Pony Up The Dough Tonto

Wow, a lot to cover this week.

Well, it's been nearly a year since the start of the Caledonia land dispute, and it shows no sign of ending. A recent report has found that the province of Ontario has found that total cost of policing the dispute and buying the land could cost up to $55 million before the protest ends. Ontario wants at least $25 million from the feds to pay for it, since police don't work cheap. However, why should the Canadian tax payer even be on the hook for this at all?

This farce in Caledonia makes you question who is really running the country. A group of natives sell a plot of land to a housing developer, then decide they want it back but refuse to return the money. They claim they didn't understand the deal. Sure, and I'm the queen. They know exactly what they're getting into because the white man will bend over backwards for the Indian and even hand them the bottle of lube. They know how to play off the white guilt felt in todays PC age.

I propose that the Iroquois First Nation should be made to pay for the protest. Their scam backfired and they started this dispute. They are the ones harassing the people living in Caledonia. Canadians should not be forced to pay for their temper tantrum.
As I have already said, the whole way we deal with the country's native people needs to change. It is archaic, places a huge burden on Canadians, and keeps the native people backwards. I cite the huge success of many who have left the reserves to join the rest of the world, yet without giving up their roots. They obviously are not inferior. The first step to brining them out of the hole they've been buried in is make them responsible for their actions against the greater society. It's time to stop treating Canada's First Nations like children.

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Unfab Five

Today, I'd thought I would look at the five leaders that are, or are claimed to be threatening world peace. Lets investigate the their threat to our country.

Osama Bin Laden
The Saltan of Terror, the king of Jihad. Osama (aka Usama) is a religious zealot bent on wreaking havoc where ever he goes. A typical spoiled rich kid, he has corrupted Islam to suit his own perverse hatred of the Western world. It is unclear why he does this.
Osama is directly responsible or inspired dozens of deadly terrorist attacks in the United States, United Kingdom, Iraq, Afghanistan, Indonesia, and several other countries. He has legions of followers who hold onto his every word. He and his followers do not fear god and they are not afraid to harm innocent people in order to achieve their goal of a fundamentalist Islamic world. In the process, he has put Islam against the rest of the world. Canada is on his hit list.

Threat to Canada: High
Likely Actions: Small to mid scale terror attack
Canadian Casualties: Up to 10000

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad:
The president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He is driven by hatred and racism more than religion. Has stated he wants to wipe Israel off the map. His regime is fascist and Nazi-like. Current work if focused on developing a nuclear program. It is unknown whether or not this is for peaceful purposes or for war. Canada recognizes Israel's right to exist, and therefore puts us in opposition to Iran. Canada, however, is too far away and our military is busy elsewhere.

Threat to Canada: Low
Likely Actions: Nuclear attack on Israel, war with United States
Canadian Casualties: Likely none

Kim Jong Il:
Leader of the North Korean communist party and de facto ruler of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Kim Jong Il is viewed as a cartoonish super villain and mad man. He is in fact a smart politician who knows how to manipulate the world. He lives in a great palace while his people starve. His regime is Stalinist and almost Orwellian. North Koreans have little or no freedom. Kim Jong Il is still living in the world of 50 years ago, and is still fighting the capitalist vs communist Cold War. North Korea is still technically at war with NATO, of which Canada is a member. He has recently developed nuclear weapons technology and has missiles that can reach North America.

Threat to Canada: Moderate
Likely Actions: Nuclear attack.
Canadian Casualties: Zero up to the millions if a nuclear weapon struck the west coast.

Hugo Chavez Frias:
President of Venezuela and leader of the bloodless Bolivarian Revolution, Hugo Chavez is a colourful character. He is a borderline communist, though hasn't made the move to go that far yet. He is a close ally of several dangerous nations including Iran, North Korea, and Cuba. Chavez is strongly anti-American and anti-western. He has encouraged revolutions and has called the US president the devil. He gained power democratically in 1998 after he lead two failed military coup attempts. Chavez was a middle ranking military officer and knows about tactics. Venezuela sits on a huge oil deposit, which the government has total control of. An oil trade embargo could cause economic havoc.
Chavez and Venezuela like to cheer and egg on America's enemies.

Threat to Canada: Low
Likely Actions: Oil trade embargo
Canadian Casualties: None

George W Bush:
Bush is the somewhat comical president of the US. Some would argue he is the biggest threat to the world, but he is in fact more of a threat to his own people. His poorly planned defense measures are full of weak spots. He likes to blame others for America's problems. Doesn't get his facts straight. He tends to point the finger at Canada's weak border, while thousands of Mexicans stream into the US in the south.

Threat to Canada: None
Likely Actions: Tighter border security
Canadian Casualties: None.

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Scapegoat

It's been some time since Michael Jackson sang "it doesn't matter if you're black or white". Society has made significant improvements since the civil rights movements of the 1960s, or has it? A lot of people would have you believe the reverse. Apparently, our society is slipping towards the levels of Nazi Germany with a credo fit for the KKK. What a curious world we live in.

