Calling all bloggers for comment

Interesting story from various sources today... First there was "Tory MPs rebel against Prime Minister's Office control", then "Backbench revolt the closest thing to a revolution Harper’s seen yet", and now "Conservative caucus mutiny".

Fellow bloggers, DM me (@ChristianConsrv) if you'd like to chat... or you can e-mail me at cc[at]christianconservative[dot]ca as well, or look me up on Facebook.

Seems we have a lot to discuss...

Exiled

Well, looks like it's official... you'll notice the changes in my template.

Romans 13:1-5, and How to Correctly Interpret the Scriptures

It's been a pretty amazing year. Yes, it's been nearly a year since this roller coaster began, and it's been an interesting ride. But there's still more track left to run, and I've spent a little time reviewing all the info that's out there, specifically in relation to me. So I thought I'd take a little time to set the record straight.

First of all, I find it interesting how out of context people take Biblical quotes and concepts. It's been rather amazing, and rather disappointing, to see the far out interpretations that I've seen given to some of the passages of Scripture I've quoted in the past. Or to see how Biblical concepts, clearly understood by most individuals with a spiritual background, have been so badly twisted to fit into a preconceived narrative that some people have in their minds.  So, let me clear a few things up for everyone, starting out with the passage I posted nearly 10 months ago...

"Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake." Romans 13:1-5, NKJV

There have been some pretty interesting contortions performed with this one. While I thought it was pretty clear, it's now become obvious to me that Biblical concepts are no longer well understood in today's society. It was thought by some, though I don't know how they managed it, that I was quoting this verse to say that I could justify anything and everything because, well, "God told me to".

Wow. That's quite a theological pretzel to contort oneself into, but that's pretty much a quote that I've seen over a dozen times now. Of course, it's a completely incorrect one. But after thinking about it for a while, I thought that it might be profitable, instead of just sitting idly by, to take a moment to break that passage down for everyone.

Firstly, the Apostle Paul starts out by commanding us, those of us who are believers in Christ, to subject ourselves to the "governing authorities". In our case, for those of us who are Christians, he's referring to the Governments of Canada, the Province of Ontario, and in my case at the time, the municipality of Guelph... including all the various laws and government agencies that apply. To subject oneself, accordingly, means to place ourselves under their authority, and therefore follow all of the prescribed rules and regulations that may be in place where we are.

Secondly, Paul tells us WHY we are to do this... because the current governments are in their present positions of power because God has allowed them to be. Now while we could go to various passages of Scripture to expound on this point, I'm choosing to go to the Book of Daniel, where we see this principle clearly when he is praising the LORD God for revealing the meaning of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, in Daniel 2:20-21:

Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.

We see this idea repeated by the LORD God Himself, as recounted by King Nebuchadnezzar in his letter to his people in Daniel 4:31-32:

While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.”

That last part (in BOLD) is the key part in each of those verses... the fact that it is the LORD God who allows kingdoms to both rise and fall. Interesting aside, every election I go in to, my prayer is never, "LORD, let my guy win!" but is, in fact, "LORD, may Your will be done... even if I don't understand it." (and my apologies to all the great candidates that this hasn't worked out so great for!)

So, a basic concept in the study of the Scriptures that I hold to is to allow Scripture to interpret Scripture.  It is simply wrong for someone to try and take a single verse, and quote it for their own purposes, without examining it in the light of all other Scripture, because the Scripture does not contradict itself. As such, for someone to take Romans 3:1-5, and assume that I was using it to justify illegal activity, would be an incorrect interpretation of Scripture, and an interpretation that I most certainly DO NOT hold to. So now, let's go back to our original passage, and see how that relates in the context of governing authorities.

Based on a correct interpretation of Scripture, allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture, we see that in order to be obedient to the LORD God, we must be subject to our Governments, and to all their respective laws. This, of course, has it's limits, such as with Saints in Communist countries who are banned from worshiping together, or where laws are in direct conflict with the Scriptures.

So how is that reflected in my life? And I'm talking about my life in general, not just any one point in time... although of course, these principles would indeed apply to any point of time that you choose to examine in my life.

What these verses mean, based on a correct interpretation of Scriptures, is that the LORD God expects Christians to hold themselves to a higher standard when it comes to obeying the laws of our nations. So not only am I to subject myself to Him, but in obedience to Him, I am to be subject to the laws of the land in which I reside. Moreover, not only am I to be subject to them, but I should be the one who goes above and beyond, who goes out of my way not only to live by the letter of the law, but to live by the spirit of the law, better than everyone else around me.

So now, the big question that many people are asking, of course, is how this is reflected in everyday law, in I don't know, let's pick an example... say Election law, for instance. Well, what it means is that in order to live a truly godly and Christ honouring life, I should be the one to set an example for everyone else, and to ensure that I am in fact living by both the letter and the spirit of the law. And this has been my practice for many, many years now.

In fact, were you to ask anyone that I've ever worked with on a campaign, I think some of the names they might give me is Mr. Ethical, the Goody-Goody, or as my family jokingly refers to me, "Captain By-law". (yes, you could say that I'm known as a bit of a rule follower) So you see, I've actually read large portions of both the federal Elections Act, the Ontario Elections Act, and parts of various municipal acts as they apply to the various campaigns I've worked on. (ie - sign by-laws, etc.) I'm always the one quoting the rules to people... and if people have questions, they often come to me. And more often than not, I'll have an answer for them, or know where to find them their answer.

