A Slight Ray of Hope

I find inspiration in the strangest places. From life stories to watching Salamanders under rocks, it seems that inspiration approaches from really odd angles. Just a few minutes ago I got a bit of inspiration from here:

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/12/02/tech-robot-hand-mind-control.html

Being a Sci-Fi kinda guy (eat your heart out T.I.) I find the prospect of cybernetics extremely wonderful. The last time I read an article like this was about a terminally ill patient who had a glass tube inserted into their brain, in order to control a mouse cursor. Now here we have an amputee who is reportedly able to control a robotic hand, and receive feeling from it as if was a natural part of his own body. Very promising. Imagine if there were no more of those clumsy looking prosthetic limbs which are so readily available today. Those of us who have all their parts attached and intact never really pay much attention to how wonderful it is to be able to walk around, pick up things, to feel and touch things. It's so natural that we don't think of the absolutely complex and wonderful beauty of what makes up the human form. Those who are deprived of the ability to do things themselves because of a missing limb or limbs, get used to life but I'll bet if you ask most they would confess that yes they do want their arm back. Who wouldn't right?

This technology allows a modicum of hope for people who must live life augmented. They might look to a slightly better future, appreciating regaining what they had once lost.

So much owed to so few.....

Tomorrow is the time when we're to gather as a nation and pay our respects to those people who had borne the brunt of terrible events throughout history. We come together to remind ourselves that our comforts have costs, and that anything worth keeping is well worth the lives we give it. But somehow I have to wonder if high ideals such as those really apply to the modern world?

During the first half of the 20th century, it seemed that public perception of war had begun to change in many ways for the better. The major conflicts of that time, so close together, culminated a staggering cost to the nations of the world. The loss of life, and the horrors witnessed seemed to waken thoughts more geared towards ending conflict. But that was just an awakening, seeing as how there were more wars to follow, as well as the threat of nuclear armageddon lingering ever present in the background. I wouldn't say we didn't learn, since no war has ever been as large or grandiose as the Second World War. But wars have become smaller and more secular, contained to areas which many North Americans and Europeans have never been. The one thing we have not learned throughout the last century is to stop romanticizing war. The modern media produces spectacular television shows and movies designed to have intense impact upon the psyche, bringing the emotional content to the viewer like an electric shock, jolting you into the drama. But even with these scenes which still only give a removed view to the conflict, the viewer doesn't fully experience the one characteristic that truly makes war terrible: loss. Civilians watch thousands of murders on television every year, but few ever experience the taking of a life, or the violent ending of someone they know up close. As a result the impact of loss is still not felt as widely as it had in the past, and people go on about their lives not bothering to think about the consequences that come from violent conflict. Therefore war is solely remembered on one day a year.

The service to a nation of people who have no concept of absolute terror other than listening to the dwindling few who speak, is becoming questionable. As a nation we regard war as horrible, and no longer wish to engage in the conflict. Keep our troops home, and let them fight their own war. But really we no longer want to go to war not only because it is terrible, but there is not that same sense that there is something terrible with which to battle against. The Second World War set the precedent, by which all other conflicts have been measured, and rightfully so. It had a broad sense of legitimacy which no government had yet to fully produce when attempting to gain support for another war. The latest major conflicts of Iraq and Afghanistan seemed to carry that legitimacy in the initial stages. When the twin towers fell the whole world was behind the US, wanting those who were responsible to be brought to justice. Everyone felt war was legitimate. Once the war on terror began though support began to slip. Information to the public was so convoluted, and didn't link up well at all. Conspiracy theorists cropped up and began giving ideas and opinions about who did what to whom to get the war started. The American government couldn't keep their story straight, and only fueled the fire, but not enough to push then President Bush out of office. Support was fleeing, and the sense of legitimacy was gone. Few wanted the war anymore, and less could see it as a winnable endeavour. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have gone on longer than both the World Wars and Korea, and seem to be approaching closer to that of Vietnam in terms of time. People can't see it ending. The public believes that we would have to be there for an unacceptably long time before any real progress has been made. But we're still there....

No soldier could ever truly believe that withdrawing from the conflict is a good thing. Once placed in harms way it is up to the man on the ground to win at that point, because it's his life that's at stake, and not some ideal which the governments would have people at home believe. Each man and woman who chooses to serve have reasons which are many, but likely at the core have some similarity. Soldiers don't choose to go to war, but governments choose to send soldiers. The Armed Forces carry out the mandates of the government that the people elect to power. The will of a nation for which the military works towards is an idea, a path fraught with terrible heartache made of cold stones atop dead bones of long lost brothers and sisters that each soldier must walk through a rainstorm of tears in order to see the task through.

Soldiers carry on because we would not want to shirk our duties to those who went before, and to whom we are willing to share the cost.

This ones for you Fred.

Know thyself. Plato coined these words realizing that men must understand their own nature before they can accomplish their life's ambitions. It's simple right? A two word phrase designed to be clear and easy to understand must be equally easy to accomplish. For most however the truth of those words only becomes evident near the end of our lives. Many people of varying generations rarely ever sit and ponder their lives to the extent of self examination, because the truth of what they are is frightening. There are however others who wake up one day and realize that they've deceived themselves and require change to be happy, or at least survive.

The negative side of this idea is that in the knowledge of ones true nature, a person may find out that they are something truly terrible. Serial killers might emerge. World leaders could become heinous, and fanatical with fascist thoughts. A mother might awaken to realize they no longer want the child they've given birth to. To know thyself is a journey fraught with perils which may end in the darkest of places. Fortunately I'm a firm believer that these things are less likely to occur, and that knowing what our true nature is is extremely positive.

Therefore it's refreshing to see when someone sees what they've become, and elects change over brooding. So many people feel that not trying to change is the way to go, because the chances of failure seem too great to overcome. But really you fail automatically when you don't try, and never realize the potential for the truth. And personal change comes from seek your true nature. Very few people ever wake up and realize what they want to do with their lives, a sudden epiphany, a brilliant flash to transform them. You rarely ever hear of an individual jumping out of bed in the morning shouting "I KNOW WHAT I WANT!" For most it takes a lot of soul searching. It takes the ability to look in the mirror and acknowledge the things that are holding you back, to stare them down and cast them out. To opt for change for a better life is incredibly difficult. Just ask an alcoholic who's fallen off the wagon. They understand the pertinent need for change, and are likely to respect the challenges a person faces in order to do so. They've seen the truth of themselves and make the journey everyday.

So wake up, stretch, watch the sun become born anew again, and realize that what you've begun is dangerous only to yourself, but the prize is worth the fight.

The tie that binds.....

There truly is only one tie that binds. Love. It is the one thing we can never control, the one constant which is beyond our capability to grasp in its entirety. We're born, we love, and then we die hoping that someone would remember who and what we were. Love is answer to the questions that people are too afraid to ask, and the prize for which the contest is fought.

Have you ever sat down and thought about why you love something or someone? Did you ever look into the eyes of your lover and ask 'Why do I love you?' Love is something for which there is no true answer. You could chalk it up to a number of things, but none of them could ever encompass that which drives us to great lengths to achieve it. It could never explain why we're so irrational when it's involved. I've always stated, and known no greater truth than the fact that we never choose love, but love chooses us. Trying to explain why this is is like trying to nail a house fly to the wall with a watergun. If emotion is irrationality, then love is absolute insanity and we're all insane at some point.

I've often wondered what the world would be like without love, and the answer is always the same. It would end up as a cold and worthless place, haunted by beings of questionable worth and life. Perilous and without content, people would cease to be human, and become shells without potential. We would have no causes to strive for, and no reason for being. As a civilization we would fade into black because there would be no reason to continue to exist. Horrible. Why do we have children? In modern society it really doesn't matter if love is there, because of the whole fable that we should just be able to screw like rabbits without consequence. Truthfully though doesn't that end up being worthless in itself? Most people are in it just for that momentary rush of hormones into their bloodstream to make them feel wonderful, and rarely notice the lingering voice in the back of their mind saying 'was it worth it?' Many people today are afraid of committing to love, fearing an end to their comfort, or cringing at the thought of change. What difference does it make? If you don't even attempt to love someone, then you'll spend your days wondering if you missed your chance. You wind up crying into your beer at the end of the day. You'll look at yourself in the mirror and lie, telling your reflection that it'll be ok, there's always tomorrow, plenty of fish in the sea. Bull.