Of course, I'm going to talk abour Air India. When Stephen Harper was elected Prime Minister, he promised that an inquiry to the 1985 Air India bombing would be held. It was thought that the criminal trial didn't really bring justice so it's hoped that this civil inquiry would help bring some answers and closure.
The inquiry itself is now underway, but is already seriously flawed. Former Ontario premier Bob Ray had done an indepth report on the disaster and trial about a year ago. His conclusion was that although the investigation had its problems, there was no racial bias. The head judge of the inquiry disagrees. He feels that racism indeed played a part in corrupting the investigation.

Racism seems to be the universal scapegoat for society's problems. Apparently, all white people do is try and keep brown people down. Plato called this a true lie. A lie that so corrupts people's souls that it destroys society. Indeed, white people do not focus soley on trying to bring others down. Sure, there are racist people, but they are a very small minority. However, percieved racism is the most dangerous type. It's what cases the problems in our society. Most often, you'll hear anti-immigrant blurbs from people of all stripes, but I have never witnessed anybody be treated differently due to their colour or ethnicity. Unfortunately, a lot of visible minorities enjoy using the term when ever they feel they've been wronged. In my opinion, calling someone in our society a racist when they clearly are not is a high insult.

So where am I going with this? Well, first of all, this inquiry should be stopped immediately. It's an enormous waste of tax payer money. It truly is tragic for the families who lost loved ones. I'm getting the feeling though that no matter what the ruling, they will be unsatisfied. I'd rather see my money spent on more important things.
The judge in the inquiry should be ashamed of himself as well for even making such comments. Judges are not supposed to express their opinions at trials. They are supposed to listen to arguments from both sides and when the trial finishes, they then make an unbiased decision based on the evidence. This truly proves what a three ring circus our justice system is. Justice John Major, who is making the accusations, is a Supreme Court Judge to boot. I think this sheds a lot of light on the system. Perhaps the money would be better spend on holding a public inquiry about an incompetent justice system. Let the judges face the jury for a change.

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Teach, Teach, Bang, Bang

The past month has been truly horrible. After the incident in Montreal, there seems to be a rash of copycat school shootings across Canada and the United States. Most recently was the execution style murders of five girls at an Amish school house in rural Pennsylvania.
School shootings seem to be becoming a disturbing trend again. They pop up about every five to ten years or so. Fortuantely, the most serious crime on the campus I attend is highway robbery, but these events have got me thinking. Are we really safe in our places of education?

It seems our youth in general are becoming increasingly violent. I'm not quite exactly sure why this is, but it's likely bad parenting plays a role. Parents not loving their kids enough and turning a blind eye to what they're doing. Not teaching them good values, such as how to resolve disputes without resorting to violence. Some of these people though are just nuts though. Then there's the whole thing about the games and TV watch; if you've read this blog long enough, you know where I stand on that.

So, are schools safe? Well, that depends. Inner city schools typically suffer higher rates of crime than suburban ones. Still, schools for the most part are safe places and parents need not worry. The truth is, the number of shootings of that magnitude, where people are targeted randomly, is very small. Your child is probably more likely to get hit by lightning than they are getting killed in that manor.

Even so, is there any way to prevent these horrible acts from happening? Unfortunately no. If someone wants to do it bad enough, they're going to do it. Gun controls won't work as they'll just obtain them illegally. Police on campus might work but don't act as a deterrant. The killer will still try to do his deed. All we can do is pray these disturbed people seek help before they act on their fantasies.

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How About this Heat?

Climate change is a common buzz word heard around the halls of parliaments these days. We aren't doing enough to stop global warming, so says Ontario Environmental Comissioner Miller. There seems to be a lot of attention put into pollution controls and environmentalism these days, almost too much, but it's still apparently not enough.
Controlling pollution is important. We know that breathing dirty air is bad for our health. Much of it is caused by people driving cars too big for their needs, and inefficient methods of transporting goods (ie transport trucks). However, is this really destroying out planet?

First of all, I am going to make a very controversial statement. Global warming is a fear tactic. It is simply fear mongering by environmental groups to force people to cut pollution. Is it a hoax? possibly. We have had hot summers over the past few years, but we've had some pretty fridged winters too. Looking at records from weather offices, this is not out of the ordinary. In fact, the kind of weather we get hasn't changed much at all. Heat waves were normal in the 60s and 70s. Some of the most violent storms, including hurricanes, date back to 50 or more years ago.
Another, more likely answer is that yes, our climate is changing but not because of us. Earth's atmosphere is very volitile and climate change happens very frequently. Since the time of the dinosaurs, Canada went from being tropical paradise, to grasslands, to frozen wastland, to it's present form several times over. On a global scale, humans are a pretty insignificant. If the planet wanted to, it could just bat us as if we were mosquitos. Recent bouts of harsh weather have become a convinient way to "prove" the end of the world is coming. However, hurricanes and storms tend to be cyclical in nature. 2005 was a terrible year for hurricanes. After Katrina, "scientists" started saying that we'd most likely see the same amount of storms in the coming years, but they'd be far more powerful. The 2006 hurrican season has now passed it's peak and has been quiet. No storms have caused significant damage. Weather is an inexact science and I think it's wrong that environmentalists keep telling people it is.

