Grey Cup Weekend ...

Apparently Saskatchewan Riders fans, with thier watermelons safely stowed, are making their way en mass to Calgary for tomorrow's Grey Cup which sees their beloved Riders meeting Montreal for the prize ...

I hope they ALL travel safe, have a good time, and after showers to remove the watermelon goo ... have a great celebration of thier Grey Cup Victory !!!

(time will tell)

Richard Colvin is WRONG ...

He's ALL over the news and media in Canada today.
He has been labelled a "whistle-blower" by the press.
His allegations have been the latest cause celebre in Ottawa.

The Conservative Government in Ottawa is doing EVERYTHING he can to sully his character, question his motives, and refute his allegations about the abuse and torture of detainees in Afghanistan.

The Media has found his source is the Red Cross, his information WAS conveyed to the appropriate members of the chain of command, and there is evidence to suggest that his allegations have validity.

The Government and the Military is suddenly singing a parallel tune - almost NOTE for NOTE ...

And today on CBC Radio's morning programme The Current guest host Susan Ormiston gathered three former Canadian Diplomats to speak on the topic of Diplomats who have had their careers ruined for standing in the role of 'whistle blower' and identifying corruption, and problems in the service of the Government.

As I listened, I couldn't help but laugh at the futility of trying to change a bureacracy like the Government ... today we see what happens when a lone voice dares to stand up and say - "there's a problem" ... instead of responding in a way that is open and willing to investigate the problem and seek a just and lasting solution, the Government, like ANY good bureacratic institution, rallies to villify the lone voice ... Instead of opening up the conversation and hearing the voices, they instead say - "he had his opportunity," "there was no undue pressure to be silent" and other nonsensical statements that ring hollow to ANYONE who has had ANY experience in a bureacracy that is under threat.

The JOB in a bureacracy is to "DO YOUR JOB" ...

It ALL sounds remarkably familiar ... when confronted with a toxic, politically charged bureacratic chain of command the status quo - the proverbial party line MUST BE MAINTAINED. The image of "everything is fine" must be supported. The notion that there are problems are anathema ...

It's ALL about secrecy and censorship ... it's ALL about denying the reality of the situation and painting a pretty picture in warm pink fuzzy terms that villifies those who will NOT tow the party line, and who dare to speak out - even if it is an appropriate, and democratically sanctioned setting ...

Mr. Colvin is simply wrong ... he spoke of things that are best hidden away, and NOW the Foreign Affairs department will slowly push him out of the civil service, and end his career. The villification that we've heard from Minister MacKay, Prime Minister Harper, Senator Wallen, and others will slowly continue and expand, and his career will be OVER.

No one likes a whistle blower ... no one like to have the harsh light of reality shone into the dark hidden corners where toxins, corruption, petty politicking, and bullshit lingers in a bureacracy ... listening to the three career diplomats I heard echoes of voices I've heard over the years within the Church ... every bureacracy is ultimately the same - it will protect itself no matter what, and any one who discovers cracks in the foundation, or imperfections in the paint, or concerns in the construction - WILL BE DEALT WITH swiftly and harshly ... the only difference between the Government and the Church is we expect these things from the Government, while the Church purports to be a place of JUSTICE and FAIRNESS.

Richard Colvin is wrong ... he should have "grown up", "moved on," "let it go," "stay silent," and all the other phrases those anonymous voices in the Church keep lofting at me ... no one likes to hear the truth, especially those insecure frightened people cowering in bureacracies ... they will stop at NOTHING to silence the voices that dare to utter a truth that is uncomfortable to hear ...

From where I sit ... Colvin is a hero ... he is standing up for the work our troops are doing on the ground in Afghanistan, and wanting the values of freedom, justice and democracy (and ALL the other things we've wrapped in the flag) to be maintained ... otherwise, why are we in Afghanistan any way??

... the story continues ...

Mary Walsh takes on the She-Wolf ...

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So, not only does the master of interviewing, Mary Walsh find it next to impossible to talk to Sarah Palin on her book tour, the advice Sarah offers Canadians borders on the SCARY ... but, hear straight from Sarah's mouth via the loading dock out behind a Borders Store ... Mary is back, and she's awesome as ALWAYS !!!
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Muppets meet Queen - this is TOO Good not to watch!!

Bet this guy is glad for the Afghanistan Torture Allegations ...

