Another guest post

Fom Deb O'Connor
Northumberland Today: Lost in the Wilderness

Has anyone else noticed the joke our daily newspaper has become? Day after day I click on their site, expecting to see local news and opinion on the issues of the day. What do I find? Endless stories about thefts of ATVs, car break-ins and hapless shoplifters. The few readers left must be scared shitless about the apparent soaring crime rate, huddled in their damp basements lest they be victims of a home invasion. If fear sells newspapers their numbers must be high indeed.

Alongside the fear mongering we find the sickening cheer leading type stories generated by our local movers and shakers, dutifully re-gurgitated for our consumption. Then, the endless editorials written by the geniuses at the Toronto Sun, all with the same right wing message.

For the few real journalists left at the paper, it must be painful going to work every day. Do they know they are the walking dead? It's not like they had any control over what happened to Canadian print jounalism, but they, like the readers, are paying the price now in spades.

It is a sad end to our four former local papers that used to do the honourable job of keeping residents informed of events in their communities. If this is progress, include me OUT!

Finally a truthful protest group

Usually when one reads about protest groups the aims of the group, i.e. to stop whatever is being proposed are couched in high falutin' scientific or environmental reasons as opposed to the unadulterated truth - "My property value is going to be affected". Now a group in Colborne, read about it here, has made that reason the main one in an attempt to stop an apartment building from being built in their neighbourhood. Good for them. Now all we need to do is to impress upon the powers to be that if taxpayers don't like certain ideas it is a legitimate beef to say they don't like it, and not be forced to hire experts to manufacture reasons that sound a lot better to other powers that be.

Sunday reading

One for the "Hang 'em Highers" This story details some problems encoutered when condemned people are on the execution block, and I defy you to say that Capital Punishment is not inhumane. A quote from the story, "A year later, Ohio authorities took two hours to successfully find veins and administer Christopher Newton the lethal injection. The process took so long, he was authorized to take a bathroom break."

BC, Ontario and now the Feds, who can do e-health properly? This story reveals the coming scandal at the Federal level. I wonder if the Harpocrits will blame the Libs on this one?

GoNorthumberland.net tells the world about the local softball Masters called "The Free Spirit"; the team in the World Masters Games softball tournament in Australia, they have actually won the whole damn thing and are World Champions!!! If anybody deserves a ride around the County on a fire truck these ladies do - CONGRATULATIONS.

A scathing National Post editorial here, if the Harpocrits have lost this paper's ed-board they are in trouble!

Where is this guy's anger? One of the many victims of the recession who has lost his pension as a result of the Company closing. Now you ask what can be done? Number one make the pension the #1 secured creditor! People should be raging about pension theft. I am.

Who's not in favour of wage equality? The Leeds City Council, in the UK, has proposed to obey legislation that mandates wage parity, by cutting the male wage -- by 30%. Absolutely disgraceful and these men in this video are absolutely correct in saying that if they lose ths will be the way of the future, "We're the guinea pigs here!"

The never ending tale - give me your money!

This year, as in others, the United Way is out raising money, they want about a million dollars and Mr Patchett is going to get it for them. One of the annual events is "Put your neighbour in Jail" basically (in the name of good fun) you ring the UW and a volunteer cop will come and arrest the person you want put in jail. All in good fun, as of 2pm Friday 65 people had been arrested and 58 jailed, the others fearing publicity paid their way out of the picture. This event was being played out in front of Vic Hall. The 'detainees' were all herded into a fake box of bars and then paraded into the Old Bailey to be sentenced by the Judge. Renee Roberge was playing the part and raised a whack of money for the UW.
The rascaliest miscreant of all was Mr Patchett. Dressed in a fake jail suit he was out playing the shill. as well as being arrested and then being sentenced. I walked in just as he was defending himself on a charge of, "Fooling about Town!". He also managed to get himself charged with contempt for his bufoonery in front of the judge ( I guess his poker buddy didn't like what BP was saying) and seemed very happy to peel off a few hundreds for the privilege.
Just another small part of Cobourg Culture.

PS for a video of the event click here (this link is a clean one!)

A tribute to a good one

Lou Albano, a mighty figure from some of our youth died yesterday, here is a tribute

And the crooks that couldn't get it right

The law of diminishing returns

RIDE CHECKS CONDUCTED:NORTHUMBERLAND -- Twelve RIDE (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) checks were conducted through the weekend in Northumberland County. One test was conducted, nine Provincial Offence charges were laid and 947 vehicle checked.

This was the story this weekend, couple that with the story of an impaired driver being chased down and booked as part of normal policing in Cobourg on Saturday evening and one has to question the efficacy of RIDE programs. The number of impaired people being caught up in RIDE programs has been going down for years and yet we spend wads of cash on them. Admittedly the cash comes in the form of Provincial grants - read political slush money, but honestly is spending this cash a good return on our policing dollars?

Talking about this with the Chief of Cobourg's police service yesterday the BR was told that it is conventional policing wisdom that the police can catch all the drunks they can but until the courts start to put some of them away for a long time you will always have drunks behind the wheel. "Impaired driving charges are the most litigated of all criminal charges and if you have the money to fight a charge you can succeed in reducing it or winning in court. The seriousness of the offence is not recognised by the courts." Chief Sweet said. And I agree. Until we do what the Scandinavian countries have done - put drunk drivers in jail on the first offence, after catching them with normal police work not a stunt like RIDE, we will not get the offenders off the road. And MADD can huff and puff all it wants but random police checks will not be working either. But, then which politician wants to stand up for civil liberties in the face of MADD - even Jack Layton has caved on this one!

A post from a regular

Hello Friends,

Here's a link to a provocative piece on a subject of importance to all of us. I think that it will interest you.

How to explain the moral rot in our institutions

Let me know what you are reading these days, eh?!

Bill

Get back on topic folks

I have made an executive decision - the comments on previous posts "new comment on a guest piece" and "comment on just wondering" have been closed. A person signing in as Anonymous (who else?) has crossed the line and vented in a personal manner against another poster. If the anonymous person doesn't have the stones to sign their name and still wants to insult people go someplace else or just put the comments on a washroom wall. If the anonymous person had put a name to the comments they would have been published. You can't have it both ways - make personal attacks and then hide behind "anonymous". Not here anyway!

Sunday #6

Had to post this one even though I'm off to drink beer.

A fantastic use of twitter by local 14193 USWA - shades of the immediacy of the Iranian protests driven by twitter. Finally a useful use for this programme!

Sunday #5

I'm off to eat turkey and drink beer! but for your entertainment here is a delightful link to holiday cheer Thanks to a friend for the post.