"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

Sunday 15 November 2015

HERE'S A THOUGHT !!!!

i used to watch Sunday reviews of the week's news; Canadian and American. 

I don't remember a conscious decision to stop. It may be years since.  

I turned T.V. on. early today . I wanted to see the effect the crisis in France had on Hilary's fortunes and quickly realized why I had stopped watching. 

It's a cacaphony of sound. An amplified battle of loud and strident opinion . 

 I have never comprehended the popularity of heavy metal bands either. 

On Saturday, Hillary's respectable rival candidates were eons behind her in experience and skill.

How the gender factor factors in the election is still to be seen. 

In all the talk and review of what led to the Paris atrocity, I listened for a reference to the Iraq invasion
and how the latest Middle East mayhem evolved. 

President Bush,senior's  biography was on the book tour last week. Unflattering things were quoted in the book about Donald  Rumsfield, Defense Secretary in the Cabinet of President ,the son, Bush. 

Rumsfield was said to be arrogant and unpleasant. When asked to respond,he dismissed the comment on the basis of the relative age of the former President. 

i recall  the Secretary's  repeat sneering, jeering reference to French  because they refused  to join the U.S. plan  to remove Iraq Leader Sadaam Husein from power. The French advised against the plan. 
They certainly had the international experience and the scars to prove it. 

If Middle East mayhem is the reason for the Paris atrocity, that would be true irony. 

What if .....evidence suggests otherwise?

Like generations of young people in various countries of the world without hope for a future and governments incapable of recognizing volatility of youth throughout the universe with no practical purpose in life and connected by social media. 

Hey......Is that crazy or what? 

42 comments:

Anonymous said...

The invading of Iraq certainly didn’t help. But I believe these acts of atrocities would still be here today regardless. Evil never has to look for an excuse for being evil.

Anonymous said...

The book of Mr Bush Senior is a real study. He writes things about his son that might have been better said at the time
he was being led by the nose by Rummy & Cheney - both of whom were eventually sacked. but way too late.
Maureen Dowd had a good column on that in the NYTimes. I think it was called
Poppy Bush Finally Spanks Junior

Anonymous said...

Shock and Awe created this mess. Now the architects from that era are pretending to present a solution
with their current republican candidates. And the Americans seem to be reacting like Pavlovian dogs. We can
only hope that nothing further intrudes on their angry psyches until after their election. In the meantime, those who would
target immigration of any type other than white and christian have the floor.

Anonymous said...

One has to expect some ripple-effect when 460,00 Iraquis die in a search for non-existent WMD

Anonymous said...

12:01 - They may have aggravated this mess, but they didn't create it. I agree with 8:55 on that one. And for any who think immigration started this mess is wrong as well. Muslims and people of all faiths around the world are going to have to rise and stand up against this evil group. "White Christians" will not be able to do this on their own.

Anonymous said...

I am truly glad our own election is over & done. We would still be being fed a diet of fear.
And i agree with 14:29, everyone has to take a stand. But we must each do it in our own way and my way would
not include bombing if my country could contribute logistical support on the ground & assistance to those fleeing the terror in a meaningful way. Canada is not needed in the air war - we are just a token player there.

Anonymous said...

It took our company to screen 3 people, 3 months before we hired them. How are we going to screen 25000 in 1 1/2 months?

Anonymous said...

How about the 1/2 million that Saddam murdered?

Anonymous said...

18:27
No one asked that after the World Wars. As kids from that exodus, we were called DP's but there wasn't the rancour
and just plain meanness that I am seeing today. And it all seems to stem from a single passport found [ left ? ] on the scene
in Paris. There are thousands fleeing the same sort of terror.
If you must nit-pick, start re-uniting families with folks already here.

Anonymous said...

I could not believe hearing the SCC asked for more money; because of lost revenue.
They say the loss of a room effected their rentals.
OMG it's the bloody museums building with over $3 million raised for that use.
Then we have a National Historic Site asking for $70 thousand to help fix Hillary house
Lazy asses go ask the feds.

Anonymous said...