We lie to ourselves everyday, and it's no wonder that we'll willing deceive ourselves about the one wonderful experience we could have for ourselves. We lie because it's beyond our control, beyond our capacity to grasp, and beyond our skill to cage. We wind up back at square one, because we never take it upon ourselves to take the chance to love, fearing failure, afraid the other will not have the same random emotion at the exact same moment. But how can we be certain? Failure comes automatically when you risk nothing. You fail at love when you don't put your heart on the line, and we see that reaction everywhere. Lonely people.

It's no wonder that the world is in the state that it is today. Too many people wandering about convinced their lives are worthless, and looking to increase the misery by torturing one another to alleviate their own problems. Love each other dammit! Until we can find more creative ways to function around one another, then love truly is the answer.

I want a spaceship

Yep. You heard me. Spaceship. And not one of those sub orbital jobbies like Virgin Galactic is working on, or even a space shuttle. I want an intergalactic cruiser, capable of traversing the stars just like in the movies, where it might take a day or two just to get from point A to point B lightyears away. Sounds like I watch Star Trek doesn't it? Well you would be right.

The inky blackness of space and all its infinitesimal beauty astounds me. If I had the brains to be one, I could most definitely be an astronomer, staring through the telescope late into the night watching the twinkling little dots which would seem inconsequential to the average Joe, but are truly the necessity of life. I have a broad enough imagination that lets me believe the idea that we are not alone in the universe, and that if we do find another race of beings, they might not be carbon based. They might not need water. They might eat rocks for all I know. But one thing I can't believe is that they would evolve without a star to call their own. Stars keep all kinds of raw materials in its grasp to use as the building blocks of life, and they also cradle worlds for that life to flourish on. Knowing that if you were to look at most of the exoplanet data we've collected so far, you would find that most worlds are inhospitable to us, and potentially to anyone else as well. But there are many within a reasonable range to their respective stars to have life grow on, and that life could be anything. Who are we to have a monopoly on life anyways? Our human arrogance since perceiving our mastery of our world has grown exponentially. However Mother Nature is a true environmentalist, and recycling is big for her. Even with all our technology, and grasp of the natural world, she spares no way of letting us know that she is still in charge. Her message can come from here on Earth in the form of typhoons and hurricanes, to earthquakes, and even snow storms, or it can come from outside the atmosphere. It would take nothing for her to wipe us out using a coronal mass ejection, a comet, or even an asteroid. A better likelihood would be that we would not see it until it was too late, and even if we did discover doom was upon us, what could we do about it?

To use a really poor analogy, our lives are like a Rugby game, and we have the ball. We have to bob and weave, push and shove to retain control of the bladder to make it to the other end. Otherwise the other team will take control and run with what we've earned by quick wits and brute force. Life in many ways is not about intellect but rather raw power and faster reactions. Right now we are the most advanced civilization we know about, but it really means nothing if we can't take the hit. We need to take the bladder and move it about, dodging the other galactic team, to make sure we can still be in the game. For that we'll need to use our wits, take some chances, and get that spaceship working. We've explored a lot of places here on Earth, and some on nearby planets, now we should start looking at what it takes to move our team into the big leagues.

So I want a spaceship to go traipsing about the galaxy looking for a new place to hang my hat. Maybe I can start a bar on some distant asteroid so I can serve drinks to wandering explorers looking for their own piece of wonder.

Holy Crap!!!

I'm sitting here watching, or rather listening to Bill Maher's excellent documentary Religulous, and something occurred to me. But occur is such a bland word to describe what had happened. The phrase I should have used was something 'shot me in the face with the gun of ridiculousness'. Either way.... I had realized that fundamentalist Christians are lazy. Yep. You heard me folks: lazy.

How can you deny it? Most people who are serious about their faith spend some time reading and potentially questioning their beliefs. From what I can see those who are fundamentalist Christians might have read the bible once, and then took it for what it said, and put it back in the motel nightstand. I have to wonder how much time they actually spend considering what is written in the 'good book', and how it applies to their lives. I wonder if they look at the argument against what they believe and consider it before allowing their faith to burn down the house of logic. Undeniably there are things which human being cannot understand, however we have learned so much that the possibility of God creating the earth in six days, Noah building an ark of wood and saving all the creatures of the Earth, and Jesus being born of a virgin just does not add up.... Unless it's intended as allegory. A myth designed to teach us an inner mystery, something we have not realized, from which we can grow to be better people. Well if you are a fundamentalist anything, it's likely that you can't see past the scriptures and scrolls, and reveal the mystery for yourself, because that would be too much work. I mean come ON! Faith is not meant to be so easy that you just have call up the Dial-A-Prayer hot line, get some washed out Reverend who couldn't make it on television, and suddenly BLAM! you're saved. You have to consider things....

Pagan faith for me is an absolute delight, because I do not carry the taint of other peoples belief structures. I read the stories that I can find, and various other bits of literature. I listen to what others have tried, and read articles others have written. I learn by myself, working my way through the struggle to attain what I believe I need, not what someone else thinks I should believe. When you are raised in a religious household you have a tendency to believe what is taught to you, and rarely question your beliefs. After all it's uncomfortable to question what's beyond your already established notions of how the world works. If anything you're more likely to become a non-believer and take an Atheist path, since it's far easier to remove your faith than to change it. That being said if you can overcome the odds and commit to changing your system of faith, then likely you will still carry over some shred of your former religion. The point is to take stock and go with what will help you to become happy, and a better person. Christianity has many good points, but the fundamentalists usual kill those thoughts once they open their mouths, spewing their rhetoric about sexuality, whose right and whose wrong, the end times and all the other little bits and pieces that really boil down to personal belief. Is it wrong to use birth control? Is it blasphemous to consider abortion? Did man descend from apes or was he created by God?

To examine your faith you have to sit down and start small. Take it a little bit at a time, and consider what is there and how it applies to you and your life. This isn't something that takes a week, or a month, or even a year. A life can be spent asking questions about personal nature, beliefs, and the meaning of God, and never be answered. Truly though there will be improvements on a personal level if you consider the impact that you as an individual have on the world and people around you. Just because someone wrote it down somewhere doesn't mean it is the literal truth. They wrote it for you to read and consider, and by considering examine what makes you you. If you take it as is where is, then the meaning is likely lost as are you.

So no matter what your faith is, or even if you have no faith whatsoever, at least sit down and consider this.

Whip It!

Yeah I went and saw the new Drew Barrymore movie today, and I must say that I was thoroughly impressed. When I saw the trailer for it a couple of days ago I could pretty much build the entire movie in my mind. When I saw it however my preconceived notions did not diminish the experience.

Whip It! is a story about a young girl in a small town in Texas who's life revolves around school/work/and the pageants her mother makes her attend. One day she gets a flier for a local roller derby match, and ends up falling in love with sport. Excitement, and hi-jinks ensue, climaxing in a roller derby championship. That's all I'll say about that though.... Ultimately there's all kinds of plot which I couldn't predict, and I was extremely and happily surprised. Drew Barrymore's directorial debut is without a doubt a refreshing work, with believable characters, and a girl power formula which is sufficed to say wonderfully liberating. Does that make me sound gay? Likely. Lucky for me though I'm not.