Global warming in recent years has become something like US president Johnson's infamous Daisy commercial from the 1960s. Getting people to side with groups and politicians by putting out visions of an impending apocolypse, unless we do what they say. While I believe we should do what ever we can to reduce pollution. It's our home, keep it clean. Pollution levels are slowly dropping and the hole in the ozone layer has even begun to close. The world is not going to end anytime soon so lets cool it on global warming.

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Air Sickness

I've been an aviation enthusiast for years. I'm officially declaring war on NDP MP Olivia Chow. Once again, it's over Toronto City Centre Airport (aka the island airport) and Porter airlines.

Three years ago, Toronto mayor David Miller made a campaign promise to end construction of a bridge to the island airport, a promise he made good on. Unfortunately for Toronto tax payers, the contracts had already been awarded and singed. The contractor threatened to sue the city for breaking contract. The fight has again been reignited over Porter Airlines. This new airline will fly deHavilland Dash-8s, twin engine turbo-prop airliners on a route to Ottawa, with other Canadian and American cities possible in the future.

You may be asking what's the big deal? Numorous reasons have been given. The most commonly cited problems are air and noise pollution. Other claims made are runways being too short. For those who don't know, a turbo-prop is basically a jet engine that uses a gear driven propeller. Unlike conventional jets, it's a closed, low power system. They are quieter and more energy efficient than big jets and piston engine planes. The planes themselves are no louder and do not pollute more than any other vehicle that operates in the area. Turbo-props also do not need long runways as jet airliners do, so the island airport's are more than long enough.

So what's the real reason to close this aiport? To find the anwer, we must travel three kilometers east across the harbour, to The Docks. The Docks are a massive entertainment complex along the waterfront. A couple months ago, the nightclub there had it's alcohol licence temporarily revoked due to noise complaints. Where did those complaints come from? The Toronto Islands, more specifically, the people who live on the eastern half of the islands.

Recent polls have shown that the vast majority of Torontonians feel the airport issue is dead. Even those who live in the downtown don't care. Many feel the airline is a good idea. Even at the best of times, it's a long drive to Pearson Airport from the downtown. A lot of people travel frequently to Ottawa and Montreal and have welcomed Porter. People like the idea of an airport in walking or transit distance. However, Island residence are not like most people. I believe "crunchy granola" has been used to describe them. They are in general quite socialist. Right up David Miller and Olivia Chow's ally. Much of the fight over the waterfront has been started by them. Though I do not oppose revitalizing the waterfront (as long as only Toronto pays for it), I do not believe a small minority of people should be dictating what should be done. First of all, the islands were meant as a park. The people living there are squatters. The city has tried for years, with mayors as recently as Mel Lastman trying to get them to leave. They are living there illegally. The airport is crown land. Both the recent Liberal and Conservative governments have refused to listen to complaints. Only the NDP seems to want to make this an issue.

So what should be done about the airport? Leave it, build that bridge, and let the issue die. Simple as that. It's time to end the dithering by Toronto's mayor and the NDP and focus on the real issues in the city such as crime and a crumbling transit system.

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Bridge It

The big story this week has been the collapse of an over pass in Montreal. Several people were killed. It's raised some questions about the safety of our roads and bridges in Canada. My family has operated a small civil engineering firm that builds bridges around Ontario for the past 12 years. Are our bridges safe? For the most part they are. I can at least say the ones we've built are with a spotless MTO record to back that up.
However, there are some inherant flaws in our infrastructive. They come in the form of poor work by government engineers, shoddy construction by shiftless companies, and a lack of funding for road repair.

Canada's roads are simply a disgrace. I've been to second and third world countries in the Caribbean and Latin America that have better roads then we do. I'm not making that up. Are highways are crumbling. They are maintained by simple patchwork and shotcrete that simply holds them together for just a little longer. Governments will do anything to put off work. I've seen some bridges that look like they've been through a war zone. Harsh Canadian winters, heavy vehicles, and overuse of road salt take their toll on steel, concrete, and asphalt. Government engineers just seem to turn a blind eye to these problems. When bridges are slated to be worked on, they often do not know what needs to be done or how to go about it. They rely on contractors to do that. Unfortunately, some contractors are shiftless. They cut corners and bid work too cheap. Governments just do not seem to view roadwork as important, or any form of transit for that matter.

This is the kind of topic I could write a book about, but lets cut to the chase. How do we solve it.
Well first, we need to send %100 of the gas tax into road work. Not the 10% that governments are currently offering. The biggest mistake governments made was putting gas taxes into general revenue. Once they did that, little of the money went to where it was supposed to go.
Bridges also need more frequent, more thorough inspections. MTO engineers claim they inspect them at least once a month, but they do not. In reality, inspections are probably carried out once a year, if that. Number three, competant contractors should be rewarded and shiftless ones should be kept a closer eye on. Governments should only rely on contractors to do the work, not to figure out how to do it. Better engineers need to be hired and there must be better communication in engineering departments and with contractors.