Moreover, when it comes to things like signs, people sometimes laugh at me for the lengths I'll go to make sure I'm sticking to the rules. ("Captain By-law", remember?) Just as an example, I'll never even go near a Liberal sign, for pretty much any reason. It would be just my luck, were I to stop to repair a damaged one (as I do regularly for NDP and Green signs, for the record...) that a Liberal supporter would drive by, and snap a picture of me touching a damaged sign... and the headline would be "Conservative caught destroying Opposition signs". So, just to play it safe, I don't touch them.

Funny story, one time when I was installing lawn signs for a candidate, I was dropping off one of ours to a house that I had on my list, which had a Liberal sign already on the lawn. I spoke to the owner to make sure I had the right house, and he said I did have the right house... and that the Liberal sign had just suddenly appeared there, even though he hadn't requested one. So, he asked me to do him a favour, an pull the Liberal sign out and chuck it. Well... we actually had quite a bit of a debate over it, cause there was no way I wanted to mess with their sign! (Because, while I may not respect their positions, I most certainly respect their right to a free and fair election!) Ultimately, he convinced me to pull it out, but I think I convinced him to let me put it up against the side of his house, and then he could do with it whatever he wanted.

So to make a long story short, that's how I interpret the opening of this passage. That not only should we who are Christians obey the law, but we should go above and beyond, keeping the law not only the letter, but also the spirit of the law. Because in so doing, not only are we obeying our governing authorities, but ultimately, we're obeying the LORD God Himself. So there is no way that one can say I could use this passage to justify breaking the law. In actual fact, what I means is that not only do I seek to obey those in governing authority over me, I answer to yet another level of Authority above and beyond that... so in fact there's a greater emphasis on keeping the law than for the average person. There is most definitely not an excuse to ignore and justify the breaking of the law contained within those verses, and I don't believe there's any possible way for anyone to make such an absurd case otherwise.

The rest of the passage continues on with this same theme. Ultimately, those who are in authority should be honoured and obeyed, as unto the LORD God Himself. And this is how I have consistently lived my life, as anyone who actually knows me can and have attested to.

It's been interesting to see the number of prominent Liberals, in fact, who have reached out to me and given me their assurances that they know who I am, and what sort of character I possess. It was very interesting locally to have a number of prominent Liberals, who's family members or friends would talk to them in anger about the various stories swirling about, and these folks I know actively sought to defend me and correct the record. I am ever grateful to these individuals, who have known me for many years, who have gone out of their way to correct the record. They who know who I really am, know what I stand for, and know that there is no way on earth that I would ever dishonour my Lord and Saviour by violating the very laws that I in fact hold dear.

Ultimately, yes, I do answer to a Higher Power... but that makes me more vigilant about obeying the law, not less. My obedience to the Lord does not absolve me from obeying the laws of the land... it in fact enhances my obedience to the laws of the land. And anyone who says otherwise, well, has likely never met me, and they are interpreting the things they read and hear through the lens of their own biases, rather than looking at the man, looking at his beliefs, and then interpreting the facts through that lens. And that is, thankfully, the lens through which many more members of the media are now looking at the events of the day. I am eternally thankful to those who have taken the time, and who have the journalistic integrity, to get to know the "subject", and to then write their stories. There are those who have still not yet made a real effort to get to know who I am before they examine the facts, but thankfully, there are fewer and fewer of them every day.


The Lord Jesus said something in John 14:15 that summarizes how I seek to live my life. He said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." By subjecting myself to the laws of the land, as Paul admonishes us to do in Romans 13, I seek to walk in obedience to, and love for, my Lord.

AP/CC

How Rob Ford can/will win again

The left has made a huge strategic error in teaming up to get Rob Ford removed from office. If he doesn't win on appeal (which many think he will, see here for an example), there's a pretty easy way for him to win the hearts and minds of the voters on this issue... and he'll barely even have to open his mouth.

First event of the campaign, get a venue with a stage, so the cameras all have a nice clear sight line. Then, either in full football gear, or even just nicely dressed, walk out on stage with his "team"... flanked by a dozen or so kids, who otherwise wouldn't have been able to play football without the money he'd raised. (I'm sure he'll be able to find more then enough volunteers from the ranks of the kids he's currently and formerly coached)  Have him say a couple of words, talk about these kids, the lives they've lived, and about how coaching has been about giving back to the community.

Then say just a very few words on what this is REALLY about... a few folks, with money, who don't like him or his policies, and who want the city to be run their way. People who couldn't win at the ballot box, so they gave the suburbs the middle-finger by voting against subways for them (meanwhile they already have subways in the core... not that these folks likely ever actually use them...) and then removing the duly elected mayor that residents of the suburbs voted for.

Then, and here's the kicker... get one, just one, articulate young man to say a couple of words of thanks to Rob Ford for all he's done for them. Maybe tell his own story, maybe one of them was steered away from a life of crime as a result. Or who knows, maybe one of them even got a football scholarship thanks to Rob's support over the years. Can you imagine that one? Take all the wind out of the sails of the left, before they even have a chance to open their mouths.