Ellen Page (Hey babe!) is quite possibly the best thing that has happened to the silver screen since it was first erected. Her character in Whip It! was down to earth, living through problems which most kids experience daily. Her enchantment with the sport of roller derby is genuinely portrayed, as if she herself had longed to strap on the skates and raise hell on the track. Her conflict to satisfy herself and those around her is an everyday experience which she takes to the next level with her talents. As well her performance is only further enhanced by the supporting cast around her, who fill out the movie like a double quarter pounder fills your stomach. Full to bursting with multifaceted talent which has yet to be fully realized.

To finish Whip It! was a phenomenal film that left me wanting to watch it again directly there after. I hope Ms. Barrymore's subsequent films will be just as worthwhile as this one was. I can't wait for it to come out on DVD.

Now to finish my beer and get to bed. ;)

You have to hand it to them...

Those crazy protesters. Look at 'em go!

The last G20 summit held in Pittsburgh held small echoes of the 1999 WTO fiasco which no government would ever allow to happen again. Video on YouTube and Google show people on megaphones shouting out lofty statements about free speech and the American first amendment of the Constitution, and then here come the riot police. They have their fancy trucks with sound cannons on them, they tote around their batons and zap straps, and they're ready to arrest anyone who gets out of line. But there's those protesters shouting their slogans and rhetoric, still trying to make the world a better place.

Little did they know that the land of the free got sold.

Everyone in the United States is raised to be a clean patriotic citizen, whose moral ethic is built to lead the world by their example. As a child you don't think that anyone is lying to you. You then grow up and realize that most things are lies, huge lies. The American Constitution is one of them. Protesters grow up and decide that they are the ones to affect change, and still believe that they have rights. Yet everytime you watch one of these major protests go down, it doesn't matter how peaceful they are, the cops show up and start throwing their weight around, sometimes without provocation. Is that the idea of freedom they were raised upon? I think not. As well they also must believe that their opinions matter, but as we all know there's plenty of complaining in the world, and no one cares. Now that sounds pretty jaded, but what have the protestors accomplished?

Now don't get me wrong. I admire the ideals these people extol, and wish I had the ability to do what they do. They want to be heard so they go out and give it their all to get heard. They risk being caught in a riot, gassed, pepper sprayed, and arrested to get their message out. The problem is that to make the changes they want they have to convince the people in power. They have to get their message to those who control the nations and corporations, and make them listen. How can you do that if there's a line of police between you and the person you want to talk to? What would it matter anyway? The person you want to talk to wants the police between you and them anyways, so already there's a barrier in place before you even see a cop. These people don't want to, or have time to talk to protesters and activists, because they believe all they're going to hear is how they are a) a horrible person, b) their activities are killing everyone, and c) they are part of a global problem which they perpetuate. What they aren't hearing is a) how they can change, b) how to ease the impacts on humanity, and c) how we can all work together to be prosperous.

Have you ever seen a protest march where the people want to talk to the companies, and heads of state in a positive way? In the modern day it seems that corporations, especially in the States, are holding governments hostage in a sense. Money being what it is drives this corporate bus straight to the capitals of nations and attempts to force the door open so to speak. But they do it so subtley that you're not sure what's happening, you just get this uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach. Breathing heavily into the paper bag, and reaching for the Rolaids, you tell yourself that's it's going to be ok. But it doesn't get better. You keep paying you taxes, and driving your car to work. You watch the mind control box at night when you get home while cramming down a heart stopping meal. Life revolves around comfort, and anytime something unpleasant comes on the tube, you can just change the channel. We ignore the things we don't want to see. We don't want to work towards the positive, because that would be too hard.

Protestors and activists have this golden vision of how the world should be, but the methods they use are working against them. Protesting en masse is good, rioting is not so good. Working to change goverment and corporate opinion is good, confirming these bodies opinions about the working class is not so good. Activism has to change the way it works globally before it can conquer global problems. Corporations and governments must also take a long view of the world beyond their high rise buildings and warehouses, and see the future they are creating can be deadly dangerous if it's built on a foundation of greed and shady dealings. Maybe then both sides will be able to sit at the same table and hash out their differences.

After all how can you have dialogue while shouting at one another?

The splendour of the giddy little thrill

Enough trash talking. Let's get down to brass tacks. This blog is spiralling out of control with negativity! It's madness. If I go on any longer I may have to unleash the caps lock fury. Sufficed to say that I'm taking this post in a slightly different direction.

Have you ever laid in bed at night and then had this little sensation come over you (keep it out of the gutter folks), and wanted to chuckle for a while, or shove your partner out of bed just to play? Ever seen something on TV that was so awesome, that when you think of it it gives you a warmth down in the cockles of your heart? Have you ever felt the need to go happily crazy and just start doing random things that make absolutely no sense to anyone but you? This is what I like to refer to as the giddy little thrill. It's that point of euphoria that seems to randomly jump into our lives and makes you want to break out. You might get it from perusing past memories of your childhood, or thinking of that special someone. You might feel it while driving your car fast, or by stealing a magazine from your doctors office. Heck it might get that glorious feeling just before you need a real good bowel movement. It doesn't matter.

However it works out you find yourself inevitably kicking out the jams, or starting something that is at least for the moment spiritually uplifting. It likely will not make any great sense to anyone else but you, and in fact most people watching you might think you're pepped up on goofballs, but you'll know that what you're doing is awesome, consequences be damned! It's full steam ahead, outta my way, and look out world because you feel on top of Mount Awesome. You are bigger than Jesus, and you feel great.

The giddy little thrill is a momentary thing, which may be fleeting at best, but is so incredible that you crave crave more. Drugs don't give it to you. Booze doesn't do it either. Jumping out of a plane may or may not do it for you, because it'll likely be masked by overwhelming fear and excitement. The giddy little thrill is a small thing which seems bigger than it actually is. It's a random occurrence, as if it was sneaking up on you all day long and suddenly your set upon by it, and you can't turn off the smile even if you were arrested. You just want to shout, dance, play air guitar, and you want all kinds of other people to have the same feeling as well. A complete and unexpected moment of wonderful bliss and inspiration.

If you can capture that feeling in a day to day environment, be it at home or at work, savour it and hold on as long as you can. There's too much complaining and not enough laughing.

Now excuse me while I go rock out on top of my filing cabinet, and think about launching my rocket.

Farcical Reasonings

It's a slap in the face if they decide to go through with it. I am tired of seeing political ads on the television, which attempt to connect the party leaders to the common man. More specifically the ones dealing with the Liberal, and Conservative parties.

The very notion that we may be heading back to the polls again is very disconcerting indeed. Four elections in five years. It's got to be a record, and if so it's a stupid one at that. How in the name of the Gods does something this ridiculous happen? Are the party leaders so inflexible that they can't work with one another? I wouldn't say that, but I would say they are wholly irresponsible to let something like this happen yet again. All this political trash talking between the parties has become a major distraction, so much so to the point where I wonder if the business of Parliament has been conducted effectively at all. It's almost like a married couple arguing over whose turn it is to do the dishes, or better yet children on a playground fighting over the last swing. Looks like the term 'spare the rod, spoil the child' is suitable here. Someone needs to go to the House of Commons and start slapping people around, bellowing 'SMARTEN UP!' into a loudspeaker.

We elect government officials yet they never seem to listen to us, at least not anymore. Since when is an elected official not accountable to his or her constituents? When did we decide to let the running of the country fall to those whose morality is questionable, and ethical guide impaired? Why can't people work together to solve problems?????

I'll tell you why: closed minds. Representatives stand in the House of Commons to deliver a speech only to be shouted down by the opposition, meanwhile their own party members sit looking bored and uninspired. Maybe some of them should shut up, while others should sit up. With the party system we have now, good ideas may be flushed right from the get-go, because the person who proposes them are from the opposite party. Because they are the opposition, then the knee-jerk reaction is automatic, and they say 'Nay'. Party leaders lay out strategies to prevent the other parties from looking good, and politic in a way that would be contrary to the public good.

