Well, isn’t it? Life can be grand.
Yes, it can be downright wonderful but it can be a “real bugger” too!
Floods wipe out towns and villages.
Bridges get washed away.
Water and food in short supply.
People and family pets- missing.
Tornadoes playing havoc with beautiful places like Goderich.
Hurricanes causing mass destruction and death.
Cancer wiping out important lives.
People and countries fighting for freedom and a release from oppression.
Uganda imprisoning and executing people just because they are Gay and Lesbian.
Landlords in Vancouver refusing to lease apartment to Gay men and single mums.
I’ll bet that many of you believe we live in an inclusive and generous country. A country that cares for every last one of us.
Social Democracy?
You may have heard those two words in the past week.
Two words that leave Conservatives uncomfortable in their private spaces. They wiggle and squirm and fold their arms defiantly across their chests when someone speaks of Social Democracy. I am no political expert but I believe Conservatives fear that someone will take their money and give it to someone else whom they believe doesn’t deserve it.
Social Democracy.
A true Liberal will still choke on those two words. Democracy is just peachy-keen as long as it’s in within the Liberal definition of democracy. Just don’t throw in the word Social.
Doesn’t it seem- at times, that the Liberals and the New Democrats are quite similar?
I mean look at Bob Rae.
He was the NDP Premier of this province of Ontario and now, he’s the Leader of the Federal Liberals.
Whuck?
How does that work?
I also don’t understand how it works that Conservative John Baird can be both Gay and Conservative. He’s like Harper’s right-hand Man (I know that sounds dirty!) and even escorts Laureen to Social Events.
Many would have you believe that Socialism keeps strange bedfellows with communism. When the CCF was born in Western Canada during the depression, there was a tad of the old communist manifesto within the party ranks. Eventually, there was a split and a full-blown Communist member of Parliament was elected from the new Communist Party of Canada.
I know.
Yikes!
It happened right here in Canada!
The want for food and a paycheque can do strange stuff to a person- even a Canadian.
In the years after he was elected, the Honourable Member was considered a spy and soon left the country. His citizenship was removed in the late 1950’s.
Tommy Douglas came along in later decades and eventually the New Democratic Party
was born. It thrives today in Canada. It’s the official opposition in Her Majesty’s Government in the House of Commons. Where would Canada be today without the NDP? They are considered responsible for the creation of universal health care, pensions and a human rights code.
I bet you thought the Liberals did all that and gave us a national flag too.
They did give us the Red Maple Leaf.
Now, on the eve of a new fall sitting of House of Commons, the NDP has had the wind taken from their orange sails with Jack Layton’s passing.
We can all dream of a wonderful world where we leave no one behind but a dream has to last longer than a lifetime.
Jack Layton said that.
Having a dream is a forever thing.
We need to dream…it’s just a sad fact that we happen to be living through the nightmare part right now and that can be the “real bugger”.