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Green Party Platform Interging

It seems that the Green Party is beginning to make itself as a possible fourth contender at the federal level. Today they issued a peak at their platform under new leader Elizabeth May. The platform of course is focused on environmental issues but also offers a carrot to fiscal conservatives. Lets take a look at what I like and what I don't.

There are many tax cuts in the program. On the chopping block are income and payroll taxes. It also introduces tax breaks for fuel efficient small cars and extra fees on gas guzzlers and SUVs. They also plan to provide rebates for those who purchase energy efficient appliances and upgrades for their homes. They will also end government subsidizing to the Alberta oil sands. As an advocate of the free market economy, a lot of this makes sense, especially ending subsidizing. Tax breaks are always welcome. The national parks system is also planned to be expanded, which is good for tourism.

What I don't like is the over focus on environmental issues. Particularly a so called "carbon tax" that would tax fossil fuels more. There is enough tax on these as it is. Fossile fuels tend to be an inelastic item that sells no matter what the price so this wouldn't work. Discouraging fossil fuel use is also not a good idea. Much of Canada is rural and small town so peddle power is hugely impractical. There are no working alternatives to petrolium on the market yet. Taxing chemicals is also harmful to business. They call it tax shifting by reducing income and corporate taxes but transfering them to goods they consider dangerous.

The biggest problem with the Greens is their narrow focus. Just when they seem to come up with some good ideas, they bunggle it. They build an entire platform on environmental issues but leave out everything else. There was no mention of health care, education, immigration, or the military in their platform. Their environmental plans themselves sound good on paper, but in practice are either impractical or cannot work period. This is why they will never receive a seat in parliament, at least not in the forseeable future.

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Thoughts for the Week

I have not had the time to post any full articles so here's some quick thoughts on this week's news.

Belinda Stronach's alledged affair with Tie Domi is the big story. Stronach cannot understand why it's attracted so much media attention. She believes the harsh critisism she's received is a result of sexism stating it would not get the same reaction if she were a man. Try telling that to Bill Clinton.

The federal Conservatives have cut $1 billion in programs. Liberals are outraged saying the cuts harm the most vulnerable. In other words, pot smokers.

Travel restrictions have been relaxed. You can no bring liquids and gels in containers no bigger than 90ml. You can still bring drinks on the plane provided you bought them at the terminal, for $3 a bottle.

The Ontario Liberals have offered voters a carrot on a stick in the form of banning expiry dates on gift cards. It's about time, but this is something that's only going to win over the stupid. Unfortunately, there's a lot of them.

President of Venezuela George Lopez, er, Hugo Chavez called George W Bush the devil. Yes, it's the gringo's fault his country is in the trash, rather than it's own corrupt, dictatorial government. This from a man calling Bush violent and undemocratic who just happened to lead a military coup in his own country, twice, before being elected president. I don't even think his best buddy Fidel Castro hates America that much.

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MMN Blog News

Here's what's going on with the MMN blog.

Unfortunately, I did not get around to our anniversary year in review. Due to time constraints, I didn't get an opportunity to write such a large series of articles.

On the plus side, we now have a new interactive web forum. It allows those interested in politics to discuss and debate issues found here on MMN. It's more flexible to the blog style, which users can only post comments in regards to my articles. Registration is free so give it a try. I will get the link posted on the directory bar ASAP, in the mean time, you can click the link below to get there.
http://martinsmillnews.proboards102.com/index.cgi

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"Two Rs Come September"

The kids have finally gone back to school. Summer seems like it could go on forever, then BAM, it's September already. At least Christmas and Thanksgiving are around the corner.

Now, down to business. It looks like the 2006/2007 school year is not going to be without conflict, which is nothing new. This time we have school boards whining for a change. They must alternate with the teachers every other year.
The Toronto District School Board has been leading the complaints this year. I don't have the exact data in front of me, but I believe they are $80 million in the red. The TDSB has refused to balance its budget forcing the province to investigate them. The TDSB claims the old 1998 funding formula is no longer enough for a 2006 education system, due to rising energy costs, and other unforseen expenses. The people in Toronto are only a case study for the growing problem of fiscal mismanagement in today's education system. They are guilty of the sort of things that would get somebody working in the private sector fired. Of course, it's always easier to spend someone else's money.

The TDSB now needs to find a way to cut $80 million from it's budget. However, they don't want to cut anything. Too bad as running up huge debts only makes things worse for students in the long run. Throwing more money at the problem isn't the answer either. The province already tried that by giving them some $200 million, which apparently wasn't enough. What people choose to ignore is that the TDSB's operating costs should indeed be going down as enrollment is declining. They also sit on a huge pool of assets that are being underused, if used at all.

