Most worthy causes are in fact crappy self indulgent "let's pretend to help people so we can feel better about our selves" causes.
I would like to feel better about myself so I am in full support of this: MAKE FRANK FAMOUS
I long for the day when "In My World" is an animated series, or at least a comic book. Maybe we can make the blogosphere like a giant pyramid scheme. First we make Frank J. famous, then he mentions another blogger who becomes famous and so on, and so on, and so on.
"Translation: '...when self-proclaimed Muslims blow up babies and buildings to get what they want, keep slavery alive and murder Christians at will, then wonder why people are mad at them.']
Yeah, I know the drill: 'But that Islam isn't really Islam!' I'm old enough to remember when 'the Soviet Union wasn't really communism' either. But real or ersatz or 150 proof or lite, I really don't care what the hell kind of communisim it was: It had gulags and secret police and needed to go bye-bye. "
The Accordian Guy doesn't seem to share my feelings though. Joey she told me at the blogger bash that you were the cutest guy there. Not that it makes any difference. I've seen the type of chix that hang of you at your parties.
Man I loved this guy as Norton. But he did lot's of other great things as well. Like serve in WWII and getting wounded for his country which left him with a permanent limp.
How many of today's Hollywood heroes would join up and risk life and limb? I can't think of ANY.
I had to read this a couple of times to make sure I wasn't hallucinating, but Warren Kinsella is sounding an awful lot like a Canadian Alliance supporter rather than a Chretien apologist.
"No sooner had David Miller won the mayoralty - due entirely to (a) John Nunziata's slime campaign and (b) the historic collapse of Barbara Hall's support - and Miller gave a graceless, cheap victory speech. It had all the hallmarks of vintage NDP, ie. an absolute certainty that everyone else is not just wrong, they're evil in their essence. As I said to Liberal pals at the John Tory party (and it was a hell of a party): “They've just elected the leader of the opposition. The NDP is going to use City Hall as a base of operations to pick off Liberal MPPs and MPs. And he's going to be at war with business and police in no time.”
And, oh yes, your taxes are going up. And crime is going to get worse. Apart from that, it is going to be just ducky."
Hate to break it to you Warren but a significant portion of your Liberal pals are as anti-business and anti-police as any NDP stalwart. Perhaps you might want to introduce yourself to Sheila Copps, Hedy Fry, and the other closet socialists your party likes to pander to.
Rick: is right about Forest Hill being a block to the Spadina Expressway.
" also know that they've had far less influence at City Hall than Anthony suspects, even in the dark days of the 70s, to which Anthony fears we're returning. Sure, they get thrown a bone every now and then, and even manage to commandeer a debate. Sometimes they actually do the right thing, like stopping high rise development near High Park or killing the Spadina Expressway, way back in the stygian 70s. (Though I'd venture to say that the latter had less to do with 'dewy eyed utopians' than upper-middle class homeowners in the Forest Hill area, the NIMBY version of the 500 lb. gorilla.)"
However "silk stocking socialism" is alive and well in Toronto. Witness the continual begging from the performing arts (ballet, opera, symphony etc) who are subsidized by the "bootless and unhorsed" and patronized by the city's elite.
Rick McGinnis has some thoughts on why he voted Miller over at his excellent last chance city toronto votes aloud website (which actually got mentioned in the National Post).
Rick is an excellent writer and the proof is easily found in gems like this:
"I know one thing: if I see Miller preside over the opening of one more precious parkette, like the Yo-Yo Ma musical shrub farm at Harbourfront, carved out of a bit of public space in front of a wall of condos, I'll utterly regret my vote."
Start regretting now Rick, Miller represents all that is wrong with how Torontonians see their city. As someone who is not a native Torontonian (or Ontarian) I continually find myself in a state of bemusement over the emotional backflips that locals go through over their perception of what "Toronto should be".
Toronto should be a city that functions above all else, however this tends to get lost in the clamor to make Toronto into some kind of story book ideal of what a city should be - namely a collection of eclectic neighborhoods with lots of green space, bike lanes, no high rises and plenty of cheap public transit. Unfortunately this is an impossibility for a city this large.
You don't want high rises? Get ready for more urban sprawl.
You want lots of green space? Green space can't survive in areas of heavy population. Try walking through Taylor Creek Park on a Saturday afternoon in the summer. It's like walking through the Eaton Center but with no air conditioning and with more flies and dogshit. I wanted more green space so I moved and bought my own damn green space. Hurray for private property!
