about anything, especially if it has a smell. On our morning walks, I say “Jack” and “Heal!” and “Here!!” quite a lot. The volume and the tone of exasperation usually increases as the walk lengthens. But I persist; so does Jack!

He is great company. He is definitely a people dog. And he does not like being alone which, translated, means he does not like being more than five feet away from his human companions at any particular time.

On our drive to Florida, he did very well. He does not mind driving in the car. He handles staying in hotels quite well. And we quickly adapted to stopping for Jack – as well as ourselves – for pee breaks, stretches, drinks, just because. Jack especially liked the hotels because that meant he got to sleep in the same room with us. He thought he would continue to do that once we arrived at our Florida destination. Sorry, Jack! A couple of chairs currently prevents that from happening. Hopefully, we will not have to continue to do that much longer.

Jack has been in the Gulf of Mexico once already. He and Rob had a brief “dip” the other day once we found the “Dog Park and Beach”. Jack had lots of play pals, didn't seem to care for the wave action, but did get wet. We will go back soon and Rob and I will have bathing suits on. That might make a difference. I'll let you know.

A Little Preaching?

“Hope prevents us from clinging to what we have and frees us to move away from the safe place and enter unknown and fearful territory.”

                                                                      - Henri J.M. Nouwen

Over the years of my ministry, colleagues and friends have made comment or raised questions about what the church or Christian faith has to offer of any real value. In the latter years of my full-time career, my answer to that invariably focused on love and hope. These are terms that, regrettably, are too widely and too casually used. Someone 'loves' that car. She just 'loves' her new shoes. I 'hope' I win this time. They 'hope' their daughter gets into that college. As the quote from Henri Nouwen, above, would indicate, neither hope nor love should be so lightly understood or used in conversation.

For me, any hope for the future – kindled by our faith or whatever – is completely dependent on our willingness to embrace change – the unknown, perhaps even that which we at this point might even fear. I purposely used the word 'embrace' in the previous sentence because I think we have to love the coming change. By that, I mean we have to be so intimately involved in seeking and discerning and helping to create what is unfolding around us that when it is complete our hope will be rewarded by the knowledge that this is good, we need not fear, there is a way forward.

Of course, that is difficult to do when we are still more or less comfortable in and with what we know and now experience. We are not fully comfortable and, therefore, keep hoping for something different, something better. We won't know when we have arrived at the different and better unless we go through the totally uncomfortable, the seemingly hopeless, the relative unknown and fully embrace what is yet to be revealed.

We make judgements - well or otherwise

While we were in St. Petersburg, Florida on our way to our winter destination, we took the time to see the Dali Museum. Wow! I am so glad we did. What a talent – though that mere word scarcely touches the truth. How can one person do so much in such wide variety in just one lifetime? And when you see and are mesmerized by these works of art, so many of which tell numerous stories within stories, how can you possibly make any kind of satisfactory assessment?

Salvador Dali did not complete his studies in art school because he judged his teachers were not competent to assess his ability/skill/talent. At the time, his teachers probably thought he was brash/crazy/naive/overwhelmingly vain. I wonder what any of them might say if they had the opportunity to review the whole body of his work now. I think both parties could claim some truth to their judgement of the other. Surely any judgement would be purely subjective as, I believe, most judgement is. An example; I think...

I remember an English literature mid-term test I wrote my first year of university. You need to know that English lit was never my forte. When the professor returned our papers, she had given me a grade of D; failure. When she afforded an opportunity for the students to respond, I commented that I did not see how I could have possibly failed the test. She offered that I did not give the correct answers. I countered that it would be impossible to give anything but the right answers since everyone of the questions on the test began, “In your opinion, what/why/how/who...?” The professor then offered that I had not given the answers she was expecting. To which – you've got it – I responded that she did not ask me to tell her what she was expecting to read. My paper got upgraded, begrudgingly, to a C. The final exam on the course contained no such questions. I did not think she was much of a teacher. She, no doubt, concluded I was not much of a student. Both very subjective judgements.

