A good friend of mine said to me last week, "You know my grandfather died about fifty years ago and if we were able to bring him back to life today, he would likely request to be put back to sleep within a week." I had a short laugh about it, but after thinking a little more seriously, I think my friend is right. Would you rather live in a world where you didn't have to worry about offending someone by calling that thing in your house a CHRISTmas Tree? Would you rather live in a world where your kids play Pac-Man instead of Call Of Duty? Or how about a world in which you could kiss your kids good-bye as they head out the door for school and not have to worry about whether or not that's the last time you will ever see them alive because some deranged stranger may get access to machine guns and blow everyone away? Or, a world where (as a writer) you don't have to choose your words carefully in the previous sentence?
I've had it with people. I'm tired of giving people like Ashu Solo recognition for being a royal pain in the horse's rear end. Solo is the 'guy' who whined about a Merry CHRISTmas message on a Saskatoon transit bus last week. Saskatoon has a population of 260 000 people and the City Manager answered Solo's complaint by suggesting the city would review whether or not a Merry CHRISTmas message was appropriate or not. One complaint out of 260 000 people is all it took. The Manger said, "It's never our intent to offend anyone." Well, if I was one of the 260 000 people who lived in Saskatoon, call me offended by Solo's complaint and appalled by the response of the City Manager, who should be fired. Enough is enough. We live in a democratic society and the vast majority of us still recognize the birthday of Jesus Christ as CHRISTmas. No, I don't go to church every single Sunday nor will you see me walking door to door with a bible preaching to the masses. But, CHRISTmas is the birthday of Christ.
I wonder if a guy like Solo, who says he's self-employed and a workaholic (this likely means he lives in mom's basement and doesn't work at all as workaholics seldom, if ever, recognize the fact they work too much), would turn away a Christmas bonus cheque if one was ever offered to him? I know some other anti-CHRISTmas people and I also know those same people don't mind receiving Christmas Holidays (time off work) or gifts from loved ones on December 25th. Do some research on the meaning of Christmas. If you are that opposed to seeing the word Christ, then you have to also do away with these other selective perks because the deep rooted meaning of everything we do all comes back to the birthday of Christ.
While I am, firmly, opposed to these silly anti-Christian Christmas viewpoints, I still wonder aloud why God would allow something such as the Sandy Hook tragedy to occur. I mean, kindergarten children? Young teachers using themselves as shields to save lives? The whole thing makes me sick. I can only hope hell is beyond my wildest imagination for Adam Lanza.
What country, other than Canada, would a man be able to stab his children 46 times and then walk away, completely released from custody 46 months later (1 month per stab, as it conveniently works out to)? That happened in Quebec as this person has been now deemed 'mentally fit'. The former doctor, last year, was found not criminally responsible for the crime as he had been depressed from separating from his ex-wife and devastated over the fact she had found a new lover. Simple really. Not his fault. His wife, indirectly, made him do it. What a crock of dandelions. I'm sure it wasn't thought out at all as to how he could really get at his ex-wife by killing the kids instead of her. The poor woman has to live the rest of her life knowing her one-time husband and father of her two kids has taken away what's most dearest to her forever by committing this brutal act. So, this guy is 'cured'. He can meet a new woman and have new kids. That's what is sick. Not the 'illness' suffered by the doctor. Meanwhile, the ex-wife will (barring a tragedy) live another 40 or so years with the torment of losing her two children as well as knowing this guy got away with two incomprehensible murders. I think any panel that oversees a hearing as to whether or not someone should be released from custody should have been a victim of a brutal crime and that should balance the scales a little. "He still poses a risk, but that risk can be controlled if he's supervised," said lawyer Danielle Allard (obviously, never a victim of crime herself). If this doctor commits another crime, Allard and whoever is in charge of his supervision should also be charged.
Nice person mentions this week to Wayne Warren, Geoff Auckland, Jay Boyd, Barb Haas, Kent McMann, and Brad Opheim.
