Lance Armstrong

Can you say "Salem"?

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency stripped Lance Armstrong’s seven Tour de France titles Friday, erasing one of the most incredible achievements in sports after deciding he had used performance-enhancing drugs to do it.

I have no idea whether Lance Armstrong won by doping. As far as I can tell, after spending considerable time trying to research it: he never once tested positive.  I'm not a particular fan of the man himself... I don't know him...

But I *am* a fan of what he's done with his fame to raise funds for cancer research.

And I find this statement by the World Anti-Doping Agency boss John Fahey that "he believes the decision of Armstrong not to challenge the charges can only be seen as an admission of guilt"

UTTERLY PREPOSTEROUS AND VILE.

Silly me, I thought we lived in a society where we are innocent until proved guilty.
Now it appears we live in a society where we are guilty until we prove our innocence.

#NoseHillGentlemen

Gun Law Debate

This  link is a letter to editor at Calgary Herald, written by American visiting police officer, who felt threatened when approached by strangers asking him if he had been to the Calgary Stampede, in which he wishes he had been allowed to carry his gun in Canada to defend himself.

Letter to Editor

The Canadian twitterverse comments which his letter set off, are on hashtag #NoseHillGentlemen

Turns out the "threatening" strangers were giving out free tickets to the Stampede.

Via @JennLutz
"Yep, 2 readers now confirm #NoseHillGentlemen were handing out free #Stampede park passes in Nose Hill. Officer Wawra, you're an idiot. "

The Huffington Post article is here >

Walt Wawra Feels Unsafe..

"The letter comes at a time when gun law debates are heating up across the U.S. and Canada, after shootings in Colorado, at Toronto's Eaton Centre and earlier this week at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin"


Wow... and wow.. I don't know what to say... except perhaps that

* I'm glad I don't live with the degree of fear and suspicion that Wawra (and perhaps many other Americans) do.

* I'm glad Wawra was *not* armed, as 2 innocent people could now be dead

*Canadians' sense of humour *rocks* : the twitterstream is hilarious... it reminds me of the #TellVicEverything approach - using humour to make our points, even when the topic we're discussing is not a laughing matter.

Update> here's a GlobeandMail Storify with some of the twitter comments!
US cop gets pilloried by Canadian Tweeters

Does Harper Hate Canada

Does Harper Hate Canada? (The Non Hidden Agenda of our PM)... Pls read his '97 speech (link below)  and YOU decide!

Peculiar don't you think that he clearly expresses his disdain of Canada and Canadians to USA rightwing thinktank ~Council of NationalPolicy, but not to us Canadians?

Some excerpts (slightly edited w aim to keep original meaning.)

* "if you're like all Americans, you know almost nothing except for your own country. Which makes you probably knowledgeable about one more country than most Canadians."
*our executive is the Queen, who doesn't live here. Her representative is the GG who is an appointed buddy of the Prime Minister.
*Canada is a Northern European welfare state ...and very proud of it.....
*In terms of the unemployed.. don't feel... bad for many of these people. They don't feel bad about it themselves, as long as they're receiving generous social assistance and unemployment insurance.
*the Senate..is appointed... by the PM, where he puts buddies, fundraisers and the like. So the Senate also is not very important in our political system.
*If any member of these political parties votes differently from his party on a particular issue, well, that will be national headline news.
*The Reform party is very much a leader-driven party... organized as a personal political vehicle

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/SpecialEvent7/20051213/elxn_harper_speech_text_051214

Living the life of Riley - My New Retirement Plan

A few weeks ago, I jokingly suggested to an ill friend;

"What are we going to do with you dear lad…

Should I take you out into the back 40 and shoot you, put you out of your misery?

I know mercy killings aren’t legal; but I could probably escape detection if I purchase an untraceable long gun.

Suddenly a thought occurred; 

Oooppsss silly me – forgot that my emails and facebook are being  tapped – I fear I may have incriminated myself beyond even the OJ Dream Team’s  chances of winning me acquital… Perhaps if I'm lucky I will be incarcerated in one of the new jails. Have you heard yet whether they will have windows? I'd like  to catch a glimpse of those new jets I've  been hearing about.

Do you think they'll allow me internet access? Oh again, on further thought, I realize that too is a silly question. I'll no doubt be put to work monitoring social media sites to fill the bunks and cells next to me with pedophiles; the "environmentalists and other radicals" who are bent on ruining the Canadian economy; and evil  traitors  who hold views which differ from the "real" Canadians who share #cpc values. 

  

  On further consideration, a thought occurs which may offer me a window of hope for prevailing in court. I have written proof that CPC Minister Tony Clement considers private correspondence sacrosanct. I was chided severely by him for publishing twitter dm's that he and I exchanged. So perhaps that would stand as precedent or at very least grounds for mistrial. 

Oh tsk tsk…there I go again; I'm not thinking this through very clearly am I? I doubt there will be many pedophiles. The court system is so underfunded that suspected and accused on-line predators wait so long for their case to be heard (24+ months I think it was in the most recent case in BC) that the judges have to dismiss the case.

And that's when it occurred to me - if I gaze deeply into my crystal ball, and do a spreadsheet to analyze the pros and cons, prison may in fact be the *most* viable option for my retirement.  Certainly it ranks higher in many categories than most retirement homes and/or hospitals.

·      I'll be in the company of people who care about democracy and voice their opinions (who just happen to be my personal favorite type of people)

·      no doubt there will be a good number of recreational pot smokers… So if they still have connections on the outside, that would help my arthritis enormously.

