Progressive......Not So Much

Throughout the province there have been a few ridings which have warranted a massive amount of attention province wide. One in particular being, Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington, which is were the infamous Randy Hillier is running. Now as you might recall he is the former president of the Ontario Landowners' Association, which is a group dedicated to land rights.

Now, I am someone who believes in getting ones point across, and there are some very definite ways people can do this. Randy Hillier, to me is someone who will get his point across in any way that he can. One example which resounds with me, is when he sent Leona Dombrowsky a photo of a deer that had been shot which had been named "Leona." The Ontario Landowners' Association is a group that is also against the environmental laws, which limit the deer hunt, which some people thought the deer photo would be a good way to convey their displeasure.

I cannot envision how this type of action was ever deemed appropriate. I can only imagine how hurtful it must have been to Leona, who is was doing her job as a member. Some people might say you have to get used to that in politics.... in my opinion no one should ever have to get used to that.

Now this individual who was responsible for such a hateful message wants to represent the people of LFLA in the legislature, someone should have suggested it a long time ago when he decided to take on a cause. Instead of course he has led a very interesting organization, which has done many questionable things, including the one I mentioned above. The very sad fact is that the OLA actually has some very relevant points, they just take different routes to getting attention, like say clear cutting 10,000 acres, and of course targeting an elected official with hate filled messages, that really just point out the fact that Randy Hillier and people like him will do anything to get their message out there.

I have to say this man scares me, for the simple fact that he will do just about anything to get his message across. The people of LFLA have a choice that is very clear this Wednesday, and I hope for their sake that they choose the one that will be most effective for them.

Who knows what idea Hillier will come up with next, frankly I don't want to see what kind of things he will do unless, he learns that his private property rights don't supersede everyone elses rights.

Howard Hampton's Day....

Although I agree with Hampton that these other issues are absolutely important, we cannot ignore this critical issue which will decide the fate of our education system. I made a comment that was dismissive of the situation awhile ago, and a friend of mine made the point of saying this is just not any situation. This is a plan that would take hundreds of millions of dollars out of our public system, a system which so desperately needs it. The reality is, this is not just another thing for our politicians to fight over. It is a decision that has so many ramifications that people must be aware of and it is the politicians job to get it out there.

Also, just to mention that if Howard Hampton spent as much time fixating on Dalton McGuinty he might actually get more attention. Just a thought.....

Howard Hampton Lashes Out At The Press

Did he just say there are bigger issues then our children's education......

Random Links....

For someone who seems so smart, this might not be the best plan of action.

Yup. I bet he does.....He is after all a man of principle.

My latest blog for TVO, on John Tory's annoucement that he will have a free vote.

Some Thoughts....

The Toronto Star has published this editorial with the title; McGuinty best to lead Ontario.

My thoughts are with Jean, and I hope for a full and speedy recovery. When I read the headline this morning, it struck me just how much of an impact this man has had on my life. He is an incredible force in politics and in Canada, to this day.

Some Thoughts....

I caught this video on The Toronto Star website- I would say I feel sorry for him, except for the fact that this isn't about him. It is about a plan that has not been thoroughly thought out, a plan that will affect the most important people in our lives; our children. Their futures are not something to be taken lightly.

Unfortunately for John Tory, I cannot see this type of reaction going away anytime soon.

John Tory: A Week In Review Part 2

WWJD- What would John Do... the perils of leadership

I hate to point out the obvious, but well I am going to do it anyway. John Tory has attempted to soften his stance, so that it is more appealing to the electorate. While I can see how one might change their mind over an extended period of time, I am not sure Tory is doing that here. He is essentially trying to repackage the product the people have been rejecting, and then trying to get people to buy it.

Sort of like that sales person who keeps showing you various types of the same product that you don't want with the hope that you might buy it.

My favourite part of his talk today was when he said this:

"I have always believed that listening to the people is at the very core of leadership," he said, admitting the policy has "become too much a source of division."

-excerpt from this Toronto Star article

Always back to the " Leadership Matters message" ehh John....

Although, I do admire people who can admit it when they are wrong, I am not sure this is quite the admission the people are looking for rather just an acknowledgment that caucus members are entitled to represent their constituents.