A few years back, the TDSB closed several schools. The problem is, they are still holding onto them, and still paying expenses on them. These schools will continue to go unused for the forseeable future due to the province's aging population. Why then, do they insist on keeping them. Many of these schools have degraded into eyesores with weeds so tall in the playground they resemble wild jungles. With a lack of commercial space in the GTA, the properties would likely sell very quickly. Schools can easily be converted to office space and the playgrounds in the back could add some much needed greenery. It's seems insane for an organization to hang onto something so useless, that's costing so much to upkeep. (yep, there's a teacher joke in there too) The TDSB also has assets that it has no business owning, such as pools. These should be sold to the city. School boards are not in the business of parks and rec either. Though the board claims assets can only be sold once, they forget about the money they're saving by not having to pay upkeep expenses.

Then there is the issue of over-employment. The schools have more teachers, lunchrooms supervisors, and assistants than you can shake a yard stick at, even though they like to tell people otherwise. All this hiring was done to keep class sizes under 30 kids. Studies have shown that lower student/teacher ratios do not necessarily mean a better education, only less work for teachers. In post secondary education, classes can be 10 times (or more) bigger than those in public schools, with student/teacher ratios usually being 100:1. People who attended school from about 1950-1970 typically had classes of 40 or more students due to the baby boom, yet did not suffer. Much of the focus on education recently has been in fact lowering workload for teachers, rather than improving the quality of education for students. Teachers typically work only 30-40 hours a week, including marking time, which is no more than anybody else does. Not to mention they only work about 42 weeks a year. Their pay rate is roughly between $40-60/hour, which is equivilant to that of a skilled tradesperson or small business owner. My estimates on teacher pay are actually four years out of date, under the Conservative government. Teachers make about 5-10% more annually today. I conservatively estimate 70-80% of current education funding goes to pay for teacher salaries and benefits.
Class sizes should be capped at a more practical 40 students. There should be a teacher hiring freeze, and any wage increases should equal the rate of inflation except in the case of promotions.
Then there is the large number of unionized support staff, such as teaching assistants and lunchroom supervisions that demand premium cash for what should be a minimum wage job. Quite frankly, these people serve little use. Back when I was little, they had hall monitors, older students or parent volunteers who did what these supervisors are getting paid for today. Schools also do not need to hire these so called Teachers' Aids. They can get these as volunteers or co-op students from teacher's colleges. It's sad to lay any working person off, but you can't keep somebody on when you simply can't afford to keep them. Lunch room supervirsors and Teacher's Aids need to go.

There are also several programs that can also go. Breakfast and lunch clubs are a total waste of tax payer cash. I find if difficult to believe that there are that many kids in Toronto that go hungry because they are too poor to afford a slice of toast in the morning. Some of these programs even exist in afluent areas! Parenting courses should also be given the boot. If you don't have the instincts necessary to raise a child, wear a condom. If these problems are so rampant, they should be taken over by the city instead, or be administered by the Ministry of Health.

Now for the board itself. The TDSB recently voted to give trustees a $20,000 raise. Most corporate CEOs are lucky to get that much in one go. This raise added over $400,000 to the $80 million deficit. Trustee wages should be equal to the rate of inflation and for cost of living only. Being an elected official is not a job for life anyway. Trustees should be limited to a maximum of two or three terms in office. This gives them plenty of time to achieve goals. Parents also need more say at school board meetings. After all, they should have a say on what's to be done with their money. People also need to start voting in municipal elections.
I'm sure we can also find ways to cut a lot of bureaucratic waste within the TDSB as well. Government offices also suffer from over-staffing and uncessessary expenses.

It's not impossible for school boards to balance budgets. In fact, even with this "dreadful" Mike Harris funding formula, there is plenty of money to go around. It all boils down to gross mismanagement at the hands of school board trustees and administrators. Only parents can take action against them. Watch this issue closely and send a strong message to these trustees come November. Anybody who doesn't vote in municipal elections is a moron, as they will have the most direct effect on you and your family.

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Troll Under the Bridge

Remember the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff you were told as a kid? It was about a troll under a bridge. Toronto has its own troll under the bride, his name is Chris Gardener.

Chris Gardener has taken the spotlight recently. You see, he lives under the Gardener expressway at Spadina. He has done so for the past 8 years. He built a makeshift house under the highway in which he stole electricity and payed no tax on. He even has his "property" fenced in. Gardener's career choice to support his "house" is drug dealer. Gardener (as he has named himself, after his place or residence) hasn't been a major problem until recently. The city of Toronto needs to make repairs to the highway. He needed to be moved as his choice of residence would pose a safety hazzard to himself and construction workers.

The political fallout has been over Gardener being moved. Gardener recounted the story that eight years ago, while he was in Montreal, God came to him and told him that landlords have no right to charge rent. Thus Gardener travelled to Toronto and set up his shack under the highway. Judging by this statement alone, we can safely assume that Gardener is a frosty chocolate nut bar with a brain turned to nouget. The city has repeatedly offered him welfare, affordable housing, and treatment for his mental issues. All of which he has refused. Gardener simply does not want to be a part of our society, though he won't go as far as moving to a cabin in the woods, which would be a far more appropriate place if he wants to drop out.