I would be willing to bet that Conservative MP Gerald Keddy is relieved that the media is so focused on the whole debacle that is the Afghanistan Torture Allegation, that his mis-deeds are floating under the radar ...

As an MP for Nova Scotia, he refered to folks in Halifax who are on social assistance - or assumed to be on social assistance as "no-good bastards"!!

The outrage in the house, by his fellow Nova Scotia MPs resulted in Keddy offering an apology ... meanwhile in the House of Commons, we have Minister MacKay trying to hide behind the soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan by shifting the focus to them, and God knows that today we can't criticize our soldiers without being regarded as un-partiotic!!??

The Conservative Government is turning into quite a piece of work ... You have Prime Minister Harper talking about more openness towards the press on Saturday then refusing to take questions - the irony, as my fellow blogger Gord point out over at Following Frodo, is delicious!

Then you have Minister MacKay trying to dismiss the serious allegations that some of the detainees handed over to Afghani authorities might have been tortured ... is it just me, or was this NOT a startling revelation ??? Duh !! Given everything else we know about what's happening in the Afghanistan government - like corruption and fixing elections, is it really such a stretch to think that torturing prisoners was a possibility?? Afterall, the white knights in the battle against Terror used water boarding, isolation, and let's not forget Abu Ghraib prison and the stellar performance of AMERICAN soldiers there ... if the American soldiers fell to torture and mis-treatment, why would we pretend the Afghani's would be immune ... wasn't it an Afghani police officer who turned on British troops a week or so ago and massacred five British troops ...

The litany goes on and on and on ...

I wonder how Minister MacKay can stand up and rebuff the call for a thorough investigation into these allegations ...

But to top it off, Prime Minister Harper is trying to dismiss this issue as nothing more than "Taliban propaganda" ...

All I can say is - OH MY GOD !!!!

The Conservative Government can't be serious that they don't see the need for an inquiry ... this is NOT the fault of the soldiers on the ground ... this can not however be ignored.

No doubt Mr Keddy is breathing a HUGE sigh of relief that he barely ranked a side bar on the online news sites in the midst of this ... BUT all of this just makes the Conservatives look worse and worse and worse ... too bad the Canadian electorate can't connect some dots and see it for themselves ...

The Church of Franz Bibfeldt ...

Theologian Franz Bibfeldt, the originator of the Theology of Accomodation that is rampant throughout the modern church is said to have been guided by the adage: "I dance to the tune that is played."

Writer Dennis Jacobsen observed of Theology of Accomodation in action when he wrote:

"whether it is out of neurotic need to please all sides and be liked by everyone, or because of a calculated fear of alienating the key leaders and key givers of congregations, or simply due to timidity and cowardice, the clarity of conscience in clergy often gets blurred by acqeiescence to accomodation."

Jacobsen then goes on to rightly observe of clergy:

"It is easier to worship and adore the middle-class life of comfort and security."

Fortunately, Jacobsen rejects the Theology of Accomodation that keeps the church comfortably isolated in its neat and tidy sanctuary, and rebuffs anyone who might question that exclusivity. Rather than denying the criticism of the the way things are, Jacobsen embraces the necessity to live things the way they should be.

He notes that often the Church lives a life of accomodation and silence, even when they are surrounded by injustice. The Nazi-era churches of Europe are but one example of those who were more concerned with self-preservation then with living values of faith in a public way.

It's a subtle slope this place of accomodation and silence. The first step is silently saying or doing nothing when an injustice is enacted, or supported. Then slowly, as silence deepens, the willingness to speak out lessens, and soon only whispered side conversations acknowledge the need for justice, openness, and the core values of our faith. The Theology of Accomodation is firmly entrenched, and things appear to be fine. But are they?

To those living within, things are great. The doors are firmly shut, and the status quo is invoked and enforced. Yet outside there lingers many, often more in number then those within, who will not be silent, and who do not accept accomodation nor silence.

In this moment The Church becomes nothing more than a pseudo-church that is a corporate business marketing a product. The Living Gospel is lost in the silence. The crucified Jesus is brushed aside and replaced by a warm pink fuzzy cross that makes everyone feel comfortable.

Over and over, the history of The Church Catholic and Universal teaches us that when those within deny the need for justice, the Theology of Accomodation - the theology of niceness, sameness, beigeness and BLANDNESS, has prevailed.