Some Thoughts....

This is an interesting editorial I read this morning.

I know it is cliche- but this smells of desperation. You own a URL for 7 years, and you only use it in the last weeks of the campaign.

Status: EXIST
Registrar: Tucows.com
Co. Registrar-no: 156
Registrant-no: 115550
Domaine-no: 115550
Subdomain: daltonmcguinty.ca
Renewal-Date: 2007/12/01
Date-Approved: 2000/11/09
Date-Modified: 2007/09/24
Organization: The Ontario PC Party
Description: Leader of the official opposition of the Province of Ontario.
Admin-Name: Chris Graham
Admin-Title:
Admin-Postal: The Ontario PC Party 120 Adelaide St. West
Toronto ON M5H1T1
Canada Admin-Phone: 416-861-0020
Admin-Fax: Admin-Mailbox:
webmaster@ontariopc.on.ca
Tech-Name: Donald Blair
Tech-Title: Director, Information Technology
Tech-Postal: Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario 19 Duncan Street, Ste 401 Toronto ON M5H 3H1 Canada Tech-Phone: 416-861-0020

My theory- Tory is throwing out all stops in a last ditch effort. All I can say is be careful what you do JTo....

This is definitely the most absurd thing, I have read in my recent memory. Seriously, I thought this person was reasonably intelligent and would pick up the fact that she was making a social commentary. Now, not so much.

Human Rights- They Are Not Negotiable

So while having a conversation with a friend recently, they pointed out the fact that Stèphane Dion is defending the not so popular case of Omar Kadhr, a Canadian citizen who is being held at Guantanamo Bay. My friend pointed out that he (Dion) should be discussing more relevant issues, not the case of an individual who quite possibly has the blood of other individuals on his hands. I disagreed, and still do.

No matter what someone may or may not be guilty of, we cannot abandon their rights that they are guaranteed as a Canadian citizen. Even if it is so blatantly clear, we cannot just decide to give up. This discussion makes me think back to a conversation with a friend about the Paul Bernardo trial, and how hard it must have been for his lawyers to defend him. The reality in that situation is that we have a system, which guarantees every citizen a legal defense. No matter what those individuals felt, they provided a person they may or may not have liked a defence. We owe it to ourselves, and our country to do this. We cannot tell other governments, what they should and should not do in regards to human rights, if we do not even bother to protect our own citizens.

This is what our country is built on. I know it is not perfect, and we have so much work to do, but it is not reason enough to abandon it. I can think of many cases which I as a Canadian, am ashamed of. We must stand up for these rights.

You Heard What!!

So rarely do I choose to comment on these matters, but this one takes the prize for being the most ridiculous.

First of all I cannot fathom how this story, is even one when it is based on hearsay. Second, even if these people were at the meeting, I have to question why they would feel it appropriate to talk to the media about such an incident? I thought to find out who was at that meeting, and I do in fact know someone who was there, but I don't want to know what was said. There is such a thing as a closed door meeting, one were people don't actually go out and discuss everything with their 20 closest bffs.

I think this is especially important, in cases like this when an individuals integrity and job is in question. When some one's reputation is being dragged through the mud, you better be damn sure that you got your information right.

Ever heard of the game called telephone...this might just be a bad version of it.

P.s. you wonder why people have such bad perceptions of politics, this might be one of the reasons...

Randy Hillier.. Correcting the Record

Darren's post over here at his blog Apply Liberally is fantastic. I think Warren Kinsella is getting to our good friend Randy Hillier...

Thank you Randy, for correcting the record!!

I mean highlighting the fact that you have blockaded highways in the 400 series, far more often than three times does lots for your leader's stance on this.

Deb Matthews

So I have a confession; I am a huge fan of Deb Matthews. She is someone I have found to be extremely helpful, and willing to champion a cause. She is passionate about equality, and works tirelessly promoting it. I have heard only great things about her work with caucus, and her constituents. She also has a great sense of humour, which might be why I like her so much!

She has been doing a blog on her website. I must say I like that she has taken her website and turned it into an area which does more than just provide the expected information, but has something that keeps people coming back.