"Are you interested in collectible sports cards? Missing a few cards from the Tim Horton’s Hockey set? Come join the A3C!
The A3C (Aurora Card Collectors Club) is holding its first meeting on Wednesday, November 18th at the Old Library on Victoria Street. Jointly hosted by the Aurora Museum & Archives and David Heard, the evening is intended to bring together card trading enthusiasts in Town who want to share their collections and knowledge with others. Open to seasoned veterans and rookies alike; come learn about the care and building of your collection and how to determine value and fair trades. For more information please contact Shawna White (905) 505-1190 or via email swhite@aurora.ca. All welcome!"

I'm all for enthusiasts of a particular interest or hobby forming a club. And another community group is a good thing, I guess. I'm just puzzled about what, if any, connection there could be to our museum and archives.

Yes, I am curious about what this has to do with the Town's museum. Is this the best use of the Town Curator's time and resources? Should a Sunshine List Town employee be engaged in organizing/supporting a club of this type? Won't other community groups expect similar - special - treatment?

Anonymous said...

12:28
In light of no other options from you as to what she can be doing with her time, I think that something is occupying her time and that is better than nothing.

Why does a museum or archive have to be centered around "traditional" museum stuff?

Anonymous said...

Sorry - Hilary got a whole whack of money from different gov't hand-outs by hopeful political parties. If they chose to spend it\on a fancy lawn for seasonal tennis of the old-fashioned sort, that is their problem. Most people know that you fix up the basics of a structure FIRST and leave the rest for later. They were well aware of what needed to be done when they accepted those cheques.

Anonymous said...

"They say the loss of a room effected (sic) their rentals."

Undoubtedly, it did; that's only logical. The museum should move to the more spacious Old Library. That would be a better arrangement in the Cultural Precinct for both entities.

Anonymous said...


it's like those tennis people. They let Mr Gallo persuade them not to accept the tennis bubble in anticipation
that the town would give them a building, Fool's Gold. Timberlane is now moving into history & the poor dears are without a facility. Touching letter in the Auroran about the deprivation. They would have been playing in the bubble already.

Anonymous said...

@06:35

"Whine whine whine about losing a room to the museum."

Anonymous said...

18:20
Aurora has a Museum ? I haven't seen a sign about one since i moved here and then it was under construction.

Anonymous said...

@16:00
The Old Library is about as viable a building as the Old Hotel.
Knock the poor thing down.

Shawna White said...

Thanks for helping to spread the word about our card collecting club and I do hope that you will join us. It is part of the programming efforts tied to our current exhibition "A Legacy of Sport". Additional programming includes the 52 Pick Me Up project which features various athletes, teams and objects/location tied to Aurora on a collectible deck of trading cards. David and I are donating our time (after working hours) to gauge interest in starting a club in Aurora. We wanted to provide a safe, non-judgemental environment where individuals could come together around a shared interest and maybe learn a little bit about the history of sport in Aurora.

I firmly believe that the Museum should be a resource for the community that can help connect, involve, and inspire through its objects and stories. I am working on proposals for a number of initiatives that will use the collection in untraditional ways and welcome other groups to come forward to see how we can work together. I would also like to personally invite you Anonymous 12:28 to come and sit down with me to discuss your thoughts/ideas for moving forward with the collection. I am pitching a big community tent and all are welcome!

P.S. I like the Ice Cream Shoppe suggestion - a good way to fund programming!

Anonymous said...

What, 18:51? A museum has never been "under construction." It has always been housed in a variety of existing buildings.

Anonymous said...

20:06
Then all that scaffolding on the building with Museum and the big sign...." Under Construction " was wrong ? There was no construction going on ?
Silly old me.

Anonymous said...

Yes it was under construction.

Reno to become The Aurora Heritage Center.

Anonymous said...

Ms White, before I engage you on a few of your points, may I ask if you cleared your response to this blog with the Town of Aurora's Communications Dept? This type of discourse may be an issue for them, and subsequently...you.

Anonymous said...


"I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him," spoken by Mark Antony in the play Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare

The brutal slaughter of dozens of people in Paris has seen many world leaders react with great outrage and condemnation, and rightly so. Many speak about a united military strike against the cowardly perpetrators, led by France and with American and German backing. But this will not be an easy task nor is its outcome assured. ISIS appears to be well organized and has tentacles in many countries and occupies a vast land mass.