Of course, OCAP has to get involved in all of this. The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, a radical Toronto based anachist group, was attracted to his story like flies on cow pies. More alarming is that they tend to agree with Mr Gardener and "God" that people should be allowed to live for free. OCAP is simply getting more comical as the days go on. Perhaps they should host their protests at Second City and get some money out of making people laugh at them. This is a group that has failed to attract the attention of political parties due to their beyond communist, extreme far left tactics. Today, they attempted to block Mr Gardener's eviction. Fortunately, they were peaceful, but not without giving people a hard time. Mr Gardener's shack was rightly demolished and work can now proceed on the highway safely.

The story doesn't end there though. It brings about some questions about the true nature of poverty in the city of Toronto. The question is, should we allow this type of behaviour? More low income housing seems to be the magical cure-all that OCAP is proposing. The fact is, there are already tons of low income housing projects in Toronto. One must be making an income first though. Homeless do not. They simply choose to live on the streets even though there are plenty of safe alternatives. I don't buy the mental issue argument either Despite what OCAP wants, nobody can, nor should live for free. That's the nature of most societies. If everybody is going to get things handed out to them, well, who is going to produce and manage those things? Even in communist countries, that type of behaviour is unacceptable. Sorry Mr Gardener and OCAP, you loose and you always will.

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Time To End Air Travel Restrictions

This is getting more silly by the day. Since last week, it is now illegal to carry liquids and gels onto a plane. Seniors and children even are not allowed to bring water or juice with them.

Restrictions on what can be carried aboard a plane is simply a sign of how flawed the security at airports is. It has long be known that explosives can be made in liquid for, yet they have just been banned. The big question is if this ban is really justified. I say it isn't. We are punishing an entire population of innocent people. We are not protecting them, but are simply taking away their civil liberties due to the incompetance of security officials. It won't be long before we won't be able to fly with anything in the cabin, including our clothes. Yep, we'll all be nakid.

El Al Israel airline doesn't have these bans. You'd think they'd be terrorism target #1 but they don't suffer from these problems. Why? They are carful of who they let on board. Yes, they profile. That seems to be a dirty word, profiling. However, it is a step we must take. We cannot keep punishing those who have done nothing as a few would choose to turn airplanes into weapons of murder. It is unlikely a 90 year old grandma from Saskatoon is going to strap a bomb to herself in the name of Mohammed and Allah. The odds of being involved in a terrorist attack are less than that of being hit by lightning.
The least disruptive way is to monitor those who get on board the plane, not by what they have on them, but rather who they are. More hightech security is also needed at airports such as chemical sniffers. Rather than ban stuff, just check for things that could be used by someone who might be a terrorist, and leave the rest alone.
Perhaps we should also redesign the planes while we are at it. Buses in Britain in the mid 20th century had a separate driver cab. We should do this with planes. Have cockpit and cabin separated by a solid bulkhead with separate doors. Make it so the cockpit can only be accessed from outside the plane. This would most certainly prevent hijackings. Systems such as gas could also incapacitate attackers in the cabin without harming them. This would be far more effective than simply taking away each and every right we have when we fly.

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Big Problems

This is a BIG day for MMN. It's a BIG milestone, the 100th post. Today I'd thought I'd tackle a BIG issue. That being, how BIG a problem our kids are getting, because they are so BIG!

That's right, 26% of children are considered obese. Roughly 1 in 2 are overweight. That's a huge number of huge kids. Off these kids, only 8% of their parents consider then to have a weight problem. This has created a health care crisis. It is estimated that this current generation of children will not live longer than their parents, the first time in over a century. This problem will likely end up costing the health system billions.

Kids are inactive. That's the problem. I don't see many kids playing outside as I did when I was a kid, which wasn't that long ago. The government and the entertainment industry usually get most of the blame. The government is targeted because they supposedly are not providing healthy lunches in cafeterias, physED, and nutritional programs. The entertainment industry is accused of feeding an inactive lifestyle due to television and video games. It's all well and good to play the blame game. Though cafeterias in schools should provide healthier food, physED programs are adequate as they are and nutritional classes are unnecessary. Healthy active living is something that needs to begin at home. The majority of parents of overweight kids are overweight themselves. They also pack so much into their scheduels that they have no time or don't even know how to make healthy meals. Many children these days are brought up on frozen, pre-cooked food. This food is loaded with saturated and transfat, as well as unhealthy doses of salt. Parents simply let their kids sit around the house or are so afraid that a pervert is going to snatch them if they go outside. Quit worring, statistics show that's no more likely than it was years ago. Kids need unstructured play to stay healthy. Peewee sports can also be a good idea but not all kids like sports. They need to be encouraged to be active in other ways. If we get our kids outside, we will eliminate this preventable disease.

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Halton MP Makes National News: A Rouge

Back in January, the people of Halton region voted Conservative party member Garth Turner into office as their representative. He is one MP that has not been without controversy. Particularly his refusal to tow the party line. While I don't agree with some of his decisions, I find that Mr Turner has finally brought a voice to Halton region after Liberal MP Gary Carr was voted out. Mr Carr being the ever silent and loyal back bencher, a sleeze, just what Paul Martin wanted. The Liberal MP before Carr also showed dignity by leaving the party after the sponsorship scandle.