·      I won't need to be concerned about my Old Age Security or CPP. ...or my mortgage...or skyrocketing cost of gas or hydro...or what to make for dinner...

·      I imagine I will be fed and receive health care

Sounds rather like I'd be living the proverbial 'Life of Riley'.

{SOURCE WIKIPEDIA: The expression, "Living the life of Riley" suggests an ideal contented life, possibly living on someone else's money, time or work. Rather than a negative freeloading or golddigging aspect, it implies that someone is kept or advantaged.}

The selfish part of me deems I ought  to step up my timeline and intensity of egregious offences to ensure my earliest acceptance into CASA  'mi prision es tu prision' before everyone else figures this out and I have to go on a waiting list. But it won't be nearly as much fun if you aren't there with me, therefore I share this plan. 

Now here's another thought that occurs:

If all of us - all the radical environmentalist traitorous whistleblowing democracy loving, intelligent, passionate, scientific, artistic, CARING people; all 'retire' to prison - WHO will be left to foot the bill?

Aah the irony;  if Harper and his thugs incarcerate all of us; the only ones left to pay, will be a very small cadre of bankers and corporate elites. Perhaps they ought be careful what they wish and plot for; in case their wish comes  true.  

dyinggcome and walk/talk with me on the beach? g so wonderful; and just yearn and yearn to share it  with somebody. y... Most of

Blocked and Unfriended Abuses by Politicians

Have You Been “Blocked or “Unfriended ”

by a Canadian Politician?

If so – I want to hear about it.

I’ve been hearing from more and more people that a Canadian politician or candidate on municipal, provincial or  federal level, have “blocked” (twitter)  and “unfriended” (fb)  their constituents.

I think this is appalling. We pay their salaries. They are our employees. They have no right to refuse conversation and communciation with us.

So if you too have been a victim of this gross arrogance, I want to hear about it.

Please post comment (with or without personal information, as feels most comfortable to you). I won’t post your name without your express permission, but I want to investigate & compile list of which politicians have done this.

Thank you, 

Maggie

9/11 Elegy

SEPT 11 ELEGY

crystal blue sunny skies, and the birds fly

out of the blue,crashing pain

horror

inferno

devastation

mind reels ignites

hurtling fear

slicing gashing

ripping asunder

a wound unimaginable

“Oh my God Oh my God!”

and then

incomprehensible

fury repeats

an instant

becomes eternity replays endlessly

death

fiery,leaping,choking,burning

praying

crashing collapsing destruction

again and again

we agonize why

we  lament

we weep unconsolable

for whom do we cry?

for the souls embarking

into the crystal blue skies

floating free spirits aloft

invincible souls

dwelling eternal

needing no earthly towers 

Do they need our tears

or do they weep for us?

c. 2001 Maggie Murphy

Legacy of Jack Layton

Aug 28, 2011

My thoughts on the memoriam for Jack Layton

I wonder how many Canadians feel as I do?

Politics is not a game. Should not be a game.

Should not be: Spoils of war accrued to the winners

Should not be about :

• Who has the best spin doctors
• Who comes up with the best slogan
• Who lies the most effectively
• Who steals and gets away with it the best
• Who wields power for power and profit sake, rather than aims to accomplish something worthwhile, lasting and beneficial
• Who enters it to further their ego, their greed

Rather, in my opinion it should be about 

• Who enters politics for the good of the municipality, city, province or federal riding, for the sake of those citizens they promise to represent
• Who has a vision, a dream for the future

Please, Canadians, wake up.

I miss Jack Layton – for his sincerity

He gave me hope:

• That we could conduct the business of government, for the  purpose of benefitting Canada and the lives of Canadians
• That we could be be truly a civil society

I don’t know any other poltician who presently so embodies this. Mostly everywhere I turn, everywhere I look, I see only  greedy, lying, self serving egomaniacs, whose only interest is to serve their own interest or that of those they think will reward them. 

 

I think we are governed by

petty, self serving “power gone to my head” “what’s in it for me” “how will I keep my power and pad my pockets” politicians

And I think it’s our own fault.

I think we are a nation of cynics

We docilely accept decisions made by our governments, that do not represent our beliefs, our hopes, our vision. Why?

• Are we are too busy, too apathetic, too uninformed, too complacent?
• Are we too like those politicians we despise -  wrapped up in forwarding our own personal agendas?
• Or perhaps  with a natural human desire to feel connected somehow – do we unquestioningly pick a side, adopt an ideology, an “us or them” “right or wrong” “ left or right”, view that may or may not reflect our true feelings, but  that strokes our ego and bolsters our need to feel important and heard?
• Or do we just deride and mock politics? Do we say “oh, I’m not going to vote, what’s the use...they’re all as bad as each other.”
• Or “Well, I don’t really know enough about that issue, so I’ll let someone else decide”
• Or do assume that our one small voice can’t possibly make a difference?

Do we ever stop and wonder how we became Canada? Wonder who fought & died for the rights we so enjoy and so take for granted as to utterly ignore?

I have many more questions than answers. And I attribute that in no small part to Mr. Jack Layton. He gave me hope that “politics” could be about vision, and principles, and caring more for democracy and the greater good than about winning or power.

I am very grateful.  Thank you Mr. Layton for loving Canada, for loving Canadians. You infused a most welcome breath of fresh air and optimism into my life.