Friday, December 27, 2013

And what do you see?

When you look at life like a mirror and you are pleased then you have lived your life for others and not for yourself.  Look not at the physical reflection of who you are, but the everlasting soul of who you are and be pleased.

_Larry Birkbeck

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Why Christmas is Important

John 14:1-11

"Let not your hearts be troubled, Believe in God: believe also in Me.  In my Father's house are many rooms.  If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.  And you know the way to where I am going."

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going.  How can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known my Father also.  From now on you do know Him and have seen Him."

Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know Me, Philip?  Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father.  How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me?  The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does His works. Believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me, or else believe on account of the works themselves."


_Scripture verses from the Holy Bible

Monday, November 25, 2013

Harper Scandal Monumental

CTV Question Period

Harper Scandal Exposed

CTV News Report


101 Grey Cup Champions

The Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the Hamiltion Tiger Cats in the 101st Grey Cup Championship. The Riders needed one last win for Rider Nation and they delivered.  This win is greater than just a game. The Riders are all that Saskatchewan people stand for and they are who we are as residents of this great province.

Saskatchewan people support the Riders regardless of whether they are winning or losing.  The Riders, the fans and the people of Saskatchewan are a family in good times and bad.  Does it get any better?

Congratulations to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the fans and the people of Saskatchewan. You exemplify the meaning of pride and humility.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

PM Harper on Rob Ford

Rider Nation is engaged in the greatest Grey Cup week in the history of the CFL.  The Riders and Tiger Cats do battle for the Grey Cup on Sunday.  We should be thinking of nothing else until this great event is over.  This is Rider Nation time.  It should not be Rob Ford time.

Rob Ford is the disgraced Mayor of Toronto.  PM Stephen Harper, Jim Flaherty, and other conservatives are close friends of Rob Ford.  They are reluctant to turn their backs on Rob Ford, but Harper had no problem turning his back on the Senators he appointed.

The CTV reported that, “The Prime Minister’s Office waded into the Rob Ford controversy for the first time Monday, issuing a brief statement calling the latest allegations of his drug and alcohol use “troubling.”  The federal Conservative government has remained largely silent as a scandal has engulfed one of its key political allies in Ontario.  After months of denials, Ford recently admitted that he has smoked crack cocaine.”

Harper then disgraced himself in his statement on Rob Ford with a cheap shot at Justin Trudeau.  The Harper government has been embroiled in failed policies and scandals.  Stephen Harper is in no position to take cheap shots at anyone considering his own personal situation.  Rob Ford is a disgrace to the country and Stephen Harper is not far behind him.

Now back to the Grey Cup week and a Rider win on Sunday.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Riders Win

If you are reading this today you should read the previous post, Game Day.  The Saskatchewan Roughriders did win one more for Rider Nation and the game was won in the trenches with our big guys getting it done. Cory Sheets was back on his game and the ground game and turnovers played a very important role in the Riders win yesterday against the talented Calgary Stampeders.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are in the Grey Cup and with home field advantage for the first time in the history of the club.  They will play against the Hamilton Tiger Cats and we can only hope it is as great a game as these two teams played in 1989 and we hope for a similar outcome. One last win for Rider Nation and the Saskatchewan Roughriders will be Grey Cup Champions for 2013.  Go Riders!

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Game Day

If you are reading this today and live in Saskatchewan then you will know it is Game Day in Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan Roughriders are in Calgary to face the Calgary Stampeders and it will be a showdown for the records.

The weather will play an important role in this Western Division title match as temperatures are not expected to be much above -10 celcius at game time and dropping as the game heads into the second half.  The humidity is expected to be very high and that will make it feel even colder.  There is even a chance it may snow to make game conditions even worse for the players.

It is likely the ground game will play an important role as well as turnovers and penalties.  It is a game that is likely to be won in the trenches with the big guys on the defensive and offensive lines.

I am expecting there will be more scoring in the first half of the game and both teams will settle down in the second half with both teams tightening up on defense.  These two teams are closely matched and you know only one team can win.  Losing will be hard for either team.  With the 101st Grey Cup to be held in Regina, Saskatchewan this year I feel that will be the added incentive for the Saskatchewan Roughriders to win one more for Rider Nation.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Thursday, November 07, 2013

Senate Scandal

The indefinite suspension of three Senators by the Senate of Canada is a harsh and unprecedented decision.  The Senate cast a wide net to punish three Senators they believed violated various rules of the Senate.  Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed all three of the suspended Senators.  In my view, he unnecessarily injected himself into this scandalous affair pushing hard on the Senate to suspend three Senators he appointed.  Senate appointments are the purest form of political patronage where no qualifications are required of anyone appointed to such a highly paid and prestigious position.

Rights and Freedoms under the Constitution of Canada, Rule of Law, and common sense apparently were disregarded entirely in the suspension of three Senators.  The citizens of Canada had no evidence, other than media reports, to conclude these three Senators were all guilty and the same punishment for different alleged violations of questionable rules of the Senate is appropriate.  Prime Minister Stephen Harper and most of his supporters read the public opinion polls and suspended three Senators indefinitely without pay or any form of recourse.  Banning the Senators from Parliament Hill is hard to justify.

I do not know that the suspended Senators were all equally guilty of all the allegations and nor does the public.  It is reasonable to suspect these three Senators made mistakes, but the punishment is excessive based on suspect without clear proof.  This would never happen in a court of law.  Politicians, Senators, and the public must have equal access to due legal process in Canada.  Canadians need to ponder that notion out of fear of finding themselves in the same situation as these three suspended Senators.