This debate over Mr Turner has sprung a vote within the conservative party that will ultimately decide who gets to represent Halton. Turner has frequently been at odds with Steven Harper who can best be described as Bush Light. Though his leadership on the home front has been good, foreign policy has been questionable. What Turner is trying to do is hold his own party leader acountable, as was promised in the 2006 election. People don't like this because they fear an ununified US based system. Surprisingly this would actually work better, though democracy would be slower. A republic is still better than our antiquated system steeped in useless pomp and pagentry. Canadians however fear change. We need more MPs to speak out on citizens behalf rather than simply towing this silly party line concept. That's what democracy is supposed to be about. Halton citizens should support Mr Turner.

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Harper No-Show at AIDS Conference: Who Cares?

The big thing in the media this week was why Prime Minister Steven Harper did not show up for the AIDS conference currently being held in Toronto. I guess it's been a slow news week. There's only so much one can talk about petty issues such as wars between Hezbolla and Isreal, and terror in the UK.

Socialists like to try to find every single fault in their right of center buddies. Fortunatley for us on the right side, we don't have to look for the faults of those on the left because they are so obvious, even blind people can see them plain as day.
Federal health minister Tony Clements has attended to conference to my knowledge. He is in charge of the portfolio that administers treatment for the disease. Does the Prime Minister really need to attend as well. According to non-Canadian Richard Gere, he does. Mr Gere probably had to consult Buddah, or more likely Google Maps to even find where Canada is so I hardly think he's in a possition to criticise our government. Typical Hollywood smug but unfortunately this demi-gods of tinsle town carry a lot of pull amoung the idiotic socialist proles. Now everybody has jumped on the bash Steve bandwagon, including, I believe, former US president and non-Canadian Bill Clinton. I'm sure if his wife wasn't running for president in 2008, he wouldn't be there.

The last time the AIDS conference was held in Canada was 1996. Apparently, then Prime Minister Jean Chretien did not attend either, yet he didn't receive the same amount of criticism. There is a huge double standard in the way we treat our politicians in this country. We should hold all government officials accountable yet it is simply not fair to criticise one leader for not attending, but not to criticise another.

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The Danger of "Safe" Injection Sites

AIDS is a 100% preventable disease. Except in cases of rape and deception, most people who get it are unsanitary or careless.

The latest solution to help limit the disease is are these safe injection sites. Vancouver has them. What these sites do is provide clean needles for haroine addicts to use. A protest to be held later today will lobby the federal government to legalize these sites nation wide, with particular focus on Toronto. Stupid people in large groups are dangerous indeed.
The common argument against these sites is that it will encourage illegal drug use. It certainly will but this is not the problem. What it does is it gets government into the business of peddling drugs. An extremely dangerous precident.

It is estimated that up to 46 million people are infected with HIV. Though a horrible disease, it pales in comparison with the pandemic of drug addiction. Yet another 100% preventable health problem. Both ruin lives and kill. Though one cannot live relatively normally with drug addiction to the extent that people with AIDS can, thanks to new treatments.
This is what's wrong with safe injection sites. The bigger problem is not encouraging drug use, but rather encouraging people's addictions to them. Heroine is one of the most addictive known drugs. Giving them a place to inject is not going to solve the problem, it's only going to make addiction appear more socially acceptable. We must never get to that point. The only solution is to encourage these people to get off their addiction. Most probably do want to get off the junk, but don't know how. We need more money for addiction programs, not this crap that these protesters are proposing. If you still think there is nothing wrong with government's administering mind bending drugs, I can suggest several distopian books and movies in which that is the central theme, both real and fiction.

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Protect our Children

I have to blast both the Liberal and Conservative governments for this. The problem is the sharp increase in the number of sex offenders in our society, particularly those who victimize children. I sometimes wonder if buggering kids is still a crime anymore.

This week's big story was the kidnapping or a young boy out west by a dangerous child molester who has been convicted of that crime numerous times. Seeing the tears in the father's eyes and the trembling in his voice, I knew this pervert had his way with the poor man's son. This was something that didn't need to happen, it shouldn't have happened.

I think our government is afraid of sex offenders. I don't think I can target any particular party because they're all guilty of this. They just don't seem to want to act to toughen laws that would keep in jail, or at least restrict the momement of pedophiles. These people are sick, pure and simple. They are criminally insane and should be locked in mental institutions indefinately. It is not a sexual orientation as some would like us to believe. How many more kids need to be hurt before the people in the halls of parliament and the halls of justice put an end to it.

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Pesticide Bylaws Ludicrous

Toronto people are funny. They try to get as far away from the city as possible, yet they try and make their new home exactly like Toronto.

Some new residents to Milton, most likely former residents of Toronto have been pushing for a pesticides bylaw. This proposed bylaw would ban the use of synthetic chemical pesticides in town. This sort of thinking makes little sense, as do most things that come out of that putrid city. These bans simply don't work.