Because let's face it, the voters understand this one... Rob Ford the do-gooder, trying to help a bunch of underprivileged kids, versus a whole whack of VERY highly privileged individuals who just don't like Rob Ford.  Game. Set. Match. The voters will decide who's right on this one.

I mean, can you imagine the good these guys could have done by funding Rob's kids, instead of spending thousands of dollars on the various court challenges they've launched in a misguided attempt at political revenge?

Obama's "Waterloo" may be Benghazi

It's been quite a while since I posted, and quite frankly, as I'm sure most of my long time readers will understand, I haven't felt like posting much... for some strange reason.

Well, all that changed today, with the absolutely shameful display of partisanship displayed by the "Mainstream Media" today with the most recent and damaging allegations in the whole Benghazi affair. You can check the story out for yourself here.

While I don't normally give Fox News much attention whatsoever, this one is far too important to simply ignore the source out of hand. The accusation, apparently from sources right on the ground there in Benghazi, is that just up the road from the site of the attack on September 11th, a team of CIA operatives were stationed. In accordance with their training, they immediately responded to the sound of heavy gunfire, and accessed that there was something VERY WRONG going on up the road.

So, naturally, they called for orders. And heard these words that will likely forever haunt them, and hopefully will forever haunt anyone and everyone who's working for President Barak Obama this election cycle: "STAND DOWN"

Excuse me? Are you FREAKING KIDDING ME?!?! "STAND DOWN"?!?!? Your ambassador and staff are UNDER ATTACK, and you order, you ORDER, an on the ground team, who have the training and the firepower, to NOT get involved?

These are pretty explosive allegations. But for the rest of the "Mainstream" media to simply and completely ignore these reports is quite frankly, unbelievable. At the VERY LEAST, with an election just over a week away, you'd think that ALL the media outlets would be clamoring over one another to get to the bottom of this... "Who gave the order" and "If/When did the White House get this intel?" Or, quite frankly, "Did this event actually even happen?"

I mean, let's think about this logically... I mean, for the rest of the Mainstream media outlets, this could be the opportunity of a lifetime. By digging FAST and DEEP into this story, they'll either A) get the scoop before Fox News, or B) expose Fox News for perpetuating a fraud. It's a WIN-WIN for them to pursue this story. Any yet, for some inexplicable reason, none of them are going anywhere near it.

Unless, of course, there IS an explainable reason why... because they got a crush on Obama.

Come on, we ALL know it. Obama and the Democrats have been getting a free ride ONCE AGAIN during this election cycle. (except for the first debate, of course... and the only reason they couldn't simply ignore and not report on that one was because a huge percentage of the population saw it happen with their own eyes...)

But thankfully, there's social media to ensure that this story gets out... it's been trending all day on Twitter via various hashtags, #Benghazi and #StandDown primarily. Senator John McCain has been doing his best to push the issue, as has Ann Coulter and a few other prominent individuals. More info is streaming out, and every piece that comes out just looks worse and worse for President Obama. Some are even beginning to suggest that the order to "Stand Down" may have even come directly from the White House itself.

Now, I for one am not one to subscribe to that theory... however, it's entirely possible that someone along the chain of command made the decision to "Stand Down" based on policy and general directives put in place by this Administration... so a bad call was made due to a poor foreign policy framework. Which, ultimately, points to a failure on the part of the Obama Administration. Therefore the only questions we have left to answer is WHO, and WHEN.

But we're not getting any of that. At least not from the rest of the Mainstream Media.

We're less than two weeks out from a Presidential Election, and the MSM is doing their absolute best to ensure that the American people DON'T get to the bottom of this. The Obama Administration's line is, of course, that they want a full and through investigation on this matter... so long as no information is released until November 7th, of course. Well, when you're in the midst of an election that has huge ramifications on the future of your nation's foreign policy, you ought not to have the power and ability to suppress what information gets out into the public sphere, information that the public REQUIRES to make an informed choice. And the media most certainly should not be aiding and abetting such an affront to the democratic process.

This may end up being Obama's "Waterloo"... the battle that decided his fate. If the information gets out, it may either hurt or help his campaign, we don't know. (unless, of course, the Administration already knows the information WILL be damaging...) But if the truth comes out, and it appears that the Administration and/or the media sought to suppress this information from getting out, then it will MOST DEFINITELY undermine his re-election efforts... and rightly so.

So, I'll be following this story with great interest over the next few days. Hopefully, so will many other people... and eventually, will force the hand of the editorial staff in the other outlets who thus far haven't deemed this story to be worthy of further coverage.

PS - Unfortunately, I have to take a moment to state this clearly for some of my "fans" who are a little on the think-headed side of things... comment moderation is of course, ON. Only comments relevant to the topic at hand will be posted. The rest of them will, of course, be archived with all the rest of my comments from the last 5+ years. (oh yes... I keep everything) You've been warned.

My official statement

Here's a relevant passage from St. Paul... one that I have always lived by.

"Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake." Romans 13:1-5, NKJV

Of course, if people don't want to believe that, they can listen to this instead... (specifically the 0:30 second mark)

UPDATE: Seems that some (okay, A LOT) of folks have been taking my post out of context. So just a clarification. These verses aren't talking about any one issue. It's simply a good summary of my general credo in life... that I seek to fully obey the Word of God, and walk in accordance with the laws of the land in everything I do. Basically, it's a response to anyone who thinks that I would ever participate in anything illegal. Not my style, as everyone who knows me has and will attest to.

And the video... well, that's for those folks who just don't want to listen. ;-)

PCPO Convention 2012 - Executive Picks

UPDATE: Thanks to the kind soul who sent me the "official" nomination list for the correct spelling of everyone's names!

Looking for candidate names and voting recommendations for the 2012 PCPO Convention in Niagara Falls? Look no further, I got ya covered right here!

It's been a while since I spent any time blogging, and this week I was semi-publicly reprimanded by a prominent Canadian for taking a hiatus. (you know who you are, Sir... thanks for the kick in the pants!) So I thought with the Bi-Annual PCPO Convention coming up next weekend in Niagara Falls, maybe it was time to put fingers to keyboard. (as opposed to pen to paper... this is the 21st Century after all!)

I've been spending some time thinking about who to support and why, so I decided to check online for more info about some of the candidates. So I punched in some search terms into good old Google, "pcpo 2012 executive". Makes sense, right? Well low and behold, the second hit offered up by Google was... none other than my own blog. Which, in my case, wasn't too helpful, because I only have info posted on the PCPO President's race! (in which, for the record, I'm proudly supporting my friend Richard Ciano... because it's TIME TO WIN)

So, since I seem to be a prominent place for people looking for info on the candidates, I thought I'd avail myself of the opportunity to pass on some recommendations... ;-)

President
Richard Ciano
Kevin Gaudet
John Snobelen

There's no surprise here... it's TIME TO WIN. The only way that's going to be possible is if Richard Ciano is at the helm. I've known Richard for a number of years, and he's one of the best organizers in the business. He's was a real help to me personally as I sought to run my first municipal campaign back in 2010, and has what it take to lead us to victory in the next election. Plus as a former VP of the CPC's National Council, he has the experience we need to put together a winning team... something that's been sorely lacking at HQ for a number of years now.

1st Vice President
Pam Hundal
Fitz Matheson

My pick here is pretty easy. One candidate is backing Richard Ciano, the other is backing another candidate. As such, I'm throwing my full weight behind Pam Hundal, go check out her website at VotePam.ca.

2nd Vice President
Allan Boynton
Hartley Lefton
Mark Straub

Another easy pick... because Allan Boynton is a great friend of mine! He's an amazing organizer, a real go-getter, and will be a perfect addition to our Executive PCPO! His Facebook page is here.

3rd Vice President (Policy)
Ian Bourke
Mike Chopowick

Ian Bourke is another friend, and great guy. He was involved in policy back in the Mike Harris era, which is a BIG PLUS in my books. His info can be looked up at IanBourke.ca.

4th Vice President (ACCLAIMED)
Robert Elliot - I orginally met and supported Robert four years ago in London. Congrats Robert! Keep up the good work!

5th Vice President (ACCLAIMED)
Charmaine Clayton

6th Vice President (ACCLAIMED)
Dan White

7th Vice President (ACCLAIMED)
Ken Audziss

8th Vice President (ACCLAIMED)
Gaggan Gill

9th Vice President (ACCLAIMED)
Megan Boyle

Treasurer
Zorah Churchin
Robert Col

Don't know either of these guys, nor who they're supporting for President, which is an important aspect for my vote. Please pass on any info you have on them.

Secretary
Christopher Deans
Silvia Gualtieri

Again, no info on either candidate. Stay tuned.

Central East RVP
Heather Kenny
Keith Strachan

Central West RVP
Andrew Johnson
Eugene Pasternak

I know both of these guys, so this one was a tough one for me. But due to several issues that have arisen in my area over the last year, I've decided to throw my weight behind Eugene Pasternak. He's a final year financial student at Waterloo, and has the youthful enthusiasm we need on the next Executive. You can join his Facebook page here.

East RVP
Chris Crawford
Larry Malloy

This one is a no-brainer for me... CHRIS! CHRIS!! CHRIS!!! Chris has been a friend for many years, I got to know him from his time at UofG. If I had to describe him, there's one phrase that quickly comes to mind... HE ROCKS!!! He's an amazing organizer, and he's THE BEST Canvassing Coordinator I've ever seen in action. He's all go-go-go, and no stopping until the job's done. Plus he's experienced, as this is actually a RE-ELECT campaign, as he's served as East RVP for the last two years. He's been a hard worker up on Parliament Hill for years, and he's a total blast just to be around. I am PROUD to call him my friend. This kid's going places! Check him out at ChrisCrawford.ca.

