Blue Like You

(From MacKay - May 31, 2006 )

Please visit my poll page and cast your vote at one or both of the two polls about Julian Fantino vs. Shawn Brant.

The first poll asks if Fantino should be suspended. Current results sit at 91% saying no and 9% saying yes, out of a total of 55 votes since July 20.

The second poll is more specific, asking whether Fantino should be suspended, fired, given the Order of Canada or none of the above? Only 9 votes have been cast here, but 78% of the respondents have voted for ‘None of the Above". 22% say he should be fired.

The National Post takes a shot at fellow MSM this morning with their editorial, Fantino’s Non-Scandal:

…The only "danger" at issue here is the risk of this country being overrun by native protests in the face of cops who have both hands tied behind their backs.

How exactly did this increasingly wimpy nation get to a point where it is considered "scandalous" for a police officer to use Bmovie tough talk to eject thugs from public property? More to the point: Why are our media colleagues cheerleading this embarrassing phenomenon?

Well, Shawn Brant, his lawyer and NDP MPP Peter Kormos certainly know how to use the media to their advantage. And to his credit, Dalton McGuinty has stood by Fantino on this one. I grudgingly give him a thumbs-up for that. The NDP’s action is shameless and irresponsible.

However, that this is even a story one year after the fact is symptomatic of our weak-kneed progressive attitudes when it comes to applying the law of the land to all citizens equally.

Or as Julian Fantino himself has observed,

"I find the whole thing ludicrous,” the Ontario Provincial Police commissioner said in an e-mail.

"It’s all utter shameful madness that under the circumstances . . . I and the OPP would be portrayed as the villains and Brant the victim. But, then again, some people have no shame,” he wrote.

"Ironically, only in Canada can someone basically usurp the rights and lawful entitlement of tens of thousands of people and obstruct commerce by leading a so-called blockade using criminal tactics (and have) such unlawful actions be made out to be legitimate and its mastermind then the victim. This is insane!” he wrote.

It is indeed insane.

But when you have an Ontario Premier with a long-standing policy of incremental appeasement and an apparent policing philosophy that involves merely ‘keeping the peace’ when laws are broken, then he shouldn’t be too surprised when an alleged perpetrator of a crime is made to look like victim.

It is a logical progression.

* * * *

Update: Thanks to Sol for directing me to this excellent commentary in today’s Sun - Apparently Fantino’s an o.k. guy. It seems that the Kangaroo Court comprised of MSM and left-leaning politicians has been less than honest with us regarding the context of Fantino’s comments:

…What you probably haven’t heard is the next thing Fantino said: "I don’t want to do that. I want to help you deal with the suicides (on native reserves) … I’ve travelled to … reserves. I know exactly what you’re talking about. I’ve seen it. I’ve been to Kashechewan and some of these other places. I’ve been there … "

Shawn Brant himself seemed quite impressed with Fantino at the time.

If this is Peter Kormos’ way to get face-time before an NDP leadership race, I think he’s picking the wrong issue.

Neo has more - What percentage of Ontarians…

Another tip from Sol - Christina Blizzard: Shawn Brant vs. everyone.

This morning’s Sun editorial encapsulated most of my personal reaction regarding the surprise TTC strike.

The union acted very irresponsibly by not giving any warning. As I watched the Toronto news stations near midnight, reporters were giving the information to many young women as they were planning to head home via a bus or subway. Several were in shock. I have a young niece who lives in downtown Toronto and I was immediately concerned for her safety.

The supposed reason for not giving a 48 hour warning was apparently to protect workers from abuse, but I suspect that transit users will have a few choice words for the drivers once this situation is temporarily resolved.

It should be a lesson for both David Miller and Dalton McGuinty though. Their union friends will just keep demanding more and more. They will never be able to satisfy their demands, and it will come at a huge cost to the taxpayer and transit user - both financially and in terms of safety.

At some point, they may need to make a tough choice.

And that time may well be now.

Is this not the epitome of poetic justice?

Are you guys outside of Ontario alright with Dalton McGuinty clamoring for more money to offset the $50 million tab for Caledonia (which is actually closer to $54 million)?

Remember now, he bought the land. The Province of Ontario now owns it. Negotiations continue even though the land is occupied.

Bear in mind too, that the Feds already gave Dalton $26 million of your hard-earned tax dollars last year to help offset Caledonia costs, and this problem has no end in sight.

Michael Bryant calls it “…the cost of keeping the peace“.

Do you agree to foot this bill, ROC?

Today is the Second Anniversary of the Caledonia dispute, and my frustration with the McGuinty government has reached its zenith.

