"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

Wednesday 18 February 2015

Extreme Contrast

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Meandering Down Memory Lane": 

We have to house them and others of their ilk because we not longer have the death penalty. And we no longer have the death penalty because so many mistakes were made in the past that resulted in innocent deaths . It is a circuitous argument but we really do have to continue to warehouse our monsters. 
Posted by Anonymous to  Our Town and Its Business at 17 February 2015 at 15:38

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It's a long time since I was an immigrant. Brits then had voting rights from moment of entry.
Citizenship was a simple matter of application for a Brit. On the other hand, certain qualifications for landed immigrant status applied

Good health and character were a requirement. A criminal record would automatically negate an application.

A significant change occurred in the Trudeau years. Brits had to go through the same process for citizenship as people from outside the Commonwealth.

I recall,maybe forty years ago, a news account  of a man being deported to Britain. He was brought to Canada as an infant. The story involved a finding of guilt in a criminal offence.He had no ties to the U.K. and was desperate to stay in the only place he had ever known as home but he was not a citizen and back he went.
It wasn't  the worst fate. Many Canadians opted to stay in the U.K. after the war. As British subjects they had the right to vote and live and work in the U.K. Just as Brits had in various Commonwealth Member countries.


A number of years ago a fellow named Enoch Powell picked up a lot of public support for change.

Last time I was at London Airport, I felt like a stranger.
I have wondered about records of criminality in places with vastly different values reflected in  their laws and sentiment and culture.
How easy can it be to determine acceptability,as a landed immigrant to Canada? What would differentiate individuals who wanted to escape barbaric medieval practice and prejudice for a better life for their children from those determined to maintain the oppression in Canada, outside the laws of Canada?

How well does a national policy of multi-culturism serve Canada?

At the week-end, Stephanie and a friend went swimming in a Richmond Hill aquatic facility.
A family, mother, father and children were enjoying the pool. Father and kids wearing regular swimwear. Mother wearing a Burka in the pool.

Stephanie's friend, third generation removed from myself, had an immediate and strong negative reaction that surprised both.

Although the battle for women's rights was before her time, Stephanie's friend was suddenly concious of how hard it had been.
So well accustomed is she to visible minorities, minorities are no longer visible.

Until the incongruous sight of a woman in a swimming pool hiding behind a garment designed for the purpose.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sad. These women in Burkas may have left their country of origin for a better life, but how sad it must be seeing and hearing independent, strong and educated women who can live however they choose, and can vote. I'm sure it must be tortuous for many of them.

Anonymous said...

Going backwards again. The original bathing suits for woman covered the entire body while the men were able to wear reduced clothing.

Anonymous said...

The Auroran is up for light amusement at council activities.

Anonymous said...



Some women, and some men also, should cover their bodies in public.

They are not a joy to behold.

Anonymous said...

We all have our hang-ups. I remember being at a european hotel where some of the women went topless around the pool. My first instinct was to cover the kids' eyes. Fortunately my second was to discuss the difference from Canadian customs. The general conclusion was that some of the ladies should not do it.

Anonymous said...

Ah come on Ev everyone needs to wash their laundry , its just that some like to do it in a public swimming pool, can't see to much harm in it really

Anonymous said...

Is anyone besides me having trouble getting the Auroran ? Is Brock ok ?

Anonymous said...

15:35- too funny

Anonymous said...

15:36
That was unwarranted. Did it ever occur to your fuzzy little mind that the woman at the pool might have been even more unhappy with her situation than those observing her ?

Anonymous said...


This is somewhat off topic and is a great concern that I wish to direct to Mayor Dawe and members of Council.

There has been a lengthy debate concerning clear garbage bags, and their implementation on a trial basis is to commence shortly and later in the year is to become mandatory.

I'm fairly familiar with our neighbourhood, having lived here for 15 years. Garbage night offers the opportunity to meet and gossip with our neighbours and vent our frustrations on a couple of municipal matters that never seem to get properly and finally addressed. I won't bore you with them here.

I understand that there are certain items that should not be disposed of in the regular garbage, having first separated the paper from the glass from the plastic from the tin cans and deposited these into blue boxes. The really slimy, stinky stuff is meant for the green bin. Blah!

Things such as batteries, and especially car batteries. Now who in their right mind would put a car battery in a garbage bag?

Now, on our street, and in our neighbourhood most people put their green or black plastic garbage bags into garbage cans, that usually have lids that do not come off easily. Damn raccoons!

So my concern is: if it becomes mandatory to use clear garbage bags, who is going to come around and look through their contents when they are crammed into garbage cans? Is someone going to lift all the lids, pull up the bags from the garbage cans and examine the contents? This will certainly provide several additional staff for the municipal employment list, increase our taxes, and give that much more power to the CAO.

Anonymous said...

21:20
I am not going to do anything more with recycling than I already do. It is enough and I am tired to being pushed around about the small stuff. I have never put a battery in there and never would. Just leave me alone with the stupid rules and extra expenses.

Anonymous said...


21:20

My suggestion would be to have Councillors Gaertner and Humphries do a regular garbage route inspection and bring a report back directly to council. They would not ride on the garbage trucks for safety reasons. They could go undercover in private vehicles or make use of town vehicles. They would have to split open pails and cans containing concealed waste.

When the reports are tabulated Councillors Abel and Thompson could table a report on suggested enforcement action.

We could be a town known for taking action on environmental matters.


Anonymous said...

21:20 Ever think this might be smoke and mirrors.They know about the registered dump site on the moraine, in our Town, but have stayed silent.They want to look like they care about the enviornment.

Anonymous said...


10:27

Great idea for a garbage inspection committee. And you got the right people for it.

In order to do a good job and get a large enough sample all town neighbourhoods would have to be examined, and a sufficient number of streets from each of these.

This could take a considerable length of time. Local residents would want to know that the methodology behind the sampling was inclusive and that they qualified as participants in the sampling process.

Anonymous said...

Cllrs Humfryes and Pirri as well as the mayor took a hit - they were denied their outdoor streetscape furniture at "only $200,000 "

Anonymous said...

You can make up rules but there is no way to enforce them when they appear to be stupid or just posturing. I am pretty sure most of my neighbours do not give a hang about their garbage.

Anonymous said...

21:20
I have just opened a brand new box of Costco black (or is it dark green) garbage bags. There are 100 bags in there. I use 1 every two weeks. When I need to buy new bags in 4 years, I will buy clear ones - unless a new council/mayor decides to rescind the new bylaw.

By the way, what is the penalty for not using clear bags?

Anonymous said...

15:44 - the penalty is you would have to take it to the front door of the town hall.