Anyone been to Toronto lately. Take a look at the weeds. They're everywhere. In the sidewalks, on lawns. Everywhere. Due to the pesticides bylaw, there is no way to control them. So called organic methods such as pouring boiling water on them don't seem to be working and there are far too many to pull out. In turn for supposedly saving the environment a bit, the weed problem is making people sick. Toronto has forgotten that many of these weeds produce allergens that can make summer miserable for many. Many of the pesticides used are considered safe by the federal government. I think a bad case of hay feaver is a lot worse than the smell of pesticides. The law would likely also include pesticides used to control harmful insects, which I'm sure local farmers wouldn't be too pleased with.

Do we really want Milton to end up like this. The weeds here are bad enough as it is because the town does not control them on their property, due to budget cuts. If we cut pesticide use all together, the town will be a virtual jungle of dandylyons, ragweed, and hawthorn bushes, just like Drumquin park. Toronto people, if you like Toronto's way of doing thing, get out of Milton and go back there. Milton is a farming community. Farms used pesticides, people use them. We use them to control harmful pests to feed you.

Here are a few tips for people worried about pesticides. First of all, apply them yourself using the bottles that connect to your hose. Weed and pest control companies often use way too much. Doing it yourself is cheaper and you can control how much goes on the lawn. Sprey only a light application during the peak time of year, or whenever pests start to cause major problems. Spreying more than once or twice is often unnecessary, even though pest companies would have you think otherwise. This will help control the majority of dandylyons on your lawn. From then on, it's simply a matter of pulling stragglers. Mow your lawn often to remove dandylyon flowers before they go to seed. Insects and diseases can be controlled with the same method of light spraying. Insecticidal soap can be used after. Try and plant insect and disease resistant varieties.

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When to Draw the Line on Hate Crime

Well, looks like the media has grown board of Israel's scuffle with Lebanon. This big story this week is Mel Gibson's DUI. Conspiracy theories are out in full force, claiming Mel is in bed with the cops. The police spokesperson stated that he was arrested without incident, but the leaked police report tells a different story. Apparently the "Road Warrior" (as the media has dubbed him) resisted arrest and shouted slurs at the cops. This is something you expect from a drunk person, and Mel has suffered from alcoholism for some time.

You may be asking why I'm bothering with this idiotic Hollywood celebrity. It's because Mel has re-opened a can of worms that definately needs to be sorted out. This time Mel has taken the roll of the character Pink, from Pink Floyd's classic "The Wall". In a drunken haze, Mel alledgedly shouted racial slurs, anti-semitic slurs to be exact. It has long been suspected that Mel doesn't like Jews. Whether that's true or not is undetermined.
What can be determined is Hollywood's anger about it. Many of those that run Hollywood are Jewish. The rest are Scientologists, making Jesus loving Mel a bit of a minority. Mel's father Hutton Gibson is a extreme fundamentalist Catholic. He is well known for his Holocaust denial. Some are beginning to wonder is Mel takes after dear old dad. Mel's biggest movie, the infamous Passion of the Christ, is said to be anti-semitic.

Hollywood now wants to take their revenge on Mel. They want him to be black listed but also charged with hate crimes. This begs the question. How does one define a hate crime, exactly? Lets use Mel as a case study. Mel alledgeldy said hateful things about Jews. Was he hurting Jews? No, as the arresting officers were not Jewish. Was he spreading hate? No, he was drunk so it's unlikely anybody would take him seriously. So did Mel commit a crime? No. In the United States, freedom of speech is protected under the first amendment. You can say what ever you want no matter how idiotic. That's the way things should be in a democracy. California is slightly different. Hate speech in the workplace (only) is not prohibited, but it is not protected, meaning it is considered reasonable grounds for termination. How California skirts the 1st is unknown. The state is almost a different country and they seem to get away with having their own rules. However, under California and US law, Mel cannot be black listed and he cannot be charged with a crime.

Here in Canada we are a little different. In the US, freedom of expression and speech are god given rights. In Canada, not so much. Sure, our media has more freedom here. The CRTC is less likely to censor offensive material than the FCC does. However, if Mel had done the same thing here, it would have been a crime. You can be arrested, and jailed for making off the cuff remarks. Technically, your constitution is little more than a piece of paper. The SCOC gets to decide what reasonable limits it can put on you, and they get to define what's "reasonable". Doesn't seem quite right, does it. I don't condone hate speech as I like to follow the "just because you can, doesn't mean you should" ideology. However, I don't think our government has the right to tell me what I can and can't say, and they certainly should not have the right to imprison me for it.

Here's where the line is drawn. You say you hate Jews. That should not be a crime. You say the Holocaust never happend. You're an idiot and obviously never paid any attention in school, but that should not be a crime. You harass Jews, threaten them, vandalize their property, beat them up, and/or kill them, well then those are hate crimes and should be punished accordingly. We have to put our democratic values over people's feelings. As long as nobody is being hurt (hurt defined as being directly targeted, not simply offended), we cannot deny people the right to say what they want to. End of discussion.

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