Thank You Mr. Dion

This is my first post in a very long while...

Thank you Mr. Dion.

Thank you for your inspiration.  Watching you during this election campaign, watching the assault you were faced with, watching the risks that you took, watching the way you carried yourself, was inspiring.  You made me more interested in politics than I ever have been in my entire life.

You were different.  You weren't a "politician."  You were thoughtful.  You were caring.  You were intelligent.  You were the opposite of every other political figure on the news.  You spoke directly to people.  You answered their questions not with sound bites, but with real consideration for what was being asked.  Perhaps this is why you were attacked at every opportunity.  Perhaps this is why some people weren't as taken to you as they should have been.  

But I was.

I haven't posted anything here in years.  Ironically the last thing I posted was in regards to your selection as Liberal leader.

This election hurts me.  

Not just because the party I support has fallen.  Not just because the Conservatives have inched closer to a majority.  But because of the way you have been treated.

But it shouldn't surprise me.  Since the day you were elected leader you were faced with nothing but disrespect.  The media criticized you.  The Conservatives ridiculed you.  Your own party speculated that you were not the right man for the job.  It's insulting and it's wrong.  Even as you have suffered a very public defeat while attempting to restore the Liberal Party to glory, there are voices in the shadows.  People looking for your job.  People looking to pounce on you.  People looking to blame you.

You are not perfect, but no one is.  What you are is a kind, generous, strong, intelligent man that been insulted and attacked for your ideas, your speeches, your policies, your accent and your appearance.

You don't deserve that.

You answered the call when Canada needed you.  You answered the call when the Liberal Party needed you.  And you deserve better. 

You deserve our thanks.

Thank you Stephane Dion.

Thank you for listening and caring and thinking.  Thank you for standing up to every assault you were faced with and forging forward.  Thank you for inspiring me.

Now you are faced with questions about your future.  Questions from the media and questions from your own party.  And whatever you decide to do I hope that you make the right decision for yourself and for your family.  You have given our country so much that now it is time for you to be selfish and do what is best for Stephane Dion.

Take care.

 - Rick

Glad to see this...

Since Dion's victory on the weekend I'm very glad to see the Liberal party embracing their recent past.

I felt that a huge flaw in Paul Martin's campaign last election was that he did not take advantage of the Liberal record. Yes, he was trying to distance himself from the sponsorship scandal, but in doing that he also distanced himself from everything good that the party had done during their time in power.

I liked Jean Chretien as PM. I respect him to this day. And I see that Dion does as well.
It makes me proud to see Chretien on one of the banners on the Liberal site.
It makes me proud to hear Dion openly thank and quote Chretien.

The Conservatives may call it "Back to the Future" but I consider embracing the Liberal past a great step towards the future.

Early Poll

Yes, polls frequently mean nothing, but this is an interesting one nonetheless.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061203/libs_poll_061203/20061203

My favourite sections from the article are this:

"'Stephane Dion is a little like (former Liberal prime minister) Jean Chretien. The media and elites always underestimated Chretien, but he identified with people on Main Street,' Fife said."

And this:

"In Dion's home province, 62 per cent found Dion a good choice while 29 per cent said he was a poor one."

I definitely think Dion stands a great chance whenever the next election is.

Though, reading the entire article leads me to why I dislike polls:

- The margin of error for the national poll was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
- The margin of error for the Quebec subset, which had a sample size of 247, was plus or minus 6.3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
- The margin of error for the Ontario subset, which had a sample size of 379, was plus or minus 5.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

The margin of error in Ontario and Quebec is pretty large.

Either way, this is positive news.

Slash and Burn!

This may be the worst-written, most insensitive article that I have ever read.

Essentially what the National Post is saying is that Harper's Conservatives are doing a good thing in cutting funding to the poor and Aboriginals because those people wouldn't have voted Conservatives anyway.

I was upset to hear about the cuts in the first place, despite having a massive surplus. I was more upset when I heard that Conservatives are now essentially considering surpluses a bad thing (more on that later.) But when I read that cuts to those who don't vote Conservative was a smart idea by the government I was shocked. This is the CANADIAN government. They should be serving all Canadians, not just those who supported them. And this government was supposed to clean up our country?

Insane.

More later when I have more time to post.

Five Years Ago...

The following was a post of mine from five years ago today, posted on an old website of mine. The writing is crude at best in many places, but it was a genuine reaction from me that day, and it remains just as genuine today.