Fortunately, the history of the Church has also showed us over and over that in those moments, the Spirit moves among those who are outside the safe comfortable sanctuaries. And change begins to stir.

The critics lob at me the message - "move on ... ", "let it go ..." or today's "maybe you're bowling alone ..." It always strikes me as funny - those critics never come from someone directly or openly. They are ALWAYS offered anonymously. Yet for everyone of those comments I have five more, from people who are part of the United Church, but who have pulled away, or who have been forced out, and who say OPENLY - "thank you", "You speak a truth", "we're behind you," and "don't let 'them' beat you down."

My question to those who would anonymously contend that 'everything is fine' - is simply this - if everything is 'fine' why are YOU so AFRAID to acknowledge the voices on the margin who have been hurt, rejected, and beaten by the Theology of Accomodation that is producing declining numbers, withering offerings, and a dying church??

If everything is truly fine, why do I get stopped in grocery stores and hear over and over (and seldom by the same people) a litany of complaints about The Church that have never been taken seriously, and have never been heard? And it comes with the affirmation of what I've been about, and regret at the way I've been treated ...

Oh wait ... I know the answer to that question ... in the Theology of Accomodation, there is NO dissent, because we can not acknowledge that there is any problems or any offense, except by those who will not sit down, be quiet and tow the party line that worships the middle class and seeks to offend no one ... or as Jacobsen notes - "stays in the sanctuary where it can remain irrelevant and do little harm."

Such a stance might be good enough for The Reverend Franz Bibfeldt, but it's NOT faithful. As Bonhoeffer said - "The Church is The Church ONLY when it exists for others."

Just tell me one thing - If everything is FINE and I'm bowling alone, why then do I keep hearing more and more and more stories from people who express their support of my ideas and words, and who say openly they want to go home, but can't until there is a REAL CHANGE?

It doesn't sound "fine" to me, unless I stop my ears and close my eyes ...

In the meantime ... I for one reject the Church of Franz Bibfeldt and its manifestation in our midst ... the church is about living with "a clarity of vision and moral force that is desperately needed by the jaded world." Regretably, mainline denominations have by and large swallowed the Theology of Accomodation, and they can't even see it ...

Help a local school ...

George Fitton School, where Beetle is in grade five is in need of a new playground structure. The one pictured above will be torn down in 2010, leaving the kids with NOTHING but an open field ... the PAC at Fitton school is trying to get a new playground structure funded and built - with the changes to the attendance starting next fall, this will be sorely needed so the kids get some BIG MUSCLE play somewhere in their day ...

There is a poll over at the Aviva Community Fund website that needs YOUR VOTE.

Head over to the web page and vote for the George Fitton Playground by clicking HERE.

You need to register, then you can go back EVERY DAY for the next week and vote again and again and again for this worthwhile project ...

SO, do the kids at Beetle's school a HUGE favour and vote, vote and vote some more ... AND pass the word around - send a note to ALL your friends, colleagues - heck, send it to you ENEMIES for crying out loud ... just send news around over the next couple of days that George Fitton School needs YOUR VOTE.

CLICK HERE and take the time to register and cast your vote - THANKS.

The Social Capital of Churches ...

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Scholar Robert Putnam calls is BONDING Social capital -the interconnections that exist within a community, or within a group within a broader community. They are connections that play themselves out day by day as people function in social, business, and other settings with one another ... the capital aspect is a notion first coined by Coleman some years ago, who saw these interactions as a form of capital that is saved up ... I do something nice for someone, and in return they will do something for me - is the simplest explanation of Social Capital.

There are many nuances of Social Capital, and many ways in which it plays out in a community, an organization or a gathering of people. It is usually something benign and predominantly posititive. But sometimes it becomes something darker and more sinister ...

Putnam identifies Churches as a source of enormous amounts of bonding social capital - the social capital that binds communities together, and helps improve things around them. BUT, social capital in Churches can have a negative face when that "togetherness" becomes exclusive and single-minded.

Frequently when fear enters social capital binds together small groups, and in that fear they exclude others ...

Frequently when these small groups feel threatened they begin to form social capital within a homogenous group, and they openly resist any attempt at breaking this exclusivity ... Putnam cites as his most obvious example the Churches across the Southern US who formed socially homogenous groups to resist racial integration.

