It’s Cocktail Time Again!!!
A big round of martinis for our troops serving in Aghanistan. They didn’t decide to go there in the first place, and they certainly didn’t ask Stephen Harper to transform the peacekeeping mission into a combat mission, thereby getting a bunch of them maimed and killed for absolutely no good reason, but they are representing our country as best they can under terribly difficult circumstances. Bring them home for another round of martinis as soon as possible please Mr. Harper.
A martini for our outgoing Mayor – and I mean “outgoing” in at least a couple of ways. Al McDonald may be as good a mayor as Mayor Vic, but it will be nearly impossible to bring as much showmanship and charisma to the job as his predecessor did. Mayor Vic inspired the people of North Bay, and seemed to make the normally bland business of local politics worth paying attention to. In the last seven years, I heard him claim to have “restored hope, and restored solvency” so many times, and with such conviction, that I would have believed him even if there was no evidence to back up the claim… which there is.
In the absence of a real mayor’s race, this last election was not exactly thrilling. However, there was one remarkable story that emerged from it, and that was the story of Tanya Vrebosch’s 3rd place finish. Four years ago, we learned that being a bright young person with a very well-respected last name was good for an 11thplace finish. Her record on council, her hard work, and her folksy, Vrebosch-style campaign is what produced the 3rd place finish. Congrats, and a Solvent martini to a very deserving city councilor on an incredible achievement.
Although he probably did a hundred things to earn himself a Molotov, we’re just giving out martinis this week, so, Stephen Harper gets one for addressing the issue of human smuggling on the international stage. It is a major problem, and weak international immigration laws are making human smuggling a huge growth industry for organized criminals and terrorist organizations. Recently 492 Tamils showed on our west coast in a boat in order to claim refugee status. Considering the fact that whoever financed the voyage was probably factoring the cost of the boat in to the total cost, as it was likely to be confiscated, it is unlikely that the unfortunate souls who sailed upon it destined for our shores, were able to pay their way. Who paid it? Probably the same people that will be collecting a percentage of their pay cheques here in Canada for a good chunk of the rest of their lives… the Tamil Tigers.