GTA West RVP
Jag Badwal
Gurdev Gill
Eric Wen

North RVP
Tannis Drysdale
Mitch Ouimette

South Central RVP
Les Kobli
Myles Wilson

North PCOF
Bob Bateman
Fred Slade

ACCLAIMED
GTA East RVP - Steven Cooke
South West RVP - John Nater
Toronto RVP - Justin Van Dette
Central East PCOF - Doug Earle
Central West PCOF - Gary Clement
East PCOF - George Hood
GTA East PCOF - Andrew Wallace
GTA West PCOF - Harjit Jaswal
South Central PCOF - Lawrence Scott
South West PCOF - Gary Filan
Treasurer PCOF - Rocco Rossi

All the info above is subject to updating, so please, send your updates my way. And remember to check the page out over the next few days as I post the updates! I'm also looking for advice on who to endorse for Treasurer, Secretary, Central East RVP, East RVP, GTA West RVP, North RVP, South Central RVP, and North PCOF. If you're affiliated with any of these campaigns, get in touch with me via the comments or by e-mail, at cc(at@)christianconservative(dot.)ca.

And just for fun, I threw together a handy "ABC Guide to Voting" the other day... was thinking of throwing it onto a t-shirt and wearing it to the Convention... LOL...

May the best man, or woman, win!

Dinner with Doug Finley!!!

Looking for something political to do next Thursday evening? How about dinner with Senator Doug Finley in Guelph?

That's right, he'll be the special guest speaker at Guelph's Annual Sir John A Dinner on Thursday Feb. 2nd. Tickets are $90, a portion of which will be tax deductible.

Contact the Guelph EDA at 226.706.5530 ASAP to book tickets! More info can be found at http://www.guelphcp.ca.

Sent from my Blackberry

"CIANO - Time to WIN" - Platform Launched!

Today, Richard Ciano's "Time to Win" campaign launched his platform for reforming the Ontario PC Party, laying the roadmap for rebuilding the Party to enable it to win once again. Give a listen to Richard's platform intro message, and then check out the platform for yourself here!

"Ciano - Time to WIN" - Successful Launch!

For those of you who missed the event live, you can catch the launch of Richard Ciano's campaign right here, thanks to YouTube.



All the best Richard! It's time to win, together!

"CIANO - Time to WIN" - LIVE FEED of Campaign Launch

As the various campaigns for PCPO Executive get underway, I'm gonna come right out of the gate and throw my support 100% behind RICHARD CIANO for PCPO President!

I met Richard a number of years ago, and I firmly believe he's the guy that can reorganize the Party in a manner that can, you know... ACTUALLY WIN AN ELECTION. His campaign slogan is spot on... "Ciano - Time to WIN".

He's launching his campaign today in Richmond Hill, and for those who can't attend, they're going to broadcast the campaign launch LIVE online... and we're hosting it RIGHT HERE! Check out the LIVE FEED below of the campaign launch event, scheduled to start at 7:00PM TONIGHT, Wednesday November 9th.



For more information, or to sign up for updates, or to join the team, check out his website at TimeToWin.ca.

My Blackberry Playbook review

It sucks. [END REVIEW]

Okay, maybe I should elaborate a bit more... try reading here, for just a SMALL sample of what I, and it seems many other, PlayBook users are going through.

Multiple users, all getting the same problem. When you first power on the unit, and get it on the wifi and then register your new account, it wants to do an immediate update. Sure, fine I think... and that's where the problems begin. Not just for me, but for MANY users.

Once the update process begins, THERE'S NO WAY TO GET OUT OF IT. If it fails, you have to reboot, and then after the reboot, it gives you two options: A) Try again, or B) Power off. That's right... it's TRY AGAIN, or NOTHING. So... I'm now on my SEVENTH attempt. I kid you not... MY SEVENTH. This time, lo and behold, it managed to complete the download of the update... after taking I don't know, an hour or so to download 300MB.

The power button on the thing SUCKS too. When it powers down the screen, it takes a couple of tries to press the power button "just right" to get it back on again. Flimsy is the word that comes to mind.

All in all, I've had the thing out of the box for four some-odd hours, just trying to get it past the initial setup portion... AND I'M STILL NOWHERE WITH THIS THING. At the moment, it's nothing more than a rather stylish looking PAPERWEIGHT.

An expensive, but stylish, paperweight.

Bottom line thoughts thus far... NOT READY FOR MARKET.

OOPS: McGuinty's OntarioWay = WRONG WAY

A picture really CAN be worth a thousand words...

The Liberal FAILBUS is BACK!!!

Dalton McGuinty's "Jedi Mind Trick" on Ontario

But the question is, will it work... AGAIN?

OLP Website DOWN

LOL... EPIC FAIL guys...

(Ontario Liberal Party's website @ 2:35pm, Sept. 8, 2011)

Why leftist ideology will NEVER solve our social problems

It's rather ironic that this post is going up today of all days, the day of Jack Layton's funeral in Toronto. But someone left a comment here on the blog today, once again fundamentally misunderstanding my views on helping the less fortunate in our society, and once again calling into question my faith for being a "Conservative".

Anyway, I responded with pretty much what I'm about to say, but then thought that with what's going on today, I'd post it for my general readership too. (plus, it's been a while since I last posted anything of substance, so I figured it's time to stir the pot again)

For all of you out there, my long time readers, long time haters, and those of who who've just stumbled across the blog for the very first time... Did you know that I acutally SUPPORT INCREASING welfare benefits? And did you know that I STRONGLY SUPPORT a strong social saftey net? And I do so based on my firm convictions as a CHRISTIAN CONSERVATIVE... as I'm a Christian FIRST, and a Conservative SECOND. And the two, despite what many on the left would have you think, are NOT mutually exclusive.