Some of what I saw in the Dali Museum impressed me tremendously. Some of it seemed just foolishness – not art. For example, a rotor-dial telephone with a lobster perched on top of it. Art? Some of the works I did not understand at all, though I was impressed by the practical skills displayed. And the whole collection together did make a positive contribution to my personal sense of well-being – which is a criteria I would use in assessing art as art.

I know enough about art to say “Wow!” when it is in me. I do not always get the “Wow!” when someone else sees it. Judgement is subjective. Pretty basic conclusion, I think, even when simply judging/assessing other people. You and I might not agree on what makes us feel/think/say “Wow!” about Jane or John Whoever. Our judgement may even be incorrect (according to ALL the facts). It is, however, what it is and depending on the particular individual – Jane or John or Salvador Dali – may have next to no impression on the other or an utterly life-changing impact. Perhaps if both parties to such assessments can remember it is all very subjective, very personal, drama or trauma would be less likely to ensue. Does this make any sense?  Comments?

Winter Reading - Much Pleasure, Some Work

So what will I be reading while I am in Florida? I usually take a large selection of novels with me on my winter trips. This year I have nine with me and we are fairly handy to a public library. I also have a couple of “professional” reads with me.

A quick glance at the novels would suggest that I am very much into murder, mayhem, and mystery. I have two Laurell K. Hamilton novels with me from the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. I've been into vampires since forever; long before it became fashionable. Hamilton's books combine all three of the M's along with rampant sensuality. I also have two Iris Johansen novels with me – the latest two in the Eve Duncan, forensic sculptor, series. My understanding is the series is to be completed with one more volume yet to come.

I will enjoy some of the latest writings from four other of my favourite authors: Scott Turow, Michael Crichton, Clive Cussler, and David Baldacci. If you are familiar with any of these authors you will see that they also have the three M's in common.

And the ninth novel is by a new author, to me. It is Oliver Bowden's Assassin's Creed: Revelations. It appears to be another take on the many stories/legends associated with the Knights Templar set in Constantinople during the time of the Ottoman Empire. I am not sure yet if it will fit fully into the three M's.

The two “professional” books have to do with some preparations I may be making to facilitate another go in St. Croix Presbytery for the training of licensed lay preachers (or Licensed Lay Worship Leaders as they are known in The United Church of Canada) beginning almost as soon as we get home in April. The Presbytery has requested that we proceed with the training if there is sufficient interest. I have made it known I need at least six students. I think I have five indications of serious interest. The two books I have with me: Marcus Borg's Speaking Christian and John Dominic Crossan's The Greatest Prayer. I have read about a third of Borg's book (before we even left St. Stephen) and find it quite fascinating. I've brought Crossan along because I know I will find it challenging – not the content so much as the writing style and academic prowess of the author.

So that is some of what I will be reading this winter. I will keep you posted about what I think of the various novels and any developments that arise from the Borg and Crossan reading. What are you reading this winter?

Cluttered lives

Clutter – inside and outside. What is it about things and people? This may be a recurring theme over the next few days. We are in a very nice side-by-side duplex on a fairly quiet street just off the road that leads to everything and anything you could imagine. The inside is very nicely appointed – in a way – but it is almost overwhelmed by stuff. Stuff that, as far as I am concerned, serves no useful purpose – not even to enhance the aesthetics of the surroundings. I have already moved several items into hiding to make more space. I am not sure there is enough “hiding space” to accommodate all the things I would move out of sight.

Then there is the outside. Again, some very nice gardens in the backyard and the front yard and the side yard. There is space. Jack approves! But there could be more space if there were not so many bushes and trees and plants and vines and flowers. All very pretty. A lot of them in bloom; which I do appreciate. And maybe they would all be okay if there was less outdoor furniture. There is the two of us and Jack in this unit and there is seating capacity for sixteen indoors and ten more outdoors. There are four different configurations of furniture – 2 in and 2 out – that allow for eating, having drinks, or whatever. On top of that, there are four wooden lawn chairs and a chaise outdoors. That uses up a lot of space that would be appreciated – by me at least – as just space.

And, in the midst of all the furniture and flowers outside there is stuff – some might call them artworks. I would be hard pressed! Maybe I am ranting about nothing of significance. Maybe it doesn't really matter. What do you think? Too much clutter in our lives?