Debate is fine, but I'm all for letting a person have their say without hearing a lot of shouting from their opposition. Speak the idea, hear the idea, have your say without interruption, and then vote on it. How is that so hard? Let's just work together for once, instead of wasting time having back to back elections.

Jerks

They're everywhere. They work fast food counters. They scratch your car in the supermarket parking lot. They're in the media. And of course they're in politics. Yep. The people that run your country are jerks. Big jerks. Really big jerks. I want to swear when I write about them, but somehow that would take away from the tragic comedy known as Parliament.

When did it turn out that politics became about the party and not the people? Was it always like that? Have I been just that blind that I could see the forrest for the trees? Likely. Canada's political parties as of late have been a shadow of their former selves, all posture and no soul. They never had much a soul in the first place, but in past years I'm sure they had substance of some kind. In the news the last week or so the Liberal party has decided that it would no longer prop up the government, and that it would issue a motion of non confidence if it saw fit. Michael Ignatieff has yet to save the Liberals from their downward spiral, just as Stephen Harper looks like a prisoner being torn apart by horses in the arena. The stupidity of it all is that Harper is right by saying that no one wants an election right now. Irregardless of the economic situation, the war, and H1N1, or any other politicised reason, we-just-don't-want-it!

Canadians are sick and tired of being told what we want. Ignatieff has read the face of the public wrong if he thinks an election is a good thing right now. People were upset about voting the last time, less than a year ago in fact, and now he's pushing to take power. There's not one candidate for Prime Minister that I would willinging vote for right now. There's no candidate that has a solid plan that I can relate to, or one that has the charismatic potential to make me believe they're actually human. Our system of government is decent enough to survive more than a hundred years of use (in Canada that is), and has yet to be overthrown. But now each party spends more time jockeying for position, or puffing up to make themselves look bigger to the other guy. I'm so tired of listening to hot air being spewed in the nations capital. In all honesty if there could be a way to fire them all and start fresh, I think I'd be all for it.

This is ridiculous!

When are the parties going to stop bickering, shafting one another, and look critically at the problems of the country together? If they don't learn to work with one another then the outcome is relatively clear: absolutely nothing will get solved. It's not like these people have pent up frustration. They get more time off than I do, have likely more interesting jobs, and have the potential to accomplish a greater amount in their lifetime than I do. Instead they stab each other in the back every chance they get.

Shut up. Grow up. Work together. We have too many problems happening to listen to rhetoric crap from a bunch of jerks.

Religious Ridiculousness

Lately I've been writing a lot about my own difficulties regarding my religious choices. Honestly I've been incredibly negative, but at the same refuse to apologize for anything written because it is how I feel.

Today I read an article through Witchvox about Asatru/Odinism in prisons and the problems with allowing this particular sect to flourish. Reading the article I became increasing frustrated. It seems that the alternate form of spirituality for the white supremacist movement is Norse style Paganism. Why oh why does this have to be? Why do social and political leanings of a particular group of people have to taint a wonderful spiritual path? The proud martial ideals that spring from Norse mythology should be a catalyst for growth for anyone who practices it. A spiritual discipline which helps to remove the chaff of the work-a-day world and brings you down to the raw strength of the warrior archetype, one who can battle against any odds and defeat any challenge. The pride of the warrior here is exploited. True pride should stem from ones ability to overcome difficulty and improve the world around them. To be able to say 'I did that', and know your work is well respected. After all there is nothing wrong with having pride in the things you do. The only time pride bites back is when it's unwarranted, or takes away from someone else.

White supremacists seem to play on this aspect, using it as a tool to recruit the youthful and foolish, which taints Asatru/Odinism and brings it low. But why stop there. There are plenty of other religions which generate their share of nuts, ruining it for everyone.

I read in the paper recently about a Christian religious leader who was having sex with girls as young as 12. Disgusting. I hear all the time about Muslim zealots who talk of destroying the state of Israel, and indoctrinate children to do their sinister will. There have been plenty of depraved stories about the Pagan community as well. Abuse through drugs and sex is no stranger to Paganism, as well as petty social ostracizing because someone won't do what the coven elder wishes. With all this taint, why would anyone want to practice any religion?

Practice indeed, what with all the foolishness that somehow gets generated by people with claims of 'God told me to', or 'It's the will of the Gods'. If somehow you find yourself agreeing with me on this, then ask yourself what you believe. Moreover ask yourself what do you need to feel spiritually fulfilled. I applaud those who take their spirituality personally, looking to rid themselves from the daily trappings of religious foolishness. Recently an old friend of mine wrote a message to people he knew, about his dissatisfaction with the Pagan community and all the problems he's encountered over the past few years. Reading his words I couldn't agree with him more, but where he applied it exclusively to his community, I would take snippets and apply it to all faith groups. I guess that's the good thing about being an eclectic. To quote one of my favourite movies: "They take what they want, and leave the rest. Just like your salad bar." The idea of religion is wonderful because it has the potential to bring people together. But being a human construct, religion has divided people. It causes them to narrow their focus, believe in only one thing, and causes them to say a myriad of things which are hurtful and generally untrue. It's like watching children argue on the playground about who's father is better.

Religion for the most part has the greatest potential for creating disaster on a grand scale, for the utmost trivial reasons. Belief in the spiritual or supernatural seems to attract the most perverse of social saboteurs, men and women who for their own reasons or madness, use their religious practices to finish whatever fiendish machinations they concoct. They attract followers and lead them down a path most dangerous, using their beliefs as tools to inspire, incite, and drive home their depravity. But seemingly normal people believe their rhetoric, and are willing to champion their causes, for whatever reasons, and only add to the terrible confusion and frustration.

I've read once that Paganism was the fastest growing religious philosophy in North America. But given all the problems associated with religious belief, I must wonder if Atheism will trump all the others. At least the belief that there is no higher power can sponsor a sense of control, and the vision of a rational future. No chariot riding men from the sky. No talking snakes. No space rocks sent by invisible Deities. Only reason and science. Rationality, and none of the prophetic mumbo-jumbo to go with it. 'Prove It' is the motto of the Atheist which only announces to the world the skeptical nature of their philosophy. Are they right? They are for them that's for certain. I for one find absolutely nothing wrong with their skepticism, and have a feeling that they'll be the ones who drive the trends of science and technology since they demand progress and evidence. But since they don't believe in the concept of a higher power, they have a tendency to turn up their noses at the beliefs of others. I have seen Atheist friends mock religious belief systems and the followers there of, which I find most disconcerting. Even in a reason based philosophy, there is still intolerance, which only further drives a wedge between the people of the world.

Foolishness seems rampant where ever you go these days, and much of it incited by religious beliefs. We have to change our ways or tragedy will befall us all. If we don't, at best our society will become bereft with people who are purely self serving, and at worst we will destroy ourselves.

A dark and dangerous path.

This would be the continuing saga known as my life. More particularly the situation with my telling my parents that I'm Pagan. Picture this: Sunday afternoon. A bright and sunny day with a gentle breeze. The air is quite warm but tolerable, and the kids are only slightly misbehaving. I stand in my parents kitchen and once again my Mother asks me "Where do you practice this Pagan thing?" I reply "I practice in my home." "Well is it something on the computer?" she asks. Only slightly horrified "No." Then my Father chimes in next to me "Well I think you've started down a dark and dangerous path."

Rubbish.

It's as if they think I'm worshipping the Devil. In fact that's precisely what they think I'm doing. What I can't understand is why after I revealed my religious and spiritual affiliations to them did they not bother to either a) look into this faith further, or b) ask me better questions. If houses were built on ignorance then the Christian faith would have built an entire cities worth. My parents (blessing upon them) have disappointed me in this. Mind you it's exactly what I expected since I never really counted on them exploring other religions. They believe they're right, and that's all that matters to them. They believe I'm wrong, or rather KNOW I'm wrong and shake their heads thinking 'tut tut what a wayward son we have'. So I believe in a faith that encompasses the natural world, and the teachings that it contains. So I have an alternate viewpoint on the nature of humanity, and the social workings that tie us together. So my God might have horns, and my Goddess more wonderful than anything the Christian faith has.

