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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-08-21, Page 5THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2008. PAGE 5. Bonnie Gropp TThhee sshhoorrtt ooff iitt Going to the show T o delight in war is a merit in a soldier, a dangerous quality in a captain and a positive crime in a statesman. – George Santayana I must say, I’m a little envious. If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines… It must be exciting for you … in some ways romantic, in some ways, you know, confronting danger. You’re really making history, and thanks. – President George Bush, to troops in Iraq We are living in historic times, you and I. The most hapless, obscene and globally destructive American administration in living memory and probably of all time is about to be swept into the Hefty Bag of history. We don’t know what’s to come next, but for much of the world it could hardly be worse. Ironically, George W. Bush probably won’t be remembered for the thousands of lives and trillions of dollars he squandered, the international goodwill he pissed away or for the environmental degradation he enthusiastically green-lighted. He will more likely be remembered for the stunning mediocrity of what passes for his mind. George W. Bush truly proved the old adage that anybody – anybody – can become president. The question all Americans must ask themselves is: How did this abysmal fool ever get to the Oval Office? Here is Thomas Jefferson: “When a man assumes a public trust, he should consider himself as a public property.” Here is George Bush: “I am mindful not only of preserving executive powers for myself, but for my predecessors as well.” Here is Abraham Lincoln: “I claim not to have controlled events, but plainly confess that events have controlled me.” Here is George Bush: “We’re kicking ass” (on progress in Iraq). Here is John Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” Here is George Bush: “You know, when you give a man more money in his pocket – in this case, a woman more money in her pocket to expand a business, it – they build new buildings. And when somebody builds a new building somebody has got to come and build the building. And when the building expanded it prevented additional opportunities for people to work.” Here is Barack Obama speaking recently in Berlin: “As we speak, cars in Boston and factories in Beijing are melting the ice caps in the Arctic, shrinking coastlines in the Atlantic, and bringing drought to farms from Kansas to Kenya. Poorly secured nuclear material in the former Soviet Union, or secrets from a scientist in Pakistan could help build a bomb that detonates in Paris. The poppies in Afghanistan become the heroin in Berlin. The poverty and violence in Somalia breeds the terror of tomorrow. The genocide in Darfur shames the conscience of us all.” Here is George Bush: “It isn’t pollution that’s harming the environment. It’s the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.” JFK on war: “Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.” Here is George Bush: “I’ve been to war. I’ve raised twins. If I had a choice, I’d rather go to war.” That last statement is not only a lousy joke, it’s a miserable lie. George Bush never went to war. He and his family twisted and wheedled and pulled every string available to a rich, white, East Coast preppy to make sure he never spent a wartime minute in Vietnam. Just like his White House henchmen, Cheney and Rumsfeld. I guess it’s a back-handed tribute to the strength of a country that it can survive even the depredations of a sock-puppet disaster like George W. Bush and the neocon nitwits who pitchforked him into power…but it’s been a long and ugly eight years. American voters really need to raise the bar this time. Or as George so memorably phrased it: “We oughtta make the pie higher.” Arthur Black Other Views Adios, George – and good riddance Premier Dalton McGuinty has found all the think-tanks in the world are still not telling Ontarians the message he wants them to hear, so he is starting one of his own. The Liberal premier will spend $5 million of taxpayers’ money to create an institute at the University of Toronto that will research, and make public, information on Ontario’s place in a rapidly changing Confederation. Spokespeople for both claimed it will be non-partisan, but don’t believe it. McGuinty has shown increasing concern Ontario is short-changed by the federal system, particularly when it has to continue subsidizing other provinces while its economy struggles. The new institute inevitably will search harder for evidence that will support McGuinty’s view and bolster his cause. Those who fund research by academic institutions in any case usually find they discover information favourable to them. Look at the many studies that conclude chocolate and wine are good for health. Think-tanks have multiplied in recent years. They are, next to polls, the biggest growth industry in politics, and almost all are similarly biased. The best known, the Fraser Institute, devotes most of its energies to showing that business is over-taxed and over- regulated. It unearths statistics to show high taxes are discouraging investment, far- sighted residents are queuing to emmigrate and government auto insurance causes more accidents, because premiums are not high enough to force bad drivers off the road. Its current most celebrated spokespeople are former extreme right wing Conservative premier Mike Harris and former Reform Party leader Preston Manning. No one can suggest it is non-partisan. The C.D. Howe Institute’s research advocates similar right-wing ideals and argues governments should be wary of actions to slow climate change that could hurt business and jobs, private enterprise usually can do the job more efficiently and cheaply than, for example, Ontario government liquor stores, and smaller classes that cost more money do not necessarily educate better. The Institute for Research on Public Policy is not as one-track an advocate for business, but its leanings can be gleaned by the fact it was headed by Hugh Segal, a former senior aide successively to Conservative premier William Davis and Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney and unsuccessful candidate for national leader before landing a cozier seat in the Senate. There are think-tanks more to the left, but less known because they have less money and fund fewer studies. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives advocates increased public spending to compensate for drastic program cuts by Ontario Conservative governments when they slashed taxes between 1995 and 2003. The Tommy Douglas Research Institute defends state medicare against its many critics and you would not expect anything else from an organization named after the former New Democrat premier of Saskatchewan generally regarded as the founder of medicare. But think-tanks that support a cause often are not identifiable by their names. People would not recognize immediately that CropLife Canada represents manufacturers of pesticides and the Fair Air Association opposes curbs on smoking it says take away smokers’ rights and cost jobs. The think-tanks Ontarians currently notice most probably are those whose representatives constantly pontificate on TV about hostilities in Iraq, Afghanistan and other trouble zones and are based mainly in the United States, and most are ultra-conservative. The Heritage Foundation was created by brewery billionaire Joseph Coors, who financed Ronald Reagan’s early elections and whose own brother described him as “a little bit right of Attila the Hun.” The American Enterprise Institute, Centre for Security Policy and Competitive Enterprise Institute have much the same views, while the Centre for American Progress and Americans Coming Together have voices more from the centre. One question Ontarians should ask is whether McGuinty should spend $5 million on a think-tank mainly to collect more ammunition for a propaganda war with the federal government. Another is that most think-tanks are recognized as biased. McGuinty’s inevitably will come up with research showing Ontario gets a raw deal, but will anyone believe it? Eric Dowd FFrroomm QQuueeeenn’’ss PPaarrkk It’s brought snickers, bemused, often doubting looks. I’ve been told I’m a saint, tolerant, a good sport. What none of these people seem to realize however, is that there’s nothing amusing about what I’m saying. There is nothing about it that makes me any of the aforementioned. The simple truth is that when I say I’m going to a car show, it’s because I want to. A few weeks ago through conversation with a friend, I learned that I am a far, far better person than I had ever before thought. Sainthood she bestowed upon me after my simple mentioning of the fact I was going to a car show. Actually, so outraged was she on my behalf, that it was not enough to have anointed me as martyr. She then proclaimed me medal worthy as well. And nothing could convince her that I was not a loyal pup led by no choice of my own to places I’d rather not be. Then while dining with Mom and Dad one night last week, we discussed the upcoming weekend and what I was going to be doing. I should no longer have been surprised by, after mentioning a car show was on the itinerary, my mother’s grin, the raised eyebrow, the skeptical twinkling of her eye. “What?!?” I cried. “I like them!” I do. I love walking under a bright summer sky, looking at hundreds of classic cars. Unfortunately though, as I tried to respond to Mom I discovered that I can’t seem to explain what does fascinate me. My Dad understood though. At least in part, An old auto body man, he talked about the glossy paint jobs, how clean some of the motors are. It is, he said, nice to look at. Certainly, unlike cars from the past 20 years or so, there is a grace and beauty to these autos, from the earliest Model T to a sporty Camaro that begs attention. Heads will turn when a Scorch-hued 1969 ’Cuda slides down the street. A bright orange Charger, a shiny Super Bee are guaranteed to draw more than a glance when passing by. And it was always that way. When I was in high school, the boys who had these cars never went unnoticed. When my husband purchased a 1967 Coronet RT in the late 1970s, I couldn’t miss the fact that guys tended to look when I drove that car. I humbly admitted to what sparked their interest and it sure wasn’t me. Reminding Mark about this the other day got a chuckle as he remarked that the car he drives now is older than the RT was at the time. And trust me, there’s nobody paying attention when he cruises by in his drab, but reliable Reliant. No, those old gems are art. And wandering around a car show is tantamount to being at any gallery exhibit. Beautiful things to see, at your leisure, in a relaxing setting. However, the attraction goes beyond the aesthetic. There is a nostalgia factor, obviously. There is the history. There is also the ambiance. Under a sky-blue canopy people of all ages leisurely meander through decades, often accompanied by the music that defined those times. They can’t hear the stories these treasures hold, but they can imagine. Drag races and cruising down country roads, rendezvous in secluded scenic settings, rocking, rolling fun at high school parking lots, and late nights at drive-ins are secret tales held by the muscle cars. Family picnics, Sunday tours with ice-cream or trips to the beach are locked inside the four doors of that big sedan. No, I suppose anyone who’s never been can’t understand the attraction. I’m not even sure I always do. But it doesn’t matter. I just know I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Premier gets own think-tank Letters Policy The Citizen welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and should include a daytime telephone number for the purpose of verification only. Letters that are not signed will not be printed. Submissions may be edited for length, clarity and content, using fair comment as our guideline. The Citizen reserves the right to refuse any letter on the basis of unfair bias, prejudice or inaccurate information. As well, letters can only be printed as space allows. Please keep your letters brief and concise.