What Putnam identifies as needed when BONDING Social Capital has formed exclusive homogenous communities is BRIDGING Social Capital that will break through the walls of exclusivity, and reinvigorate communities by creating most socially tolerant and diverse communities.

In Churches today, the BONDING Social Capital dominates, and has formed communties that are operating from their place of insecurity and fear and forming tight little bands of exclusivity even when they profess to be anything but ... we speak widely of "old guard" and "cliques" and "high school like groups" throughout our congregations, yet we fear taking the next step and identifying these groups who hold sway as WRONG and toxic. Rather than perpetuating BONDING social capital, we need the BRIDGING social capital ... we need to break down the walls that divide, and build familiarity, trust, tolerance, solidarity, cooperation and mutual respect.

Step one in this process is to recognize that there exists in our greater communities large numbers of Church Drop Outs (to use Turner's term), who have been hurt, wounded, and rejected by the church and have walked away ... but they still have yearnings to come home.

Bridging social capital begins by recognizing the reality of these people, and no longer denying they exist, or simply waving them off as irrelevant. Day by Day, week by week, month by month, it is a growing group. Those rebuffed by the "old guard", or the "clique" that holds power deserve to be recognized, and invited back ... BUT, that can not happen while the leadership, and those who are in positions of responsibility will not admit to either the existence of these church drop outs, or their desire to come home.

Step one is owning the situation, and no longer hiding our heads in the sand and pretending everything is fine ... The Church is dying ... a victim of Bonding social capital that shuts out those who are unlike the inner circle ... this is not a faithful response. Jesus welcomed in ALL people, and wasn't about building an institution, or a bureacracy. For Jesus the only rule that mattered was - "we are beloved of God" all the rest was irrelevant.

The Kingdom of God is at hand ... and it is found in abandoning BONDING social capital and embracing Bridging social capital ... and that happens when we stop pretending everything is all right, and we start to invite back the drop outs, the out casts, the cast offs and the others hurt by the church and we LISTEN TO THEM FOR A CHANGE, no matter how uncomfortable their message is ...

It's ALL about honesty !!

The Spirit is calling ... dare we listen ???

and the years keep rolling ...

I was going back over my memory cards to find winter pictures for the upcoming issue of Westman Parent Magazine and I found some of the very first pictures I took with my digital camera back in 2006 ... wow ... it's only been a couple of years, but my how my darlings have grown ...

Time for some truth telling ...

Ann Weems said it well:

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First Person:

You - sitting in the pew next to me - I don't know you.

Oh I know your name.

I know the "Hi, how are you?" part of you.

I know the "Rainy weather we're having, isn't it?" part of you.

But I don't know you -

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Today it happened to the umpteenth time ... I happened across one of my colleagues in ministry who put on a sickeningly sweet smile and asked - "How are you?"

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I answered as I've always answered saying - "Oh fine, thank you ..." and even as the words escaped my lips my heart sank ... their bitterness lingered on my tongue as I realized I had just uttered a polite lie ...

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I am NOT fine.

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I do not want to pretend I'm nice any more.

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I do not want to play the petty politics of our polite society that pretends life is wonderful all the time, and we shouldn't own our real feelings ...

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I want to tell the truth and speak what I'm feeling ...

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I'm angry.

I'm hurt.

I'm bitter.

I'm frustrated.

I'm tired.

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I've spent the last three years being kicked around by the "warm, welcoming, inclusive, open, and liberal" United Church of Canada. I want the CHURCH to live what it believes and stop treating me and countless others like this ... To my colleagues in the Church: TALK the TALK or shut the HELL UP and let those called by the Spirit speak for a change.

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I've been rejected by my Spiritual Home and told - though NOT in words - that I'm no longer welcomed in the place I've called home for my life ... I was CALLED and ORDAINED to a ministry of Word, Sacrament and Pastoral Care, yet the fearfilled gatekeeping has prevented me from embodying that ministry, even though the discernment process they (thankfully) forced me to endure has given me the green light to return to ministry ...

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I've grown tired of being kicked by people who have no personal integrity, and for whom morality is a quaint object of conversation ... Theologically these folks are as deep as a puddle, and most days I think my dope on a rope dog Flute has more BRAINS then they do ...

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I'm exhausted by being forced to count pennies and say "no" to my children while I wonder if I will lose my house by the end of the month because I have drained all my financial resources ...