Public Transit? The great fantasy of car hating lefties everywhere is a city with endless miles of subway tracks. And I know that smaller cities in Europe have much more than we do but Europe had way more railway tracks already built and the high price of gasoline curtailed (for a short time) the public's desire for cars. I lived in Toronto for 10 years without a car. I eventually came to loathe the TTC so much that I began to avoid activities that would force me to take transit. And cost had nothing to do with it. It was the sheer ugliness of the experience. If you like being crammed onto subway cars with drunks, druggies and violent perverts hurrah, but quit glorifying it please.
And as for Rick's contention that Toronto is a city held hostage by developers it's hard to believe that a city that has exploded in population over the past 30 years and yet built only one major highway (the 407 toll road which is technically not part of Toronto) is held hostage by anyone other than a collection of dewy eyed utopians and "not in my backyard types".
Toronto's chance to make itself "worldclass" was in the 70's when there was still room to put in place the basic infrastructure that would accommodate the current population. Instead they contented themselves with electing anti-development mayors like that idiot John Sewell.
Funny how this decade is looking more and more like the 70's with each passing day.
Prediction: Miller, who based his entire campaign on the Island Airport and on the promise of vast gobs of money from the province and the federal government will flame out spectacularly as the city slides further into debt. Most Ontarians remember the fiasco of the NDP government. Too bad Toronto has forgotten.
If Miller manages to survive without too many scars look for him to jump to a bigger stage as quickly as possible. Howard Hampton can't stay leader of the provincial NDP forever.
As for me I didn't vote having recently moved and having no idea what the issues are in my current locale. I would like Rick to keep his site up however - it could become an excellent arena for debating municipal issues. The variety of opinions from all sides was quite stimulating. Plus it gave my site more exposure.
As the Toronto election draws to its close I am struck by the fact that one burning issue hasn't come up from candidate, media or electorate.
I am talking about the tragedy and shame that our city has to bear on a yearly basis and has borne since 1967.
Namely the failure of our NHL franchise to win the Stanley Cup.
Surely the largest city in the nation that invented, perfected and exported the game shouldn't have to hang its head in shame at the fact that our grandest prize goes to such un-"world class" locales as New Jersey (technically the Devils don't have a city - just a stadium), Dallas (where it's 80 degrees in the middle of the winter and no one wears shorts) or Detroit ( home of world class shootings and bullet proof "party stores").
What do our candidates have to stay about this? Nothing or but to be fair none of them have been asked.
So what if this issue had come up in one of the debates? What would our erstwhile mayors have said? Hmmmmmmmmmm
Barbara Hall:
"I've noticed that the Leafs tend to collapse every spring just like my campaign has collapsed. I can only conclude that the Leafs like me are too good for the city of Toronto. I propose to move the team to whichever Canadian city is dumb enough to elect me mayor. "
Tom Jakobik
"As budget chief of Toronto for about a million years I learned how to spend money wisely and also all about shady financial deals. I am also quite close with Dash Domi who is Tie Domi's brother. If elected I propose to take all the money that Dash Domi made in commissions on that computer leasing deal and give it to the Leafs to sign more old injury prone free agents."
John Nunziata
"I have heard that the Leafs are being offered money by one of the leading NHL contenders to take a dive in the first round of the playoffs. Even though it makes no sense to bribe the Leafs since they have no chance of winning anyway I think it warrants a full investigation. "
David Miller
"I think our hockey team needs to be more inclusive to immigrants and minorities. Also a Stanley Cup parade would contribute to the gridlock around the city. So if the Leafs win I will charge them tolls to hold their parade.
Wait a minute, scratch that I never said tolls. I said that Detroit fans are a bunch of trolls. uhh Go Argos.. I mean Leafs.. yeah!! Go Leafs Go!!
John Tory
"It's obvious our team is tired from having to travel to Pearson Airport through all the gridlock that Toronto has just so they can fly to and from games. I propose expanding the Toronto Island Airport so that the Leafs can charter a big friggin jet in and out of there. It would be close to their million-dollar condominiums downtown and is right around the corner from the ACC. Also I would only let the Leafs charter land there. The other teams would have to land at Pearson and fight their way downtown through traffic and would arrive all cranky and needing a nap. That way we could be sure we don't suffer the abomination of our greatest sporting prize being paraded around some arena in a swamp in New Jersey."
Well there you have it the real issue of the campaign, uncovered and examined in riveting detail. Remember you heard it here first.
