Governor Palin, you know little to nothing about the dynamic, history and culture of Canada. Oh yes, please cut the crass cowgirl BS talk that you can see “Yukon across your house!” That is NOT ENOUGH! With your assertion on how to run Canadian health care, was an imperialistic, arrogant and in my books you have become an “Ugly American” (you may be physically attractive externally, I won’t deny that, but inside your Ugly Americanism reeks internally). Former U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle was more gracious in respecting our health care system but kindly asserted the case that our system was not for his home country, the U.S. Actually, I take strong exception when people make comparisons to former Vice President Quayle and former Governor Palin. The comparison is simply lazy and careless to say the least. Quayle was (and is) way more smarter and wasn’t the dummy that the media left made him out be, but I digress and that is another story for another time. Conservatives in Canada, like in Europe have made peace with a public option. In Britain, former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had no hang up with it. Her fiercest disciple in the province of Ontario, former Premier Mike Harris made peace with it and trust me as a resident of this province, you do not get any more right-wing than Mike Harris (he wasn’t nicknamed Mr.Slash and Burn just for show either). Everyone knows that our system is not perfect but at the same time it has helped millions of Canadians from all walks of life. Canadians are open to more access with private care but still want our public option side by side. This of course will enrage the ideological hard-left here in Canada but I think a parallel system would force the public option to compete and correct it’s faults. Competition is not a bad word. No sane and compassionate Canadian desires the radical dog-eat-dog mentality what the U.S. currently face with several millions uninsured. I am glad that there are sane Republicans like David Frum (a fellow Canadian from my hometown of Toronto), Reihan Salam (author of Grand New Party fame) and even Ben Stein (actor, lawyer, former advisor to Nixon) who are proposing solutions. Mitt Romney even had mandatory health insurance (where everybody must purchase health insurance) in Massachusetts during his governorship. The point is that the sane and intelligent Republicans want solutions crafted and explored, they are not lambasting, putting down a health care system of a country they don’t like because of rigid political ideological leanings and ranting to the rooftop to preserve the status quo when everybody else has the heart and the head to realize it is not working. Time for Sarah Palin to get on board. I am brutally skeptical she won’t. The other option for her is to STFU!
Monthly Archives: November 2009
IN MEMORIAM
Haydain Neale
1970-2009
A very incredibly sad day in Canadian music and music in general. While I remember the decade of the 2000′s as “fast food” manufactured music, a man by the name Haydain Neale kindly made an oasis in a sea of what I call the musical garbage that pervades today. This lead singer of the group called Jacksoul was a leader, not a follower when it came to music. After recovering from a car accident in 2007 and a private battle with lung cancer which began a few months ago this year which ended in the way least expected from of all of us on a Monday night with his family at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto at age 39 (an age which I share), another album which will sadly be his last as lead singer of Jacksoul, will be released on the first of December. May it truly be his last hurrah and another great contribution to Canadian music. Rest in peace, sir and sing before the Lord with a cheerful voice!
Here are a couple video clips of this great music.
Remembering the Kennedy Assassination
This year, we said goodbye to a Kennedy who lived relatively quite a lengthy life. If Senator Ted Kennedy had three more years, he would have been 80. His older brothers, Bobby Kennedy and the late U.S.President John F. Kennedy were not so fortunate to have a lengthy life as Ted. Both brothers were cut down in the prime of their lives in their 40′s. 46 years ago today the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy fell victim under the brutal assassin’s bullet (Lee Harvey Oswald) during a visit in Dallas, Texas. President Kennedy was the youngest president to die in office. According to the U.S. Constitution, it was up to Vice-President Lyndon Baines Johnson become the 36th President of the United States as he did on Air Force One by taking the oath of office. One may asky why do I have an old episode of “As The World Turns” as part of the coverage of the following clips? It was that soap opera on CBS that was the first to be interrupted by the coverage by the late Walter Cronkite.
Remembering the fallen on Remembrance Day
On Rememberance Day, I salute those who fought and paid the ultimate price,so that I and many other may be free. I especially salute those who have fought and died an Afghanistan to liberate the lives of many people and to battle terrorism abroad. They did not die in vain.
…and here’s something to celebrate, the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street
What an excellent way to kick off the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street, to have U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama hanging with the muppets, giving an important and positive message: eating healthy by growing your own vegatables! In the age of fast food and junk food, I applaud Mrs.Obama for lighting a candle in the darkness to reverse a disturbing trend that is having an effect on our young children. Anybody who wants to say, “The Obama’s are spreading socialism again,” really need to get a life (and perhaps a wife too)! Believe it or not, President and Mrs.Obama are the FIRST Seseme Street Generation in the White House. President Obama was 8 and Mrs. Obama was over 5 1/2 when Seseme Street debuted in November 1969.
Remembering 20 years ago today
Though U.S. President Barack Obama decided not participate in today’s scheduled celebrated events in the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, it is my sincere hope, there he will remember, even a little bit of what happened then, a lesson in liberty which is priceless. The next stop is the DMZ in North/South Korea.