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I'm tired of having to get day old bread at the local food bank because my children are growing and need things like food to keep from going hungry ...

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I'm tried of pretending it's ALL okay ...

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Today I will start telling the truth.

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Today I will no longer bite my tongue and pretend that a justice outcome was attained by the disciplinary process I under went ... I was taken to task and offered up far more than a mere pound of flesh, yet the "powers that be" have turned a blind eye to what really happened ... The small minded have sent the agenda for long enough ... it's time for truth and openness ... it's time to stop hiding behind polity, procedure, legal advice and posturing - it's time for living our FAITH ...

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I had my tires slashed.
I had my car shot at.

I had my house shot at.

I had someone file an anonymous complaint about me BEATING my children with the CFS.

I had my reputation called into question by libel and slander.

I had my name sullied by people who have much to hide and wanted to cast the stark light on someone else lest THEIR SKELETONS fall into public view.

I've lost my job, my career and my ability to earn a living.

I've had people tear me down and tear me apart for long enough.

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I'm done playing nice and pasting on a fake smile and saying "I'm okay."

I'm not okay, I'm tired of the triumph of the toxic in my life.

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BUT, today I'm DONE with it ALL.

m

It's time for truth telling and I for one have NOTHING to hide.

m

It's time to scrub the toxins clean and to hold people accountable for thier actions, thier words and their cowardice.

m

It's time for The United Church of Canada to admit that it is NOT what it believes itself to be ... like the wise Gordon B. Turner said 20 some years ago - our ministry is to the Church Drop Outs who have been battered, bloodied, beaten and bashed by the Church and who want to come home ... The United Church of Canada has become an exclusive, restrictive, fear-filled social club that pretends everything is fine ...

m

Today on behalf of the others who have long been ignored by the "good" church people, I serve notice that we are not going to knock on the door and ask to be invited in ... we're gonna kick in the door and like Jesus' in the Temple, we're gonna kick over tables and we're gonna reclaim The Church ... today I'm done waiting on the ash heap ... the Spirit is calling me and I will follow ...

m

Today the Reign of Christ begins ... and I for one welcome it ...

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Come Holy Spirit, COME !!!!

Remembering ... Lest We Forget ...

Today is a day of Remembrance ... a day to recall the cost of our lifestyle, and the freedoms we enjoy ... it is a day to pause and remember those who have fallen many miles from home, and who's remain lie on foreign soil ... it's a day to pause and remember the young men and women who have willingly gone off to serve their country, and who have paid the sacrifice for our freedom ...

Today I remember Herb, the 105 year old gentleman who regaled me with stories of his involvement at a place called Vimy. Pointing at Pierre Berton's account of the battle at Vimy he snorted "I don't have to read that ... I was THERE!!" He spoke of the gas attacks, urinating on his hankerchief and holding it over his mouth and nose as the noxious clouds rolled by ... he spoke of losing comrades as they went over the top ... he spoke of his wounds and the wounds of his brother who would succumb years later to the wounds and lungs weakened by the gas ... he spoke of coming home and seldom speaking of his experience lest the dark dreams that haunted his youth would return ...

Today I remember Frank, a gentleman poet who took his experiences in Italy and wove them into power works of poetry that reflected the futility of war, and the senselessness of countless deaths on the field of battle ... he spoke of his experiences, he shared his poetry, and he vocalized a contempt for those who think war and battles solve anything ..,. "Peace is the only option," he said tearfully, "too many lives are wasted in war ..."

Today I remember the Mosquito pilot who flew planes that had in part been crafted in the factory his family owned in Southern Ontario ... the fear that came while engaging in dog fights was lessened by the knowledge that parts of his plane might have been put together by his family and friends "back home." Flying in the dark in the small wooden fighter/bomber, he felt the support of those who loved him, and who he was fighting for ...

Today I remember the quiet memories of a land craft pilot who served in Dieppe, Sicily, and Normandy, ferrying soldiers to the beaches and pulling away as the landscape erupted in cacophany of noise, sharpnel and blood ... "54 of us went ashore that day ..." he spoke quietly, "and only one came back ..." He told of turning to his co-pilot only to find a bloody mess where his head had been ... watching as the 52 soldiers who stepped into the surf were mercilessly mowed down by enemy fire ... he spoke of the boot that pushed his chest as he tried to climb out of the bloodied craft ... "Stand down soldier," barked the officer pushing him back, "you need to do YOUR DUTY !!" A boat hook removed the body and a bucket of salt water washed away the blood ... a second man leapt into the co-pilots position and 52 more soldiers climbed down to hit the beaches of Dieppe ... "it was horrible ..." His voice trailed off into a deep silence ...

