PONDERABLES
Didn’t those responsible for the decision to have Vice-president Kamala Harris join former president Bill Clinton, a confirmed womanizer, at a Clinton Foundation event focused on “empowering women” ever hear of Monica Lewinsky?
Considering that I block all the “For you” suggestions that appear on my Facebook page, why hasn’t Facebook’s vaunted algorithm figured out that I don’t want them?
How much of the many millions of dollars people spend on the Princess Margaret Hospital lotteries actually ends up in the hospital’s bank account?
Why hasn’t more been made of the fact that Patrick Marleau is only thirteen games away from overtaking Gordie Howe as the all-time leader in games played?
When sports play-by-play broadcasters, after a great play, ask the inane question “are you kidding me?” to whom is it directed?
THINGS I FIRMLY BELIEVE
There’s no need to strike a congressional commission to determine the cause of the January 6th insurrection in Washington, DC, it was Donald Trump.
The Mexican border immigration crisis is just the first of many setbacks the Biden administration is going to face.
People in a hurry shouldn’t watch baseball.
NOT A GOOD WEEK FOR TRUDEAU
What possibly could be the “strategic consultations” that compelled Justin Trudeau to recall Dominic Barton, our Ambassador to China, while the sham trials of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were being held in Beijing. Given that diplomats from more than twenty other countries were in Beijing demonstrating support for Kovrig and Spavor, the optics of Barton’s recall are truly shameful.
Trudeau’s strenuous efforts to prevent ministerial staff from testifying before parliamentary committees is further evidence of both his deep-seated, and probably inherited, disdain for parliament and that there’s still a lot he’s trying to cover up.
The largely meaningless pronouncements of Minister of International Trade, Mary Ng, Minister of Public Service, Anita Anand, President of Vaccine Delivery Logistics and Operations, Major-General Dany Fortin, and Trudeau himself, rather than instil confidence instead were evidence that that the government doesn’t really have a clue as to how many vaccines we’re going to get or when we’re going to get them.
And finally, Canada placed 15th on this year’s list of the World’s Happiness Countries. We were number five when Trudeau was elected prime minister.
ERIN O’TOOLE AND THE CONSERVATIVE “CONVENTION”
Normally I’d be glued to the television set during a political convention, but I didn’t see any of last weekend’s Conservative zoomfest, and didn’t even see leader Erin O’Toole’s keynote speech until the next day on YouTube.
I have no idea how the “convention” fared overall, but because of the absence of any opportunity for face-to-face horse trading and other normal convention activities requiring a physical presence, I suspect it was more frustrating than enjoyable. But I do have an opinion on O’Toole’s speech. His delivery was compelling, making it clear he is the boss and that his main focus is to, in today’s jargon, “enlarge the tent.” He also handled himself well in the subsequent Q&A. But we’ll have to wait until the next election to learn how effective his wide-ranging message was.
Because his main problem was that he wasn’t very well-known beyond south-eastern Ontario, O’Toole stood to lose more than the party by the “convention” not being widely viewed which would have given him much-needed exposure.
But, unfortunately for O’Toole, he’s been getting more network exposure since the “convention” than he probably wants due to the the damage done to him and the party by the fifty-four percent who defeated the motion to recognize the reality of climate change.
REMEMBERING ZEKE O’CONNOR
So far, thankfully, I’ve lost only one friend to COVID-19. It was Zeke O’Connor, a vibrant almost-95-year-old who was an inspiration to all who knew him.
A New York City native, Zeke was a football star at Notre Dame and played five years in the All-American Football Conference and NFL before coming to the CFL, where he won the Grey Cup with the Argos in 1952. Zeke remained in Toronto after he retired from football in 1953 and became a successful broadcaster and a senior executive at Sears Canada. He also became a good friend of Sir Edmund Hillary, the conqueror of Mt. Everest, and for the rest of his life Zeke was a devoted supporter of the Nepalese Sherpas.
He was a frequent guest (and occasional host) of our Thursday’s Children luncheon group, and his presence always enhanced our already lively sessions. Zeke will be sorely missed by all who knew him.