A dark and dangerous path indeed. Christian philosophy has changed so much through time that it makes me wonder how it ever survived. No wonder it needed to force people to convert during the early days, since it seemed to have nothing wonderful about it in this world. Fear mongering and political power were the only two things about it. Priests could excommunicate you if they saw fit, women were burned at the stake if need be, and you had to be a good Christian if you were to make it through the pearly gates. If being a good Christian means following a faith with such a tainted heritage, then no thank you. I don't ask others to be a part of my faith. I don't claim that I'm right and they are wrong. I certainly don't think that they're fools for following the Christian faith. I do know that I am right for ME. I've seen the hypocrisy that has been a part of the church for a very long time and it makes me ill. I've seen a potentially pure spiritual form twisted for personal/political gains, and have seen it turn men into zealots, which is the last thing any religion needs.

I worship no Devil. Brigid has been a deity related to wisdom and healing. She's been linked to nurturing and creativity. She is in my opinion a wonderful Goddess, who helps me to cope with the stresses of the day-to-day world by allowing me the chance to ponder simpler things. According to Christian myth the Devil is the ultimate purveyor of sin and pain, lust and greed, and all the other negative things that we do. That's quite the out when you can kill your family and say that 'the Devil made me do it'. I for one say that man is responsible for the problems we create, not the Devil. Do I believe that there is a God and a Devil? Yes.

Wait a second... But you said you're Pagan? Yes I am. I worship Pagan Deities, and conduct personal rituals to honour them. But how can I say that the Christian God and Devil do not exist? The fact that in the ten commandments He states that "you shall have no other Gods before me." As well "You shall not make for yourself any carved image..." leading to the quote "...for I am a jealous God...". Well now, jealous of what? Apparently of other Gods, or as the statement is usually made 'False Gods'. How are my Gods an lesser than the Christian God? I'll tell you how: because He said so!

Farcical! Bollocks! If all roads lead to Rome, then why worry if I attempt to go to Athens? Apparently I'll just end up in Rome anyways. So if God is the ultimate God, the top cat, the big cheese, and my Gods and Goddesses are lower on the food chain, then what in the world has He got to be Jealous about? It sounds like a child having a tantrum, and I don't need to worship a snotty nosed celestial omnipotent Deity. What I need is blue skies, a gentle breeze rustling the leaves on the trees and nice pint of ale to celebrate my relationship with my Goddess and the world around me.

Well now, that went well.....

... Or so I thought. After a few years of being a practicing Pagan (solitary mind you), I finally took the opportunity and came out of the "broom closet" so to speak. I told my Mother (blessings on her) that I was a Pagan and no longer Catholic. "What do Pagans believe in?" she asked. "Pagans believe in multiple Gods." I said. We didn't really get into a huge discussion about it as my family and I were packing to leave. As we left you could feel the change, and I wasn't sure what kind of change it was. Just as we were about to pull away from the curb I looked at my wife and said "That went well." I've since come to find out in the last week that it went a lot less well than the initial impression, and what revealed it to me was a single short phone call.

When you're talking to someone you know well, and love such as a spouse or family member, you can tell when something has changed. It might be the sound of their voice or the way they talk to you. Their face may have a strangeness about them, or they may make gestures that are not ordinary to them. Sufficed to say that if you're close enough to them in mind and heart you pick up on these changes.

So I called my Mother to check and make sure that everything was fine before Hurricane Bill showed up. Not to say Mom and Dad are not capable, or that my Brother was lazy, just that I think of these things and of them, even though I don't always show it. Calling her though was not as stellar as I'd hoped. We talked for a minute, and right from the way she answered the phone I could tell she was holding back. She was not, and is not to this moment ready to talk about my choice of religion. And we all know religion has a tendency to make otherwise rational people act in a manner contrary to what they are normally like. As a result of the phone call I spent the remainder of the day moping about, wondering if I should bother calling her again, or if I should even talk to her at all. I wasn't angry, just a little down. This was more what I had expected from her, because after all Catholics are not the most prone to change. Just look at the current state of affairs in the church today.

Later on my wife (blessings on her as well) was talking to my Brother via email, who revealed that my change of faith had caused a minor row in the house. I never read the mail, as it was my wife's and I don't like to pry into her stuff (even though she told me to), so I may not have the whole story. One thing she relayed to me was that my parents were afraid I had engaged in Devil worship. Now I'm a pretty bitter gent at the best of times, and this just adds flavour to the mix. I left Catholicism because it didn't make me feel as good as a faith should in my opinion. I'm not the biggest fan of Christianity to start, but that's not to say that I hate that religion. Far from it. I think there's much to be learned from that particular faith. My jaded thoughts towards Christians primarily stem from the politicising of the faith, the practice of proselytization mostly within the more conservative faiths, and the belief that they are right. Not only that but the fact that the Bible has yet to be agreed upon, as there are plenty of other texts that may have been removed or at least hidden because of their sensitive nature. The truth on whether or not Jesus was real or not would also be really nice, but that request may have been lost to history, and the church is not giving up the shroud of Turin for any kind of dating test. So Christianity is all faith in my eyes, and not doing so well for my heart.

Enough with the negative. Paganism being what it is, a nature based faith, lifts my spirit better than Christianity ever did. Why? Because I like to sit out under the trees, and listen to the wind rustle the leaves about. I like the smell of the forest in the fall. I could watch the crashing of the waves on the sea shore for a long time. And a roaring fire in the winter time is most welcome to my heart and body. But the Christian faith does not concentrate on any of this. Does Paganism? Pagan stories bases itself in the workings of the world, the cycles of life and death and how we as people relate to them. I look at my solitary practicing of my faith as a way to evolve as a human being, a person, a father, and lover. I accept the truths of carnal knowledge, enjoy what earthly pleasures I allow myself, and know that people are still animals in many ways. If we weren't then we would not be engaged in the conflicting behaviours we generate. I have maintained always that animals do exactly what they're are supposed to do, and humans being highly evolved make choices that are dubious at best and disastrous at worst. We do things that make no sense, and treat one another poorly. With my faith I am able to hold to account the way we are, and justify better our existence. I do not pine for heaven, but realize that once we're gone, we only return to where we were, and honestly what's wrong with that? It seems to me that I would rather come back to this place rather than go on to everlasting paradise. If you're having fun all the time, wouldn't that be boring? At some point I think I'd have to punch myself in the face just to give me a point of reference.

I like Paganism because the Gods teach me many facets of the human animal, and the qualities they exude are within all of us. I don't want a God who at one point tells us that he is a vengeful God, and the next says that he loves all of His children. To me it sounds like an abusive father who cries while beating his child. But that is an overly extreme statement and not truly worthy to describe the Christian faith. I will say that the problems that plague Christianity have prevented me from pursuing it further. The church, the Catholic church in particular, is so divided on so many things that it's hard to understand where the good things are. I could be blind to it all but it's extremely hard to force all of that noise out of ones head, and then make sense of it. And not only that, I also have an extremely hard time believing that Christianity is a monotheistic religion. There are so many saints, angels, and so forth that many people pray to that I have to wonder where anyone could make the claim of monotheism. So maybe Christianity and Paganism are one in the same. After all there have also been claims of religious ideological thievery by Christians, and the evidence quite compelling. But the Christian faith has been inspirational to millions of people, so why dwell on it. It's nothing that can be readily changed, and likely anyone trying to do so would create more harm than good.

I choose to be Pagan for me, and the things that I believe. I don't believe in pressing my beliefs on people. I don't believe in using my faith for personal gain. And I certainly don't believe that my religious affiliations should define me or my family. I do believe in the power of magic, and its effects on the universe. I do believe the Gods have their own reasons for the way things are. And I do believe I will return after I'm gone, hopefully to be a better person than I am right now.