Where I fundamentally disagree with those who are on the left, like the late Jack Layton for example, is they way that most folks on the left envision the solution to these problems. Most of them (and I recognize that I'm making some significant and non-encompassing generalizations, I know) believe that by simply throwing more money at the issues, we'll be able to solve these significant and long-term issues. A large number of them also incorrectly believe that the way to get this money is to over-tax hard working people, thereby "leveling the playing field" as it were.

Personally, I think this is a REPREHENSIBLE philosophy, and only ENCOURAGES more of the same behaviours that are the root cause of SOME (but obviously not all) of the problems we face. In essence, it's a a fundamentally Communist perspective... take away from those who have, in order to give to those who don't. The problem with that perspective is that there are many of those who don't "have", who in fact COULD "HAVE", if they weren't repeatedly making bad choices.

For example, I've worked in front line healthcare, working daily with folks who are on social assistance. Of course, many of them VERY legitimately, who have conditions that prevent them from being able to provide for themselves. (see related ASIDE below) It's really sad to see the generational welfare families, who've figured out how to "work the system", and have taught their children how to do the same... kids who have now grown up with a "sense of entitlement", and have no desire nor inclination whatsoever to get themselves off the system. They look to the state for EVERYTHING, and blame all their problems on society in general, rather than looking to themselves and learning the benefits of hard work to improve their own lives. It's a desperately sad and vicious cycle, one that will be IMPOSSIBLE to break if we just keep throwing more money into the system.

(RELATED ASIDE: I remember one guy who really WANTED to provide for himself but just couldn't... was in a wheelchair, and had numourous conditions that prevented him from holding a job, because his body wouldn't co-operate with any kind of consistant schedule. So what did he do? When he was in good health, he'd spend a lot of time doing voluntary work, like sorting at the local Food Bank, and in general just trying to give back to the society that was supporting him. Had a GREAT attitude, and didn't convey any sense that he felt "entitled" to Government assistance. Now THAT's someone who more than deserves our support!)

So, I've come to the conclusion, as have many other Conservatives, that it's ONLY when we revamp the entire system, and get the "freeloaders" off the system, that we'll then have more money available to actually increase benefits to those who are genuinely in need. You see, I'm focused on the ROOT CAUSES of the problems we see, not the SYMPTOMS... but I percieve that most folks on the left are focused on the symptoms, not the solutions. Of course, most of them will turn around and say that the REAL root cause of our problems is the dreaded evil of "capitalism"... at which point I just roll my eyes, once again.

You see, I wouldn't call myself a "capitalist"... we just live in a capitalist society. AS HAS MOST OF THE WORLD SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME. You know, the general principal of "If a man shall not work, he shall not eat." Which, interestingly enough, is a Biblical principal too.

Now of course if a man CANNOT work, then OBVIOUSLY we need to support him or her in our society. For the record, I want to HELP solve these issues, to "Do unto others as I'd have them do unto you", as the Lord Jesus taught us. But I have a fundamentally different perspective from those on the left as to HOW we need to go about solving them.

That doesn't make me an evil person... it makes me a "Christian Conservative". I'm just someone who wants to see the lives of ALL his fellow countrymen improved, without having to pay too much in taxes, of course.

RIP Jack Layton - 2011

My wife called me this morning to let me know of the passing of one of Canada's great politicians... Jack Layton.

While I may have disagreed with many of his positions, no one could ever doubt the sincerity of what he believed. His voice was a clear and articulate one for the left, and the loss of his voice is a loss for all of us in this great nation.

My thoughts are with his family today. RIP, Smiling Jack.

Dear SW Ontario Ford Dealers

Just sent this in to Ford Canada. Will post any follow-up I receive.

Good day,

I am seeking to track the owner of a dealer plate that was a member of a Ford F-150 truck convoy travelling westbound on the 401 last night around 9:30pm between Guelph Line and Hwy 6 North. As it was a fleet of 4-5 new F-150's, I am assuming the plate belongs to a Ford dealer in Southwestern Ontario.

The plate number in question was 204 DLE, and though the driver of this plate was not directly involved in my incident last night, he/she was the trailing member of said convoy.

Last night, this convoy was travelling in a tight pack in the far left lane, and was at times impeding the flow of traffic. That is, of course, when they weren't travelling recklessly at over 130kmh.

At one point, due to the other cars around, I was forced to move over into the left lane, at which time the incident I am reporting occurred. It was at this time that your drivers became hostile, for the apparent offence of having briefly disrupted their convoy. They boxed me in, the lead car (a beige Pontiac Transport) kept slamming on their brakes to force me back over to the right, and an F-150 severely tailgated me, flashing his/her high beams at me. It was during this time that the Transport driver flipped me the middle finger. Once I finally got back over, the team ROARED past me at well over 140kmh, potentially even over 150kmh, which as you well know could have resulted in the impounding of these vehicles.