First we have the arrogant Aboriginal Affairs Minister Michael Bryant responding to the HDI extortion policy with the following:

“My experience with developers . . . is they didn’t just fall off the turnip truck,” Bryant said. “They know very well what the rules are and the laws are. The only fees that need to be paid are paid to municipalities. That is the law.”

So what the flick does that mean? If they were farmers, then you’d step in and help?

He maintains that “It’s up to the police, not the province, to intervene and press charges.”

Well everyone who didn’t just fall off a turnip truck knows that the OPP has to follow the mandate of the McGuinty Government, which has been so intimidated by a fear of an Ipperwash reoccurrence, that it has effectively castrated Julian Fantino and the OPP in terms of any power to enforce the law regarding native disruptions.

This story alone could take up the whole post, but it’s hard on my blood pressure to dwell on it too long.

So we’ll move onto Health Minister George Smitherman, who feels the need to announce several times that he’s going to wear a diaper to test out the modern incontinence products.

Pull-eeze! Spare us the gruesome mental images and just do something about those poor seniors sitting in their own waste in nursing homes!! We’re talking about human dignity here.

And if the Liberals are so into first-hand experiencing of problems, why hasn’t McGuinty gone to Caledonia yet? Or Fantino for that matter?

Finally, I am sick and tired of Dalton McGuinty’s knee-jerk response of pointing his finger at Ottawa whenever a reporter or taxpayer raises an issue.

For example, he is in shock that the Feds aren’t going to bail him out of the manufacturing crisis in Ontario, which Jim Flaherty suggests could be eased somewhat with provincial corporate tax cuts.

McGuinty refutes this suggestion stating:

Mr. McGuinty said it is easy for the federal government to cut taxes because it is awash in cash.

“We’re in a slightly different situation here,” he said.

No kidding - Because the high costs of a continual policy of appeasement, incompetence and bending over will catch up with you in the end.

He’s great at giving out holidays, banning stuff and taking away prayers though.

Another ‘disturbance’ in Caledonia yesterday - Activist badly beaten in Caledonia attack (Spectator). More at LFP.

I just can’t get over this line from Julian Fantino:

OPP commissioner Julian Fantino said in a release that the force, “will seek every legal remedy possible to end this madness and to bring them (protesters) to justice.”

“These incidents, where interlopers put their personal agendas over those who are striving for a permanent and lasting resolution will not be tolerated,” said Fantino.

At first I thought he was referring to the native protesters.

Silly me.

Meanwhile, the feds will offer another cash settlement, since the $125 million offered last May wasn’t good enough - Ottawa plans new cash offer to Six Nations.

If that fails, then Plan B goes into action.

Trouble is, nobody seems to know what that might be.

Well, the unions were solidly behind McGuinty during the election, and now begins payback time.

The labour movement is demanding that the province take a more aggressive stance in safeguarding union jobs. That usually means more money for them and more taxes for us.

Funny thing is that usually the lefties scorn corporate tax incentives, but they still want their high-paying, union jobs protected.

Anyway, at the end of this Star article (Unions turn screws on Liberals) there is an interesting bit of information about the infamous ‘Working Families Coalition‘:

Representatives of the building trades, teachers and firefighters were all at the convention. But their unions all worked along with the CAW to help elect Liberals in last month’s provincial election, either directly or indirectly through the “working families” coalition. They are unlikely to join any concerted anti-government protests.

It will be interesting to see how this all works out.

Meanwhile back in Caledonia, resident Ken Hewitt made it clear in an open letter to Michael Bryant that he expects much more involvement from the Minister than a quick photo-op:

In any event my concern lies with the comment you made regarding the HDI; a group that has no legitimacy, nor do they have lawful jurisdiction over land that has yet to be settled in any formal claims negotiations. I fully support and agree with your comment that no builder or developer should consult with such group, and that fees were not expected to be paid to any group; that they should trust the legal titles and registration process prescribed by the province. My question is why then does the provincial government not stand behind those statements. Furthermore your statement that,” natives will not be forcibly removed from any site” only serves to guarantee more protests like Caledonia’s. Most of us live our lives with an understanding that with behaviour come consequences. You have taken the consequences out of the equation and have given them a false of sense of power that will bring harm on them as well those they affect.

Today, as a result of your statements, the HDI has decided to test them by stopping a builder in Brantford indefinitely. The terms are to consult and to pay fees that you said he would not have to. I am afraid that he will be faced with little choice as your (our) government abandons him and leaves him on his own. You should know that just recently the HDI was involved in stopping a dump that was given the provincial go ahead to move forward. While that is a win for the environment, the fact that they are no longer there would suggest that the environment was not their agenda and that they have been or will be paid fees as well.

So the McGuinty government is going to have a few challenges in the next little while. I wonder how much more of our money they will spend to try and make it all go away?