Tragedy

As I walked through the Ryerson bookstore, I noticed a group of people gathered around a television set. It was just after 12pm, September 11th, 2001. I had no idea what they were watching. As I ate lunch at Pizza Pizza, I could scarcely hear the news over the radio. Something about a plane crash, but I didn't know what. Sitting in the student lounge, my cell phone rang. A friend asked me if I knew what had happened. I was then told that two airplanes had hit the World Trade Center in New York. Many classes had been cancelled, but before I could ask anymore questions, my friend said he had to go, and that he would meet me soon. I wasn't quite sure what had happened, but I waited for him. As I waited, another friend sat beside me and said "We have to find a TV." As I asked why I was told an answer that would make me truly understand what had happened.

"You know the World Trade Center in New York? The twin towers?" "Yeah." "They're not there anymore."

No there anymore!? How can buildings not be there anymore!? We met up with other friends and headed to the bookstore to watch the TV there. As we watched, it still didn't sink in to me. I was trying to fully comprehend what had happened.

Later on, I was standing in the Rogers Communication Centre, with around 30 other students, watching nine televisions on the wall, all showing different news networks. It felt like a movie. People huddled together, watching buildings explode on television sets. People crying. No one really knowing for sure what was going on. The President giving an address to the nation. Not unlike Independence Day or any Arnold Swartzenegger movie. It didn't seem real.

"This is North America! This doesn't happen in North America!" I said as I waited for my television broadcast class to begin. I still don't think I believed it.

Watching the news and reading the newswires, I started to understand. It was real. There would be no Arnold to swoop in and stop the destruction. Everyone would not be saved. Thousands had died. Now I understood, and I was afraid.

I watched the news all night. I now knew that this was real, but it didn't seem real. This only happens on the big screen. There can't be a war. Even if this isn't an official war, it's VERY war-like.

As much as I don't like the United States at times, this shouldn't have happened. And as bad as this sounds, I have a sick feeling that this isn't over. Either more terrorist attacks will take place, or the US will find who did this, and they will pay with their lives.

The credits will not roll on this situation. This is not a film. This is life, and truth is scarier than fiction.

- Rick

Stereotypical Alberta Sightseeing Checklist

I spent some time in and around Canmore, Alberta last week.

It's a beautiful place. However, on the way there I could only think of Alberta stereotypes that I wanted to see. Now that I'm back, let's review my list, shall we?

• Cowboys - Well, I saw some people in cowboy hats, so that counts - CHECK!
  
• Oil - I saw some oil burning at the top of a oil rig thingy (for the life of me I can't think of what that's called!) - CHECK!
• Ralph Klein - He held his last press conference while I was there... but I didn't really SEE him... - NO CHECK!
  
• A bear - CHECK!
• Rampant conservatism - CHECK! (I saw a "Save the West: No Kyoto, No Wheat Board, No Gun Registry" bumper sticker.)
  

Four out of five isn't bad!

Anyway, Calgary wasn't really all that special, but Canmore, Banff, and Jasper were absolutely amazing.

So, here's some pics:






Alberta is absolutely beautiful... I'd love to live there!

All Around The World

One of my fears is that I'm growing up without seeing the world.

I'm afraid that one day I'll suddenly realise that I'm 40 years old, married with two kids and a white picket fence, and that I've never seen Italy. I've never seen France. I've never seen Germany. I've never been back to London at an age where I can appreciate it.
I want to see all of those places and more.

I wish I could just quit my job, quit my life, and take off around the world.

Don't get me wrong. I like my job and the people there are great. I love my fiancée and my family. But I long for more. The next 40 years of my life cannot be spent going to work, coming home, and sleeping. Repeat, endlessly.
I need to experience more, and I need to do it when I'm still relatively young.

You can take off from life at 25... it's a lot harder to do so at 35.

I love the fact that I'm getting married. I love the fact that having steady jobs will allow my fiancée and I to buy a condo downtown and spend our weekends sipping coffees on Bay Street when so many other people never get those things. Being "sensible" not spending all of our money on trips and adventures will be a huge advantage in the long run.

But I can't help but think that I need to do more... to see more.

Having a wife and children and a white picket fence would be amazing.

Having a wife and children and a white picket fence after you spent a year travelling Europe? I can't think of anything better.