I'm rather proud of myself  ...  usually I go with my instincts and principles and say it exactly as I see it. This time I decided to do the PC thing and  stifle those thoughts in favour of light reading. I'm lying through my teeth of course ... actually I am  ashamed of my cowardice in not having the guts to  go with my original  theme but the way things are these days  any comments from a Canadian  regarding the situation we are facing in the world right now would immediately see me branded by some as some kind of radical socialist enemy of those who would save us all from who knows what disaster with self righteous smug superiority and a sanctimonious conviction that they know best for the entire world. 

Damn it !  Free speech and the right to disagree really were wonderful weren't they ! Oh well,  maybe someday  we'll be allowed to think again.  That's if any of us are still around after this 'saving mankind' mind set has run it's course.

 What was that quote again ? Oh yeah ... " Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

 God help us all.

 Free .. and ... Easy ... yep ... the two definitely do belong together.  Now ...  how do I get there from here ? After spending the past several days attempting to figure that out I have reached a conclusion which apparently is inescapable. There just ain't no way at the moment to find anything 'easy'.

Someone once said that "The disappearance of a sense of responsibility is the most far-reaching consequence of submission to authority" and never have those words been more true than  they are today.  We are responsible for the actions of our governments. To abdicate that responsibility as appears to be happening is to forfeit everything we have always claimed to believe in and be prepared to defend.

For the first time since our countries were founded we find ourselves threatened on our own shores by those who would see our democracies fail. How we conduct ourselves in defense of our values  will show if we truly do believe in freedom and equality for all or if  we have been merely paying lip service to such lofty ideals.

If we stand quietly by and allow those in control of our  governments' policies  to continue to act  unilaterally  and without the unanimity of world opinion in a manner which we know is wrong, and  which is guaranteed to open the floodgates of unspeakable peril creating a world climate beyond our imagining, we will deny any right to ever again espouse freedom as our way of life.  Other nations will in the future now feel no restraint in whatever actions they may choose to take and we shall find we have given up everything we have ever stood for and  for which so many of our fellow citizens have died in several wars.

Have we not yet learned that war is no solution ? Are we now to take on the mantle of 
the supreme oppressor in order to force our will on others? Wars are declared by old men, all too often with agendas, but it is our young men and women who are sent to die. The atrocities of war are something  few of us in North America have experienced first hand, and never have we been invaded by a foreign country as so many European countries have been, so it perhaps is easier for those who hold the reins of power to discount and dismiss  the ramifications and consequences of waging war.

 Why are we questioning motivation and yet idly standing by as the  planning and strategy continues to move forward to the apparently inevitable goal  of those who see themselves as the rightful decision makers for all of humanity ?  This probable outcome has been obvious for a long time now to anyone with an ounce of common sense.

Since when did we become the aggressors? When did we acquire the wisdom of 
Solomon which makes us the arbiter of the fate of citizens of countries not our own ? And most of all  how can we risk setting precedents which will stand a very good chance of ultimately destroying all of mankind ? And now even Canada is in danger of selecting a leader who, if present indications hold true in the upcoming election, will see us becoming a willing accomplice in this madness. 

 One only has to see the reaction in recent months by many with a similar viewpoint to the agenda of those who have created this mess,  even as other countries are counseling caution and showing  hesitation to simply acquiesce to the wishes of  a power which, by the very nature of the ability and resources to do so, feels a divine right to dictate to, and to expect unquestioning unanimity from all allies  ignoring the dangers which abound  today. A graphic example is my country ... Canada, which has in recent years become a liability  to those of this mind set  as 'friendly neighbour' status has been cast aside in favour of scorn and ridicule bordering on, if not an outright declaration that we are an enemy if we do not follow blindly and without hesitation like docile unquestioning lemmings, inferring exactly that. If Canadians are wise enough to reject the supporter of these war making policies in the upcoming election will we, by our hesitation and expressed concern, be next on the list of those countries which require intervention ?

 I hasten to add that I am not suggesting for one second that this opinion is shared by the majority of our neighbours but it is I believe, from all indications in recent months, that of the vocal minority who have lusted after exactly this degree of power for so many years and who now would appear to finally be in total control and unstoppable. I quite simply cannot, and will not, accept that decency and integrity are an archaic anachronism to freedom loving nations such as ours. I have far too many long standing friendships with our neighbours, which I cherish, to believe this could ever be so.

Now, more than at any time in our history, it is incumbent upon each and every one of us that we not remain silent and in doing so give support to actions which are contrary to everything  for which our countries stand ... and for which too many of our countrymen and women have fought and died in conflicts around the world throughout the history of our nations. 

Unquestionably the Iraq War has been a monumental blunder which now  absolutely must be dealt with, and soon, but I firmly believe that the unity of nations as exemplified by the United Nations must be upheld and supported if freedom is to survive.  A majority of my fellow Canadians  show all indications that they agree. There quite simply is no other answer. To ignore this fact as appears to be the goal of some is to invite a future of madness and destruction beyond imagining. We owe it to our history and to our children and our grandchildren, as well as children everywhere,  to do everything in our power to assure this does not happen ! If children like the wee boy in the image on this page are to have a future we have no other choice.

It appears it is a very good thing I made no promises. This page has ended up being anything BUT free and easy. But then, nothing is these days and its time we faced that fact and found the courage to deal with it, before its too late for all of us. If we don't find ways to open the lines of communication and reach  understanding among ourselves how can we ever expect to resolve anything. Never has unity amongst our people been more essential.