This was some of the most unprofessional driving I have ever seen of a dealer, and I am expecting the team in question to be disciplined for their reckless actions, which endangered not only my safety, but their own, along with all the other drivers on the road last evening.

If these were not Ford dealer employees, then I apologize in advance. If, however, they were employees or contractors for a Ford dealer, then I await your response indicating what action will be take against these individuals.

Thank you for your time.

Ibbitson: A Primary system for Liberal Leadership?

John Ibbitson put forward a radical idea today for renewing the Liberal Party in his Globe & Mail article... how about opening up the Liberal Leadership process to an open and national primary system? And you know what? I honestly think that's a GREAT idea!

Most of my readers will know, of course, that I'm a card-carrying Tory, and that I'm committed to the DESTRUCTION of the Liberal Party of Canada... IN IT'S PRESENT INCARNATION, that is. Fundamentally, on a vast majority of the issues, I actually fall more to the left side of the Conservative Party... other than key SoCon issues of course, but I'm actually a lot more "Red Tory" than most people realize. (for example, most long-time readers will recall that I'm not a big fan of "small government"... I'm more a fan of "SMALLER Government", but do think that the Government should indeed be in charge of more sectors than my Libertarian friends do...)

All that being said, I do believe that Canada needs a true "centrist" option, but one that's NOT powerful enough to be able to form a Government on it's own. I think having a smaller rump of a party, say 20-40 seats, that could be a governing partner on either side of the political spectrum, would be a healthy thing for Canada. The problem is that the current LPC doesn't really care about the issues, they care only about POWER... and as such, spends more time trying to score political points with issues, instead of articulating an actual VISION that keeps the Party consistent. (one of the reasons I hate the current LPC so much is that they have the political consistency of JELLO... wobbly, slippery, and impossible to nail to a wall) So an idea that will force the LPC to actually define a more consistent VISION, even one that changes with the changing of it's leadership, (instead of changing on an issue by issue, week to week basis) could be beneficial to Canadians. (And it might help to end the trend of mindless peons who simply vote Liberal because their families have ALWAYS voted Liberal, because people would actually have to start THINKING before they vote for their "default" family option...)

This idea might actually lead to a true "centrist" Canadian party, instead of a leftist/statist conglomerate of special interest groups that Canadian voters soundly rejected in the last election. Imagine... average voters, who want to have a say but don't want to pay a membership or join a Party, being able to pick the "vision" from a field of candidates that most closely aligns to their own. It would result in LESS power for the special interest groups that currently hold the Liberal Party hostage, and create a more "Canadian" centrist party than currently exists. Because you see, right now the Libs think that only what they deem as "Canadian values" are the only values that are legitimate... this would end that notion, because real CANADIANS, and not special interest groups, would be telling the LPC what "Canadian" values really are.

As a result of that, their platform would be RADICALLY different than their most recent offerings. It would be a more realistic reflection on what Canadians are actually thinking, and not what the various LPC Grand Poobahs try to LECTURE Canadians on how they should think. (by the way... how's that strategy working for you guys these days?) Hey, if the regular Joe Canadian was able to have a say like that, they may even come up with a vision that I'd be willing to vote for! (Of course, I'm talking about when Harper retires after his FOURTH CONSECUTIVE MAJORITY MANDATE!

Of course, you all know why I like Harper so much... clearly RIGHT, but pragmatically so, and as such able to make decisions for the good of the WHOLE COUNRTY, not being held captive to the influence of one or two special interest groups. He lines up with my vision of the country perfectly... someone who's clearly "conservative", but can govern a nation filled with people of ALL political stripes. Yea, I'm hoping he sticks around for a few terms.

But back to the Liberal Party... I actually voted for them in 1997. NOT for the LPC of course, but for my LOCAL candidate. I'd met him a number of times, and he more closely aligned with my vision and values than the "used car salesman" that the Reform had put forward, or the "dead man walking" that the PC's had put forward. (plus there was that whole "get your act together before I vote for you guys" attitiue that I had for both parties on the right back in those days...)

So personally, I'm a fan of Ibbitson's idea. Just imagine with me for a few moments... various candidates with truly differing visions, travelling around the country from province to province, with different provinces voting on different days, weeks apart like in the US primaries. Have two "divisions" of provinces, with the smaller ones slated to go first, and the three most populous ones later in the process, to ensure that the Big Three don't get to decide who the leading candidates are before the rest of the country has had their say. Instead of having set dates within each division, have a randomly assigned order every cycle, so that you don't get a PEI or New Brunswick always going first, and thus avoiding a perpetually and overly important New Hampshire or Iowa primary. This would also ensure that no one of the Big Three gets to set the agenda for the other two, which would certainly NOT be helpful to national unity.

By having such a process in place, and allowing ANY Canadian to have their say, it would not only renew the Liberal Party, but it would have a profound impact on the other parties as well... the Conservative Party would thereby define themselves with a truly "RIGHT" vision, and the NDP would more likely define themselves with a truly "LEFT" vision. Once the votes are cast in the General Election, Canadians will have more clearly indicated where they want the country to go, and opening up the potential for true coalition governments that would likely more accurately reflect the political will of the people.

