"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Wednesday 7 November 2012

Faulty Recall

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Stay Cool":

That is so funny! I read that comment to be aimed at McGuinty & his shenanigans. And that there is not a similar howl to that from when Harper pulled the same stunt.
And, I also recall when it took 2 days for the armed forces to get to Toronto to help after a blizzard - from Barrie.


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It's how memory serves us  that's  funny.
I  recall a similar howl when Prime Minister Harper pulled the same stunt. 
The Canadian military  does  not  have the same function as the American National Guard. 
The American military is not the same as the National Guard.
In the sixties, the National Guard shot young American students at Kent State University. 
When Toronto was in the grip of a blizzard during Mel  Lastman's 
time in  the Mayor's office, the Canadian  military was not an obvious resource. 
A request had to be made and no doubt  funneled through Provincial channels. The Military is a Federal institution. 
Mayor Mel Lastman was  a bit of a joke in municipal circles. Mayor of a  Canadian city that couldn't handle a Canadian blizzard.? 
W.T.F .
So what is the comment  about?  
McGuinty dodging the bullet ?
I see in the media, he has rejected a report that the cancellation of two gas generating plants , one in Oakville and one in Mississuaga, for which his government awarded contracts. cost $1.3 billion. 
He is quoted  that he closed down the government , until his party chooses a new leader, to stop  opposition "shenanigans"  
That's an interesting notion. Blame the critics for  trouble you created for yourself. 
How can the Premier not know  the worth of contracts his government awarded and  that  were under construction, and that the price would have to be paid  even though they were cancelled?
He made the decision. 
How could he not know the cost before he did that?  

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Someone must have signed those contracts. I notice at Council there will be a motion for the Mayor & Clerk to sign specific papers about certain deals. There must be a similar situation with the Provincial Government.

Anonymous said...


Did you read in the paper that we shipped two security enhanced (bullet proof?) vehicles to India so that our PM and his wife could ride around all safe and sound?

One would think that India would be able to provide this sort of transportation.

Presumably these were shipped by air. Wonder at what cost?

Anonymous said...

WTF people.....

Why is it unreasonable for the leader of this country to have his security ensured in another country?

What cost? The RCAF has a military AirBus that is a combo (passenger & cargo) that would allow his vehicles to be shipped.

I am sure India would have he ability to provide security to him. Just like the bodyguard that assaininated their PM?

The only way to be sure of your security is to handle it yourself. That is what the US does.

I see no problem with this. It's only The Star and it's fans that have a problem.

Anonymous said...

The National Guard is not a federally controlled military unless and until it is "Nationalized". During normal times, the National Guard's CinC is the Govenor of the state. He/She has the power to "call out the Guard" to deal with emergency situations. Some govenors use the Guard as their extra state police - as in the Kent State shootings.

Regular force US military is federally controlled with the ultimate CinC being the PotUS.

Canadian Armed Forces are split (for simplicity) into Regular Force and Reserve/Militia. They are both Federal entities. Reg force are the standing army/navy/air force people that are full-time.

Reserve/Militia are the parttime groups that train at local armouries week in/week out at towns and cities all around the country. In some circles, they are termed "Kiddies". These units can be "activated" into regular status as needed as well as individual members of the units can be activated after volunteering. This is how individuals attached to militia units have ended up in harm's way.

When Lastman asked for military help, he had to make the request of the DoD through the Minister of National Defence. It was not unusual. The Province of Quebec did the same thing during that ice storm a number of years ago.