Today I remember my Grandfather who shared the uproarious stories of chowing down on fried bologna and onions in a heaving North Atlantic while the newbies on board his Corvette hurled thier lunch and curled up in thier hammocks ... his tales of Polly the parrot that he brought back to a very Conservative Chesley Ontario after it had shared quarters and definitely learned how to "curse like a sailor" ... his occassional stories of the convoys across the cold grey Atlantic to places like Murminsk, Londonderry and Rjeyavik ... stories that seldom visited the grim side of serving in the Navy, but highlighted the comradery ...

Today I remember the many men and women - soldiers, sailors and aviators, who have shared their stories, and who entrusted to me the tales of thier youth spent on battle fields half a world away ... quietly, at times speaking no louder than a whisper I heard of the Horror and the Heroism of battles that would slip away into the sands of time if they didn't share their stories ... Vimy, Yrpes, Dieppe, Sicily, Juno, Cassino, Kapyong ... Soldiers, Peace Keepers, and Veterans ... they carry their stories and their memories, and today, for a brief flickering moment, we pause to share their Remembrance, and to give thanks for ALL those who have served in uniform and who have given far more than many of us every realize or appreciate ...

Today we honour those who have fallen ... and those who have served and who were forever changed ...

Today we remember ... Lest We Forget ...

Revisiting a Remembrance Day Reminder ...

Change you can believe in ... The Dream Goes On!!

The same week when the media is looking back to the time 20 years ago when the Berlin Wall came down, and a dark period in modern history drew to a close, the Media is marking the passing by the US Congress, of the bill to reform health care provision ... the shift is not as momentous, but no less historic - our southern cousins have joined the fellowship of Universal Health Care !!!

While the success of this does not rest solely on the shoulders of the sitting President, one can not overlook his fingerprints on this process. Universal Health Care was a central plank in his election campaign and last night the Bill passed and a huge step was taken - every American will have now have access to affordable and quality Health Care.

Nice job Mr Obama - you and your nation have done well !!!

A Happy Accident ...

On Sunday Morning after worship Noahkila, Ms. H. and I went to "see" the Stanley Cup at the Scotia Bank in Portage ... we ended up getting our picture taken with it ...


Kind of cool, even if we're not really big hockey fans ...


check it out:

Happy Birthday to the Sesame Street Gang ...

40 YEARS !!!
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My gawd ... is it possible that we've been enjoying sunny days and sweeping the clouds away in the place where the air is clear and friendly neighbours have come to play ????
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It's hard to imagine that it was forty years ago today that it ALL started ...
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Happy Birthday to the crew on Sesame Street, from all of us who have grown up watching, singing, dancing and playing along ... it's been an awesome journey !!!
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How it ALL began ...

(This one is for Beetle ... )

Remember when?? This is how it began 40 years ago ...

Been Writing ...

I'm beginning to realize, that even though I'm not earning my living at it, I AM A WRITER. I am a contributing writer to no less then three publications - two in Brandon and one in Ontario, and I am constantly working on an article for one of them, or a short story that his wiggling around in my head ... and I'm going to try to follow the advice of Chris Baty's ideas in "No Plot? No Problem." and try to get some of the book and novel ideas I've been playing with for years, down on paper ...
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So - I will say it with out shame or fear - I AM A WRITER !!!

And for what it's worth, some of my latest published writings are available on line (as well as in print) ...

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For my latest contribution to the Brandon based weekly newspaper The Wheat City Journal on the benefits of Guaranteed Income click here - and for more info on Guaranteed Income scroll down to the posting for October --, and read the interview transcript from Hugh Segal's appearence on CBC's The Sunday Edition.

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AND

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For my latest contributions to the November Issue of Brandon's Westman Parent magazine click here - I am so proud to be a member of the team who pulls this publication together each month, even if I am merely one of the writers ... it's a great publication, and it is almost entirely based in WestMan!!.

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Now ... back to my writing ... okay, first I have to start the laundry, then do some grocery shopping, walk Flute and Oboe, AND do the dishes ... but you get the idea !!