Criticism has crashed down upon our new Prime Minister during the first ten days of his mandate as he has distanced himself from a Canadian role in future military action. Our ability to carry out such an action is minimal and the six fighter jets we have in the region are not capable of much impact or destruction. He has offered in the alternative additional personnel for on the ground training of regional forces.

Critics appear all the time, making loud noises but seldom proposing solutions.

There is a significant other side to our Prime Minister's first overseas trip.

At the G20 Summit in Antalya, Turkey, Mr. Trudeau has been welcomed by China into the international family of world leaders like a "long-lost son."

Trudeau and Xi Jinping, China's president, met yesterday morning. Xi started off by saying China was grateful for what Pierre Trudeau did in 1970, when Canada became one of the first countries in the West to officially recognize the Communist government in mainland China.

"That was an extraordinary political vision. China will always remember that."

Xi's extraordinarily warm greeting to Justin Trudeau, coming less than two weeks after he's been sworn into the job, is in sharp contrast to Stephen Harper, who had to wait more than three years for a nice word from a Chinese president.

The Chinese were so angry at Harper they wouldn't deal with him until he travelled to Beijing in late 2009 where he got the equivalent of a public dressing-down by China's premier before he was allowed to talk to then president Hu Jintao.

So affairs of state often evolve from the personalities of the players and criticism and praise are both transitory.

Shawna White said...

Anonymous 20:48

Thank you for your concern. Please feel free to email or phone me so that we can set up an appointment to discuss in an open fashion.

Anonymous said...

18:51 - You haven't lived here very long, it would seem (much like the 'patron saint').

Anonymous said...

The Aurora Historical Society's Heritage Centre - not strictly a museum - became the Town's Cultural Centre (with a heritage component). Lucky us!

Anonymous said...

Exactly! Who doesn't like ice cream! The money that could be made. I mention it every now and again, but it doesn't make any traction.

Anonymous said...

Oh they will! And probably get that money as well.

Anonymous said...

Highland Gate has gone to the OMB. Shows what happens when one demands changes instead of trying politely to obtain
them. Those people were nuts. They had demands on their demands.

Anonymous said...

Of course this was going to the OMB. Did anyone think otherwise?


Anonymous said...

10:07

And the other side has demands... who is right?

Anonymous said...

13:02
Those residents venting at open meetings & a couple of obtuse councillors trying to to straddle the lines thought otherwise.
They figured that their play had a longer run.

Anonymous said...



Councillor Thompson raves how great it was for Council and the developer to reach a compromise agreement dealing with Timberlane and how if enough time had been available the same could be accomplished with Highland.

The Timberlane project is a disgrace with nearly double the density as its immediate neighbour. Just a matter of human greed.

Highland should be rejected by the OMB. It destroys neighbourhoods. This is wanton destruction and greed on a grand scale.

Anonymous said...

It will be interesting if council is going to help fund this performance at the OMB. My bet is that they are, knowing that they will lose. That's what Newmarket did.

Anonymous said...

We elected this council and provincial government. The developers did make up the rules to these games. Government did. Is it the deveopers fault that they're better players? Is it the developers fault that government is in in debt and desperate for revenue? Remember this during the next election.

Anonymous said...

23:23
You are exactly right. It is the governments that made these rules and further to that, the people that seem to complain the most are the ones that elected the governments that we have now. So, they felt that their saviours were elected only to be hood-winked at the end.

I don't want to say I told you so but......

Anonymous said...

"P.S. I like the Ice Cream Shoppe suggestion - a good way to fund programming!"

Speaking of which; what's with the book sale at the old armoury? How can you have a fundraiser for the museum - a Town facility? That strikes me as rather odd.

Anonymous said...

16:41- The museum is owned by the Town.

Anonymous said...

That's exactly my point, 10:29. It's not a charity or a non-profit, or some kind of service club or community group. What's next, a bake sale for the joint-ops building, or maybe a rummage sale with the proceeds going to SARC?!

Anonymous said...

What about the products the town sells or ticket sales, and sponsors???,,

Anonymous said...

Actually, I think it's more a case of 'you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours.'