For the record, it would actually be NICE to have a real CHOICE when it comes to voting... because right now, I don't have much choice at all. If I don't want to vote Conservative, I don't have an option... there's no way I'd give the NDP the keys to 24 Sussex (though I do think you're a nice guy and all Jack...) and I know the current Liberal Party would simply continue their pattern of social destruction that started way back in 1968. (fortunately, I've got it easy these days, with Harper in charge... cause I actually WANT him to be leading the country. As for the next leader? Who knows... a Mike Harris or Bernard Lord sure, but a Kim Campbell, a Jean Charest, or maybe a Libertarian? Not a chance!)

And I'm being serious here guys... this isn't some nefarious post, secretly wishing that they take my advice and completely destroy themselves... this is an honest evaluation of the idea. It's an idea that I'd very likely partake in... and if I don't like the result of the Leadership contest, I've still got the Conservatives as an option! But I think such an idea would offer real CHOICE to Canadian voters, and would allow for an open, honest, and regularly renewed Liberal Party of Canada. Which is, if I'm correct, what they're aiming for this time around. Well, at least that's what many Liberal voters are hoping for... but as for the current crop of Party insiders, I'm not holding my breath.

GOODBYE KOODO!!!

UPDATE IV: Wow, this post is STILL the highest traffic post I think I've ever written, so a clarification is in order... I've since had GREAT service from Koodo.  I have to chalk things up to a single issue with an account, in part because I was the technical contact who set up the account, while someone else was the one paying the bill.  I'd signed up for a paper bill, and since the payee never got one, I didn't know anything about it until Koodo sent me a "FINAL NOTICE" before going to collections.  Anyway, I got it all cleared up, but this post went up because I had a bad experience with a customer service rep.

If you're looking for Koodo, check them out here: KoodoMobile.com

ORIGINAL POST


Well, being an IT guy, and being the resident cell phone expert amongst my friends and political circles, people ask me for advice on who's got the best deals for cell phones. And invariably, for average usage folks, I've always spoken well of Koodo... low cost, and great value for what you get.

BUT NOT ANYMORE!!! Thanks to their low cost, or rather, cheapskate billing practices, I nearly ended up getting a collections black-eye thanks to the folks at Koodo... because THEY never bothered to send me an electronic bill, which is what I'd signed up for! You see, their way of doing things is that instead of sending your monthly e-bill to your e-mail, which is what I "thought" I was signing up for, you actually have to go and register on their website in order to get access to the e-bill.

The real kicker is when you cancel your account (which I'd done, because it was an Election 2011 campaign phone)... you'd think they'd send you a final invoice in order to get their money, right? WRONG!!! All I got from them was a PAST DUE notice, and a threat of getting sent to a collection agency! How's THAT for "Customer Service"???

Funny thing is, if they'd just sent me the bill, paper or electronically, they'd have had their money MONTHS AGO!!! (say, May 3rd?) Instead, cause of their backwards billing processes, they've had to wait an extra two months for their cash, AND have gone and lost me as a customer, AND a whole whack of folks to whom I'll be making recommendations in the future!!! Did I mention that I've already steered two people today away from Koodo?

Plus, I seem to recall that there's a campaign coming up soon... guess who's NOT going to be getting our cell phone contract! And likely this post will influence a few other campaigns to go elsewhere too!

WELL DONE KOODO!!!


UPDATE: Oh the power of the blog... got a response:
"Looked at your account & from what I can tell the issue seemed to have been that your bills have not been received by you. I can see that they were sent to Canada Post with your address that we have on file. As long as our records are correct I don't have a ready answer why they haven 't arrived even prior to the CP strike. Because of privacy and security concerns we don't email invoices and I don't think anyone else does. Since you were set up to receive a paper bill no email notifications were sent out. I also see that you called and now have access to your bill through our self-serve site. Disappointing that it took us this long to solve things, but I think we have learnt from the experience and will make a few reccos to our team. Thanks for your feedback! Bernard from the Koodo Team"

Thanks for the reply Bernard... you're right, I never got a bill, not even once, even though I paid the extra $2 a month for them. Guess I need to call back for a credit?

UPDATE II: It's been a while since I posted this, and a number of people have found it online and commented on it. Thought I should post an update, because I've since had another, and MUCH better, experience with Koodo, and didn't encounter these kinds of issues. I may have to chalk it up to a one-off issue, as opposed to their customer service as a whole.

UPDATE III: Well, it seems I'm still getting LOTS of traffic to this post (it's one of my higher hit count posts) so it looks like I have to do YET ANOTHER update to clue people in on a few things.

1) Koodo has improved their processes since this post, so the main issue has been resolved. I have dealt with them a number of times since (though NOT during the 2011 Ontario election, as I promised) and have been satisfied. With several of their new plans and phones, they are, in my opinion, once again one of the best options on the market.

2) The issue WAS ON THEIR END, it had nothing to do with me, where some commenters have tried to lay blame. Though I set up the phone for someone, I was NOT supposed to be dealing with the bills... therefore, I didn't even know there was an issue until I got the FINAL NOTICE before going to collections. But the root cause was the fact that there was an issue with Koodo, NOT with me.

So here's a FINAL NOTICE to commenters... anyone who posts stating that "it was your own fault" simply won't get their comments posted. So now you've been warned.