"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Saturday 29 June 2013

THE HAZARDS OF HARD AND FAST RULES

There have always been rules in politics.  The Oath of Office is the biggie. 

Without swearing the Oath in the presence of a  Commissioner of Oaths , the elected is not eligible  to receive the trust  and authority of public office. 

The Oath of Office is  at one and the same  time recognition of  opportunity for abuse  and  criminalizes  any such abuse. 

Authority is not bestowed  until the Oath that binds is  administered. Trust is  presumed ntl it is abused. 

There are or were unwritten rules in politics. Mostly and simply  an understanding of a level  eneath which is unacceptable. 

For example, a family tragedy, accidental loss of a child would never be exploited for political gain.  

An attempt at same would be  recognized  and given the big chill. 
Proposing a Code of Ethics  would be recognized as the reverse of righteousness and receive the same reaction. 

Self-professed  righteousness implies moral superiority which is  easily recognized ad  not  well  received in polite company solong as it is dragged out from it hole and held up for all to view for te wriggling , slimy ,spineless creature it is. 

No astute politician would fall into  such an obvious and puerile trap. 

If  there is no substance beyond optics ,there is no future in politics. 

The  question of  expertise to write rules to govern matters of conscience comes into  play? 

It entirely depends  upon whose conscience .

Al Wilsons conscience?  Who can tell  how his sense of right and wrong  has evolved.  No doubt it  has.  

Of John Gallo's conscience? 

He asked the elderly woman to step aside , as opposed to Al Wilson who was part of the  same slate of candidates  Gallo was on. 

Who can say  what governs a person's conscience ?. 

This morning TheHonorable  Kathleen Wynn ,prior to a  run in tey   Gay Pride Celebration  in Toronto said

. " Rights and privileges are precious. We must protect them "

The harsh reality is , although  The Charter of Rights and Freedoms  was enshrined in law twenty-nine  years ago , still  there are those who believe it is meaningless document  If they  even know it exists. Were students  taught at it in Canadian schools? Do hey know what it means?  

As long as other people's rights  are being trampled and the  trampling is  done by a majority  it's A.O.K.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautifully put, Codes of ethics , conduct or whatever you want to name them appear to be in vogue these days , You really have to wonder how this great country was founded and built without this new found Grail, how did John A MacDonald ever succeed in bringing a country together without such riotousness and purity, with few exceptions politicians of today are absolutely remarkable at misjudging the electorate with all these useless antics.


“Integrity is not a conditional word. It doesn't blow in the wind or change with the weather. It is your inner image of yourself, and if you look in there and see a man who won't cheat, then you know he never will.”

Sir John A MacDonald

Anonymous said...

It is bizarre how many organizations have special lectures to their employees about bullying. But not to the employers. How the schools keep hammering on bullying. But the reality has not really altered when those with the power exercise it on those without.
Enjoy your weekend. Mother Nature is trying to behave herself. I'm trying very hard not to mess with any house spiders whose demise could mess us up.

Anonymous said...

Your story about Mr Gallo's arrogant approach that you turn over your seat to him is ' a keeper ''. It is something that can be asked at a future all-candidates' meeting if necessary. There is enough residual memory to town to make that happen.

Anonymous said...


From today's Globe and Mail column by Elizabeth Renzetti

She starts out by describing one of her Nova Scotian grandmother's favourite stories. A man from one of the political parties offered her five dollars for her vote. "A windfall!" When her husband was horrified that she had accepted a bribe, she said, "I took the money, Herman, and then I voted the way I wanted."

Ms. Renzetti then muses about the many things that might have occupied her grandmother as she trudged down a dirt road to cast her ballot. She voted.

We then come into present time and "what's Pamela Wallin's excuse" for not having voted in the last federal, provincial or municipal election due to work schedule and travel?

Some possibles:

"Perhaps a tiger was loose on the streets. Three times. Or was she at a barn dance in Wadena? Might it have been a meeting of Porter Airlines, where she once sat on the board of directors? Maybe she was on tour with Burton Cummings."

It's difficult to believe that someone of Ms. Wallin's experience would have written a letter to Senate administrators admitting to not having exercised her franchise on three occasions.

Ms. Wallin may be experienced but she also reveals her callous ignorance in writing the letter that she did. She should be booted from the Senate and have to work in the sanitation department of a Wadena motel, presuming there is one there.

Anonymous said...


Possibly when having the Oath of Office administered, the party swearing should be barefooted with both hands visible.

Self explanatory.

Anonymous said...

6:34 PM
That question should be right up there for him along with a more general one for certain candidates. " Did you vote to support initial & on-going support for the lawsuit in Morris' name against 3 Aurora residents? " That should be broad enough to exclude waffling.

Anonymous said...


Do you think Clr. Gallo intends to run in next year's election? So far he has only won one election, although he claimed in an affidavit to have been re-elected. This was blatant nonsense.

His presence on the previous term of council resulted from his being hand-picked by "she who is no longer."

But in all seriousness, how does he manage to keep that stiff curl in his hair? Does it hurt when he sleeps?

Anonymous said...

12:42 PM
I love watching the evolution of Councillor Gallo's hair. Even the kids will pop in to have a look at his latest manifestation.

minister against bad taste said...

To July 1 - 8:30...

Once again Ms Buck has found that publishing a personal attack on a sitting councilman (whether elected in the previous term or not) is okay. One wonders what she would do if someone posted a personal jab at something about her appearance? This is a very juvenile post and equally juvenile to actually publish. One has to wonder about the collective IQ of some of the posters here.