I could not resist this
Here’s a three part clip (in audio) of the late great former U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s trip to the Berlin Wall back in May 1987. May his spirit be smiling above of what was accomplished in 20 years since the fall of the wall. Though to this day, it is amazing that those who are left of centre, seem to take repulsion in this man. A mystery to me. Yes, I understand he wasn’t perfect but he was the right man at the right time in world events. He was a man who believed in free societies and free markets go together and didn’t feel a need to be bashful, shy or ashamed to lead the way when people from other countries were gasping for such freedom. His trip to the Berlin Wall, a year and half before it’s, was absolutely no exception.
Intelligent Quote of The Day
It’s the borg collective approach to race and politics.
You are black,
Resistance is futile.
You were born to serve us
You will think as a collective not as an individual.
You will champion our causes whether you agree with them or not,
You will defend Democrats with fierce loyalty, and you won’t question what they say as being a lie, half true or true.
If you don’t follow these rules, you will be ostracized from the black collective.
In all seriousness. This is what happens when 90% of blacks support one party, it is just to be expected that all blacks support that are encountered support it was well.
—The controversial, hard-right Republican Tyrone of the blog, Wake Up Black America, bluntly (and rightly) describes the brutal monolithic mindset in African American politics and the consequences of blacks who dare to challenge it.
See the movie, buy the CD of “This Is It” and remember some good music of our time!
Amazing what you realize when you lost something. Last week me and my friend finally agreed to see the Michael Jackson documentary “This Is It”. Two thumbs up of course. This past Tuesday, I had to take the day off from work to get dental surgery (dentist’s orders that I needed to relax), well I tried shopping at Zellers (after the surgery) and I seen the CD album of “This Is It”. Had to get it. It was on sale for $16.99. Yes, in Michael Jackson’s lifetime during his later works (since the 80′s) , I did not understand his eccentricities (and like the rest of the others had a need to satirize it, sometimes harshly) and yes, I was deeply angered at him for the controversy he faced in the early ’90′s which finally resurfaced again in the ’00′s. Rabbi Boteach, Michael’s spiritual advisor was equally frustrated with him at times and had to make a difficult decision to end their relationship because he felt the relationship was in stages of becoming an unhealthy one. No one can argue that Michael Jackson was truly a complex personality but I would also argue in addition that he was one of our genius musicians of our time. He, along with the Beatles will have their music remembered not only for decades but for centuries—along with Mozart and Beethoven. In the movie “This Is It”, Michael was sure a “hard-ass perfectionist” but he got the job done. He knew HOW a concert was to be run. He was bold, innovative and not afraid of creativity to be creative, utilitarianism be damned—you need to see the clips of “Smooth Criminal” and “The Way You Make Me Feel” in the movie to get an idea of what I’m talking about. Absolute perfection! Many have known that I have been critical of the music of past 20 years (the 90′s and especially this ending decade of the 2000′s). The 2000′s have not produced anyone whom I can think of to rival Michael Jackson (music-wise, of course). Yes the 2000s will be remember for producing “the boy bands” and “pop tart”. Nothing will be remembered for the music. Will today’s young musicians ever a learn a thing from Michael Jackson? One friend posted to me recently, ”I do not think today[']s music stars will ever get it. To me, the sound is comparable to consumption of Big Macs. Not much orginiality…just the same old tired rubbish that todays generation seem to accept[.]” I cannot disagree. On the other hand, I am hoping the 2010s (which is beginning less than two months from now) will be revolutionary and radically different. Mind you kids who were born in 2000 onward will be teenagers in 2013, their tastes WILL be different than the Yers. I only pray, hope and have good dose of eternal optomism that there tastes will not only be different but very good. In Canada, “This Is It” the CD is number 1 in sales. Are the seeds being planted for the 2010s by this? I sure hope so.
Also along with my newfound postem-mortem respect for Michael Jackson,I strongly appreciated that in the movie during the clip for The Earth Song, that he recognized human beings as an essential, integral and important part of the environment. Unlike certain radical environmentalists, they believe human beings are a malignant cancer to the environment. The less humans OR even NO humans would be great is the mentality of some these radical environmentalists. At least the late great Michael Jackson, was in the category of a “mainstream environmentalist” and this I truly give thanks.
I encourage all, interested in very good music, creativity and imagination in action to see the “This Is It” movie before the American Thanksgiving weekend and most definately get the CD to remember how music should be done.
I left some clips from youtube below. Some of my favourites I have here is “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” (I dare Britney to remake this and do better) and “Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)”. These two songs are on the “This Is It” album. Enjoy everybody!
Lighten Up People!
I saw this on TMZ.com last night which showed from a video clip that had former Fresh Prince of Bel Air alumni Alfonzo Ribeiro perfroming at a concert and declaring his love for “white chicks” (well hey, he was married to one). Some in cyberspace were definately POed at his statement and I say lighten up. Nothing was mentioned about degrading black women, he just said white chicks turned him on. It’s a free country, it’s his preference, so leave it be. It’s not the end of the world. Hey, I too like white chicks myself. Yes, there is something about blondes that do turn me on too. At the same time I love my sistas and I am not going to participate in this “who do you REALLY like” or in other words an “either/or” game. I just love my woman of all ethnicities equally and differently and just leave it at that. Some won’t leave it at that need to get a REAL life! Alfronzo was just having a good ol’ time doing some rock and roll, rapping 80′s style (and that’s the way it should be) and nothing else should be read into that.