Brigid be my guide. Bright blessings upon you all.

She disappeared.....

I'll dispense with my usual angriness and talk of something.... different. Usually I'm an emotional powder keg when it comes to current issues, and world politics and such, but now I'm jumping in the way back machine to the distant past.

When I was a kid a remember vividly reading a booking called 'Great Mysteries of the Air" which I checked out from the library. Several times did I do this, because the text inside had so much paranormal information for an 8 year old boy, as well as I recall a distinctly chilling chapter called "They Disappeared..." Chapter 3 I believe. In this chapter was the tale of one lady, who was not extraordinary in any way other than her ability after her disappearance to inspire.

Amelia Earhart was many things during her life time, the most notable of which was being the "Queen of the Air". She was a female pilot in a time when there were very few female pilots, and she was set to accomplish many things during the golden age of flight. So why would her story strike me so? What could possibly motivate this man here to walk away from his bitterness to write about the phenomenal lady? In truth I couldn't tell you. I've sporadically pondered the disappearance of this woman throughout my lifetime, wondering why we've never found her. Surely in the modern age we would be able to find a heap of aluminum at the bottom of the Pacific, or an aerospace wreck on some remote and distant island? It's not a priority I guess...

The erasure of a human being from the face of the earth is something so common place in our lives now. Wars, famine, and disease take from us that which propels our shambling carcasses forward into the future, and lays it to rest without so much as a by-your-leave that we barely notice. We see it on TV, we read about it in the paper (if we read at all), so much so that we are inundated by it and numbed at the same time. But her story seems different somehow given the context. If you could imagine, and my embittered state scoffs at the ability of most modern peoples to be able to do such, then imagine her end. Flying over open water, possibly not a spot of land in sight and running low on fuel. You reach for the radio and check the time. Roughly 7:42am. You key your radio switch with one hand as the other holds the vibrating stick in the other, thrumming in time with the Electra's engines. After a moment you speak hoping someone would hear you. "We must be on you, but cannot see you -- but gas is running low. Have been unable to reach you by radio. We are flying at 1,000 feet."

Meanwhile your navigator and flight Engineer Frank Noonan is working on your position. Where the hell are you?? You check your gauges, and then key the radio again, asking the Itasca to transmit so that you might use the radio to get the proper direction. Suddenly beeping in the radio cuts through the static of the radio, and noise of the cockpit. Morse code. The Itasca is transmitting but the equipment can't pin where the signal is coming from. You call out on the radio again informing the Itasca that you've received them but can't locate where they're at. The minutes pass by and Frank has figured out where he thinks the plane should be. So you decide to try a different direction, and start flying in a more southerly direction. You check your watch again. 8:43am. Not sure how much longer you can stay in the air, you radio out again. "We are on the line 157 337. We will repeat this message. We will repeat this on 6210 kilocycles. Wait." A pause as Frank says something to you, then you add to the message "We are running on line north and south."

Now the scene switches. Imagine if you will that your a radio operator either on the Itasca, or elsewhere in the Pacific. After the 8:43am transmission from Amelia all you seem to be able to do is listen and hope. You try to transmit to her but to no avail, as other operators are trying the same, and the airwaves are cluttered. Not only that, her transmissions are becoming fainter, and at some point she reiterates that they are flying along a line of position that intersects with Howland Island. More static, more fading signals. Her transmission is now unintelligible. You know she's out there, but you can't make her out, and then she's gone. Plucked from the universe it seems for all your efforts to bring her someplace safe.

Where did she go?.......

Here I go again!

Everyone else has decided to politicize the latest death of a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan, so I might as well do the same....

Give it a rest people. It wasn't that long ago that I decided to write a piece on the uselessness of Peacekeeping in the current world conflict, and I stand by it. Every time I hear someone say that Canada has a proud peacekeeping tradition and that we should return to our peacekeeping roots, I want to grab them by the scruff of the neck and start ramming their heads into a wall. Why? Because as I've stated previously peacekeeping simply does not work the way the world perceives it. The public has to come to terms with this at some point. Namely we'll have to wait for the post Korea/pre 21st century people to die off to put this misnomer to bed.

Now I decline to bad mouth any soldiers service during Canada's heightened period of peacekeeping. If anything those who had served as peacekeepers should hold their heads high because of the lousy job that was given to them. The politicizing of their operations made their lives incredibly difficult, not to mention the fact that you put people who are trained to conduct wartime operations, into a position and tell them to police the problems of another nation. Sheer insanity! What do you mean I can't shoot back? I have to get the UN Security council approval to conduct a raid to ensure the arms don't get to the insurgents? Three DAYS!?!?! People are killing one another and I have to make sure everything is legal??!??! And if you don't believe anything I just wrote, try looking into missions like the one in Rwanda, when General Romeo Dallaire was left high and dry to fix the problems of an entire nation. If anything what the UN did to that man was criminal in itself.

Canada's military is a force for good, but we are a standing army. A standing army is meant to enforce the will of a nation through the mandate of its leadership. If it is the will of the nation to go to war then the army will be used for that purpose. Canada has throughout history stood for peaceful endeavours, and Canadians encourage the peaceful behaviour of other nations as well as our own. However what Canada seems to forget is that we may work for peace tirelessly, but there will always be times when our effort is not enough. The true north strong and free started out as a conquered land, and war has been waged within her borders. We have fought here, and abroad, because throughout the maturation of Canada, blood had to be spilt in order for our society and way of life to grow. We've needed to make mistakes in order to prosper. Peacekeeping was one of those mistakes. We took an overly simple process and complicated it to the point of impracticality, and employed it. In other words the idea of policing problem spots around the world was a simple idea, but when political bodies became so ingrained in the decision making process, nothing was able to be done quickly, and as a result the people we were sent to protect suffered.

Now the public at large takes the idea that Canada's role in the world is that of peacekeepers, even though we have fought bloody battles many times in the last 100 years. Our military at those times were employed to do exactly what they were trained for : to fight and win the war.

So now with the current conflict being Afghanistan, the public is outraged every time one of our soldiers is killed. The war is going on too long. Our soldiers lives are being wasted. The war is accomplishing nothing. Statements like these are nothing but pipe dreams in the minds of the public. We have not 'declared' war on anybody, other than to say that we 'declared' a war on terror. Terrorism does not have a standing army, nor a nation to call it's own. It is pervasive, subversive, and poisonous to a society. As the world shrinks and globalism encroaches, terrorism is something that will eventually wind up here whether we want it or not. The FLQ crisis is a clear cut example of such unsavoury acts created in the minds of a few mad men. Instead of looking on our own soil for such people, our government decided to look elsewhere. So now we have a 'war', which is not so popular, and is fuel for the fire of the far left. What a crock.

It's war. It's war whether or not we declared it, whether or not we wanted it. Until the government collapses, the military will continue its enforcement of the government mandate, the same government which we elected. The military will continue its proud tradition of soldiery, not peacekeeping. I prefer to leave the pie in the sky, perfect world ideals to the people who don't have to risk their lives in foreign lands at the whim of elected officials. The same people who protest these decisions have yet to end conflict, because even by protesting they create conflict, and their ideals won't stop the rockets coming down on my head the next time I deploy.

I haven't been a peacekeeper. I will willingly become one if my government places me in that position, but I am a soldier first and foremost, and I will stand with my brothers and sisters and help carry out the lawful orders as given.

RIP Trooper Blais. We'll see you when we get there.

Wantings....

As the title says. Wantings are what we all have at any given time. It could be something simple like a car, or those concert tickets. It could be complicated like love, or a stable home life. We all have them. Some people have greater wantings than others, driven by a need that the outsiders could never understand. The needs generated by those wantings are rarely ever fully understood by the person experiencing them, driving them to greater heights in search of that fulfillment.

