Category Society
Breathing Freely
Everyone was wearing a mask when I went to the grocery store on Tuesday. Even though they didn’t have to. Ontario lifted many of its pandemic restrictions Monday, including mask wearing in most public settings. I expected to see a lot of naked faces when I shopped. I didn’t. Some grocery store staff were unmasked, […]
It’s Not The Bad Guys…
… who worry me, but the good guys. People who are obviously evil don’t last long. Dictators like Hitler or Stalin may have a short run, but in the end they are removed from power. What I fear more are the self-righteous, those sure their cause is just, and apparently unable to understand why anyone […]
Tuesday? Must Be!
Not only is it Tuesday, but it is Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginnning of Lent. I figured it was a good day for some topical humor before we get solemn. Okay, those last two had nothing to do with Tuesday. I thought I would throw them in to see if […]
Catching COVID
A little while ago, I got a text from a friend. He said: When we were kids, my parents sent us to visit friends who had chicken pox, so we would catch it. You’re welcome to come visit us 🙂. It wasn’t chicken pox in his household, but a case of COVID-19. Mild symptoms, as […]
Timelines of History
You’ve heard it said: those who don’t learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it. Did you have that feeling yesterday? Here’s a timeline from the past: On March 7, 1936, the German military, at the command of Chancellor Adolf Hitler, moved into the demilitarized Rhineland. Britain and France scolded. On March 12, […]
They’re Gone!
Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa, Wednesday afternoon. Not a truck in sight. Not many cars either – access is being strictly controlled. To celebrate the empty street, the Prime Minister revoked his previous invocation of the Emergencies Act. Apparently the “emergency” has ended, though nothing has changed since Monday when the motion passed in the […]
Shades of Revolution
As I watched the ongoing live streaming coverage of Freedom Convoy 2022 over the weekend I could help but think: Gil Scott-Heron was wrong. Or was he? You probably aren’t aware of the music of this American poet. He’s been dead for more than a decade, and the times he chronicled were over long ago. […]
Debating Democracy
Canadian Members of Parliament were supposed to be home today, meeting with their constituents. Instead, the House of Commons is sitting (though some MPs will be attending on Zoom). We are in a national “crisis” after all. MPs spent the weekend debating whether the Liberal government was right to invoke the Emergencies Act last Monday […]
Not With A Bang
By the time you read this, the truckers’ protest in Ottawa may be over. But many questions remain. Police on Friday and Saturday pushed demonstrators away from Parliament Hill. I watched a lot of it as it was happening, as many of the demonstrators were streaming the actions live. It seemed like a typically Candian […]
Canadian Justice
You don’t expect to hear the words “secret court hearing” when it is the Canadian legal system being discussed. For those who believe in the fundamental principles of justice it is a little unnerving. Those behind the class action lawsuit against the truckers’ convoy that has parked in downtown Ottawa for more than theree weeks […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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