I've been to war, but I have a hard time calling myself a veteran. It's a title that I reserve for everyone else but me, and I can't understand why. I spent almost seven months in a place where the enemy was actively engaged in killing my countrymen and women, a place where I could not tell who was for us or against us. It was a place where I took risks by leaving the safety of the main camp to ensure supplies got to the FOB's, providing security for the tech's and supply techs. Delivering the goods as the song goes. I've driven past the places where men have died, became a sitting duck a few times, and beat the odds. Not one round fired at me. No IED's. No blood. A few tears shed for my brothers whose luck ran out, and scars on the heart because of the loss. That's enough isn't it? I should be able to look myself in the mirror at the end of the day and say I've fulfilled my obligations, taken my chances and done enough to earn the respect I've been looking for. I should.......

I've been searching for the opportunity, an opening in the vault so to speak, to be able to grab that self coveted title and wear it with pride. The vault was open, but when I looked there was nothing there. I grasp at nothing. Fuck.

What have I been searching for all this time? I'm not sure. The only true thing I do know is that I haven't got it yet. I haven't been able to give myself the due that in my soul seems so necessary for my own self worth. The civilian populace cannot even fathom how I feel about this issue, because they are so far removed from a culture of self sacrifice and honour, that it's a foreign ideal. I've never felt more useful in my life than when I was toting a rifle in a war zone, asking the Gods to allow me another days grace to help my brethren. I felt ultimately responsible for all those around me, and it was the most fulfilling feeling I've had since my marriage, and the birth of my girls. I was at that time worth something. Two years later and I'm sitting here writing this at a desk in my civilian workplace and I'm at a low point. Here my self worth suffers. The work doesn't give me that sense of elation, and causes my soul to drag. But I'm comfortable. Change is an exceptionally hard thing for me to do, so I make the best of what I have. At my other job, my real job, I'm happier. Self worth is restored, and I have everything to look forward to. I have passion for the work, and my cohorts are worth my time, and if necessary, they are worth my blood. The regiment is my extended family, and without them I don't feel I could survive this wasteland of empty wantings. A land where the common man feels his life is complete as long as he has that motorcycle, or that big screen TV to watch sports on. Sure his job is a hassle, but they're the ones who give him the pay cheque to buy the toys that keep him happy.

I must be crazy. That just doesn't sound like happiness to me. I need something more. I need something..... Maybe the war will provide that something. Gods help me I need that something.....

I love you Canada, now WAKE UP!

Inconsistency is the motto by which my blog lives. Or at the very least the frequency by which I post. Be that as it may, this one might be short anyways. I've been pretty tired recently and I haven't read too much news to spark my ire.... Until today.

HOLY F**K! I am so sick of everyone thinking Canada's military is a peacekeeping army. Bollocks! There is no such thing, unless your only criteria is bad policy making, and blue helmets. Peacekeeping is a waste of time, when the bullets are flying, as evident by the early stages of the Balkan wars, and Rawanda. The public at large has seemed to forget that war is as inevitable as the sunrise. Why would I say that? What could possibly make me think that this is the case. I'll tell you why: Because we're humans, and conflict is ingrained in our very beings. Did you ever notice when you've got it really good, you still find something to complain about. As a whole, when things are too quite on Earth, the collective subconscious kicks in and says 'Hey! Let's do something stupid to shake things up a mite'. Thus war is born.

This high and mighty ideal of Peace Keepers policing the world has become passe, and out moded. Peace keeping only works once the major conflict stops, and let me tell you, all the wars that are ongoing right now, aren't even close to being finished. Sending in Peace Keepers to start policing things would be stupid, especially since the only thing backing them are politicians who have likely never stepped foot inside a war zone, or have seen conflict first hand. Worthless.

Like all things in life we must EARN our lives, our rights and freedoms. Most times this is done at the point of the sword, whether by civil disobedience, or by way of armed conflict in a foreign land. Understand that I do not agree that war is the only answer. War is terrible, but until we find a way to purge the madness from our souls, it will continue. It will continue to pull us to the brink, and no amount of peacekeeping is going to solve our problems, it will only serve as a vehicle for poor policy, and slow decision making. The latter might get a lad killed on the battlefield, and I have no time for waiting on policy when the lead is in the air. Peacekeeping should be removed or completely reformed.

So Canada: GET OVER YOURSELF!!! I love you too much to listen to the fantasies of a disillusioned public who think we're better than everyone else. Canada may be one of the greatest nations in the world, but I can testify that our standing is in serious jeopardy of being usurped by our neighbours to the south. Most people in Europe and Asia would regard us as North Americans, and not Canadians, because our lifestyle, demeanour, attitudes, and social values are beginning to come online with the United States. We are in serious danger of losing all that identifies us as Canadian, and very few seem to notice or care. Wake up, and let's fix it before it's too late.

The Freeman

Back in Black!

Hey Obama! It's nice that you're in the white house, but stop screwing up my TV with your damn inauguration!

Yeah, I know. I don't watch that much television, but I like to have the freedom. A giant party dedicated to the new supreme leader of the new world order is more than I can stand. I can't believe the amount of money they're pouring into a celebration dedicated to someone who is a public servant, and who will likely break the hearts of Americans when he screws it up. What's that? He's not going to make a mistake? He is after all Barrack Obama, A.K.A. son of the black Jesus, the second coming. Give me a break. He's human, and like all politicians likely corrupt to some degree. The old adage 'absolute power corrupts absolutely' still holds true. If you believe American culture, then the President is master of the world, but that will just make his fall from grace all the greater. I confess that I do not know what George Bush senior could have done to hurt his image other than puking on the Japanese head of state, but if you look at the two who succeeded him, then you have to wonder if it's going to be a trend. President Clinton slept with an intern, and President Bush divided the country so badly, as well as mismanaged a war, to the point where most of his own nation hates him. Has there been president since Eisenhower who hasn't had a storm cloud or shadow following him? Even then I can't think of a President who has not manipulated world affairs, or helped to create war.

I'm willing to go back to Afghanistan again. Just one more time. I don't want to be having the same moral and ethical arguments with myself over going a third time. The war is going on too long, and it all started with a 'terrorist attack' on U.S. soil. I'm kind of a conspiracy theorist, and the evidence for 9/11 just doesn't add up to me, but then again maybe I'm influenced by the things that I see, and there's not one right-wing film maker that is out there that has bothered to offer a counter argument about why things came to be. To most people on the right it is what it is, an attack that should have never happened, and the war is now a result of that attack. Maybe I want to believe that things are going to change right away. Maybe I want to believe that the new President will be able to snap his fingers and alter the state of the world. After all his platform was about change, about a new dawning of America. Maybe he'll fix the softwood lumber trade, re-invigorate the automobile sector, find alternative energy, and put man back on the moon and send someone to Mars. Maybe he'll heal the rift in the Middle East, find a way to end all war, and bring the world together in peace. Maybe...... More likely maybe he'll be corrupted worse than he likely is, start another war somewhere, plunge the world further into despair, and potentially be assassinated. Wow. That last piece is scary. But you have to believe that the first black President has someone gunning for him. J.F.K. got hit, and he was extremely popular. Even Ronald Regan had a nut job stalking him. What's makes you think that Barrack Obama is bullet proof? I hope for his sake that everything goes well, because instability in North America is at an all time high between the wars, trade problems, the lousy economy, and a plethora of minor issues. I don't need a phone call in the middle of the night telling me I'm on a Domestic Operation because the country decided to fall apart. The older I get the more tired I get of hearing about young men and women in body bags over a conflict that should never have happened.

So Mr. Obama you better not be a disappointment. I've lost faith in Canadian politicians, I rather not loose faith in international leaders as well. Someone has to be sensible.

Freeman

True North, Strong And Free

Arctic sovereignty. It's been in the papers the last little while, maybe more so now than in the last few years. There's questions being raised about how far north Canada's borders extend. The United States claims that the Northwest Passage should be an international waterway, even though it's still very dangerous to traverse, and is impassable for a good part of the year. Either way many countries believe we do not own the north. Bollocks I say.

The only reason our arctic sovereignty would ever be called into question is because of the vast amounts of untapped resources there are in the north. Greed is why the U.S. challenges our claim, our internationally recognized claim, to the north. Bush stated that it will need these resources to continue its way of life. Fine. You want to the north Mr. Bush? You've got Alaska. Now shut-up, keep packing, and don't let the door knob hit your arse on the way out. Hopefully Mr. Obama will be more agreeable. There would be nothing more fruitless than engaging in a war with the U.S. over northern resources. Nothing good would ever come of it. The resources the U.S. needs, namely oil, could just as easily come from the Middle East, or Russia, if they decide to sit down and negotiate a deal over it. If we choose to leave our own land alone then so be it.

No amount of neighbourly bullying should change our stance on developing the arctic. The borders of Canada extend beyond the arctic circle, past Baffin Island, past the Queen Elizabeth Islands, to the northern outpost CFB Alert on the northern part of Ellesmere Island. These are our lands, Canadian lands, and if anyone wants to make claim to that which is ours, then they'll have to make it past the Canadian Forces first, because we aren't giving it up without a fight.

Freeman

Flying Saucers

I just finished watching an interview with Dan Ackroyd involving his theories and beliefs about UFOs and extraterrestrials and such. Surprisingly it wasn't that spectacular, although a lot of the footage was interesting. It did however make me wonder why this still hasn't been cleared up yet. Why has the government not bothered to put this baby to bed? Most people that are out there seem to believe in life beyond the Earth's boundaries, and many still believe that the government is involved in some kind of cover up. So why not just admit it?

I have to wonder if the policy makers believe that if it got out there were aliens visiting earth, that the general populace would drop everything, start praying to extraterrestrial deities, and break out the tinfoil hats. That would be extraordinary indeed. Imagine the ruckus that would ensue, with new age hippies coming out to party, and conspiracy theorist running henny-penny through the streets shouting "I told you so!"

Ridiculous. Most people would probably sit around for a while and say "Huh. Guess I should have seen that one coming. I wonder what's on TV tonight?" Life would continue. The only conceivable interruption would be if the aliens were invading, or if they showed up right then and there on television rocking the Vulcan greeting or some such. Chances are most people, even though they may believe in E.T., do not go through the day thinking about it too much. It pretty much isn't going to be talked about at work, or come up in a church sermon (unless you're a Raelian maybe), or even be discussed at your local comic book store. Popular culture has given us so much fantasy on the subject that even if you had the information handed to you by the President of the United States, you would likely not freak out. The Alien Autopsy video, Area 51, Roswell, and a slew of other topics have become so ingrained in our social fabric that revelation of an other worldly civilization would incite debate if anything, but not mass panic. Someone would laugh, someone would cry, and many others would use it as an excuse to party if anything. Fringe spirituality would take off like a rocket and the 'crazy people' would come out of the woodwork. People would get over it, and gas prices would still be high, 'Friends' would still be on the tube, and TV diners would still suck.

The governments unwillingness to reveal any and all information on the subject was probably one of the worst decisions ever made. Not only did they have to waste money keeping it under wraps, honest people have been made to be publicly discredited and their lives ruined. It's no wonder that no one trusts the government when they spend time making the problems they fight against. When you create war, lies, misspend tax dollars and engage in shady dealings who is going to trust you to take care of them? Public service, in Canada at least, is a sham with a good cover story. The UFO thing is the tip of the iceberg, because if the public ever found out what the government was actually doing away from prying eyes there would likely be revolt. Or maybe that's why they haven't confirmed the existence of alien beings, because as the song goes 'one thing leads to another.'

So let's get past this trivial thing. Come on Mr. Prime Minister. Let's go Mr. President. It's time to tell us what we already know: that we aren't alone, that aliens have been visiting us for a long time, that you've made a mistake and have told us mistruths that you want to set right. No more bullying, or coercion, just the truth. I'd like to know what's coming so I can get my tinfoil hat ready.

Freeman

Invasion of the motivation snatchers!

Ugh. Work. You all know the feeling. Awakening to the sound of a blaring alarm and cracking your eyelids to a semi-darkened room with the realization that yet again you have to drag yourself back to that ungrateful job. As of late I've been feeling the pinch a little too much.

Where did my motivation go? Am I depressed? Is there something wrong with me medically? Likely not. What has happened is that you, like so many of us, have awakened to the fact that you just don't like the job you have. There's something about it that brings out the worst in you, or makes it almost unbearable. It could be the mindlessness of it, or maybe an annoying co-worker. You've lost your lust for what you thought would be an exciting career, or at least a really fun job. I have to wonder if our problems are rooted in that one word itself. Job.

Anytime something turns into work it usually sucks the life right out of it. After all your hobbies are fun right? And a hobby can be something that you thoroughly enjoy, devoting a lot of time and energy to the pursuit of a self oriented goal. Building that next model rocket, or designing your killer robot. Even experimenting in the kitchen with a new recipe. Somewhere out there someone who is not a geneticist finds genetics fascinating, and reads things about it. Now let's take those rocketeering-killer-robot-building-kitchen-counter-geneticists and tell them that they can do all this full time with actual resources. 'Wow!' they'll say. 'Now I'll be able to really learn about my passions!' Not so fast. There's a caveat as with all things, and the caveat is this: We want results from your hobby. Your pay cheque is now built upon your ability to show us that you've got what it takes, and by pay cheque we mean survival. You can explore all you want, but anything you produce is ours. Now just after writing that I felt my own soul sag just a little. There's two things at play here. The first being the fact that yes you must earn a living because nothing is free. However everyone in this world would like to not have the stress of an axe hanging over them waiting to drop at any given moment. Let's face it in these uncertain economic times most people run the risk of a job loss, or at least their risk has increased. The money you require to 'live' can be taken away at any given point, so it's almost better to learn to live with very little in the first place. Second is the idea of 'Intellectual Property'. This is a big one with me. I am under the firm belief that my work is my own. Yes my employer gave me the resources to be able to achieve my goals, but I did the work, came up with the ideas, and without me my goals may have never been realized for the benefit of the company. But what if I come up with a really great idea that's just beyond the scope of my job, and I act on it during my lunch breaks, or take a few minutes on a company computer to type up something on a word processing program. Does the company have the right to claim ownership of my work then. Possibly from what I understand. Wonderful. So that idea just stifles any want to excel, because now I can't get ahead, and to realize anything above and beyond my job, I have to work at home. Suddenly there's no leisure time. Crap. Life sucks. I think I'll go home and just sit on my ass, numb my brain with television, and wait for bed time to creep up on me. Now I think about tomorrow and how much that is going to suck now as well. Money and lack of freedom have brought me to my knees. I don't want to explore anymore, I just want to cry into my beer at the end of the day.

The job has sucked the zeal out of you. You might as well just pack it in and wait for retirement.

I hate this feeling. I love the feeling of inspiration, which I occasionally get from seeing a good movie, or making a new contact on my radio, even watching a decent documentary. It's probably why I love Discovery Channel so much. The world is a fascinating and vibrant place, full of wonder and enjoyment. But it seems that upon entering adulthood when responsibility and accountability kick in the zest for life diminishes slightly. Life becomes a job, based on your results. Fear of failure is more common than you think, which is why people are reluctant to try anything. Could you imagine someone walking up to you saying "Don't worry about it. You're taken care of. Go and see what's over that horizon." That thought lifts my spirit. I would be grabbing at every opportunity, learning as much as I could, because that's what life is partly about: learning. It's how we go forward as a species, and as a society, but kind of hard to do when you're stuck working a factory assembly line all day, or punching out computer code that you don't care about.

Being 'free' to explore life is something that only the rich can do, and they seem to squander it from where I'm standing. There's so much to learn, and so many things to see and do. For now I guess I'll have to be content with waiting for the end.

Freeman