A public or judicial inquiry regarding this matter is the only way to get to all the facts surrounding the Senate scandal and to clear suspicions surrounding the Office of the Prime Minister.  There is an RCMP investigation regarding the scandal and no one knows where that will lead.  Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Office may have failed to effectively manage the Senate scandal, but to what extent.  One thing is sure.  This scandal will be around long past the next federal election.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Throne Speech

The Throne Speech yesterday was one of the longest ever.  The Harper government seemed to be on a fishing expedition as they tossed a lot of hooks in the water in an attempt to snag a few voters.  I would like to believe voters will not take the bait.  If they do there are plenty of conservative politicians out there ready to haul in a good catch of suckers.

Wednesday, October 09, 2013

My Birthday

Today is my birthday.  I am now 70 years old.  It is interesting how we celebrate our children's birthdays with cake, candles and balloons.  We mostly do this for their fun and our joy of seeing them grow up as the years go by.

As we become adults we are less enthusiastic about our own birthdays as we feel we are getting old when we reach 30 and over the hill on the downward slide when we are 40.  Then when we reach 50 we fear our place in the workforce is near an end and begin to wonder if we really achieved anything worthwhile.  Then 60 strikes fear in most as we wonder if we have enough money to retire.  Not to worry as you may be able to draw your Canada Pension Plan Benefits.

When you reach 65 the Government of Canada sends you a nice plastic card that fits neatly in with your visa card and it tells you that you are officially a senior and eligible for a free fishing license in Saskatchewan.  You also get the Old Age Security from the Government of Canada to help relieve some of your fear of having enough money in your retirement.  I showed my card proving I was 65 to one of my sons and he said, "Well I don't want one of those damn cards."  I told him he was going to get one whether he wanted it or not if he was fortunate to live to 65 and that the days of cake, candles and balloons were over.

Now that I am 70 I can assure you there a more concerns than money or whether you achieved anything worthwhile.  You will find many of your friends have passed away and many of those still living are constantly discussing who is sick, going to get sick and who is dying.  Needless to say this is all a little more than depressing and can scare the hell out of you.  You will find most people that turn 70 are making constant trips to the doctor and hospitals to see if they are sick or dying.

Now here is how I have been dealing with my senior years.  I love my wife, eat healthy, play with my Siberian Husky, drink a glass of red wine once every two weeks, eat eggs whenever I want and feed the yokes to my Husky, get plenty of exercise, play tennis for at least two hours a day, ride my big fast motorcycle, sleep for 5 hours, spend my social time with people 20 or 30 years younger than me, with some exceptions, but only if they avoid all that talk about sickness and dying.

Now here is the kicker.  I smoke cigarettes everyday.  They are bad for you and according to all the cancer related associations and doctors, the government and most socialists they will surely kill you sooner than later.  Of course, the government could ban this killer, but they won't.  Maybe they support the tobacco industry and we know they make a fortune taxing tobacco.  Maybe I will quit smoking and then go on a rant about all the obesity that is out of control across the country or the boozers who drink and drive and kill themselves or innocent motorists.  And then there are drug addicts!

Here is how I see it.  God decides when you are going to die and how.  You are going to die whether you want to or not.  Smoking may kill you unless some other accident or illness claims you first.  Regardless, you are going to die.  It must be a better place where we are going because people are dying to get there and no one has ever came back.  So everyone should just shut up about all this talk of illness and dying.  You should start living every day as if it were the last because God never promised you tomorrow.

At 70 you really do not have much time left so you better make the most of it.  Money is not important.  You can't take it with you so plan to be nearly broke when you die.  Why should you leave it for anyone else.  I made my money on my own with a lot of hard work and those still living can do the same.

So, now that I am 70 I don't need the cake, candles and balloons, but it is a time to celebrate and be thankful.  I need to be thankful to God that He has allowed me to live this long.  Maybe I will go fishing and catch a fish with that free fishing license.

75?




Friday, September 06, 2013

At the recent G20 Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced his government intends to return to balanced budgets and reduce the national debt to 25% of GDP.  He has also urged the provincial and territorial governments of Canada and G20 countries to follow his leadership.  Now here are the facts!

Prime Minister Harper once claimed if elected as Prime Minister that he would never run a deficit budget.  He now holds the record for squandering billions of surplus funds when he took office, running continuous budget deficits and running this country into the highest national debt in the history of Canada.  Harper claims he will try to return to balanced budgets by 2015, but that is dependent on our economy, the world economy, and at this point neither look very good and Canada’s national debt continues to rise.  It is now over 616 billion and rising and Canadian taxpayers will have to pay for this one day.

Further, in the many Middle East conflicts our Prime Minister has committed millions of taxpayer’s dollars for humanitarian aid.  He recently announced further aid to those affected by the crisis in Syria bringing Canada’s contribution to $203.5 million for humanitarian assistance to the crisis in Syria since January 2012.  Harper claims this is necessary to assist the millions displaced to neighboring countries due to the conflict and that 100,000 have died since the conflict began.  Harper now supports the US position of a military strike since the United Nations concluded the Syrian regime used gas to kill people in this ugly conflict.  If we were going to intervene in a conflict that is not ours then we should have done it sooner, saved a hundred thousand lives and $203.5 million of Canadian tax dollars.  There were over 800,000 Rwandan’s killed in the Rwanda Genocide back in 1994 that only lasted one hundred days while the world, including Canada, stood by and did nothing.

How are we to continue supporting the Harper government unless he gets our national debt down balances the annual budget and establishes a foreign policy Canadians can understand and support.  Prime Minister Stephen Harper needs to get his feet back on Canadian soil and start looking after the interests of Canadians.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Fix It

The Premier of Saskatchewan has now taken the position of the NDP and the people of Saskatchewan.  That is to abolish the Senate.  Recent controversy over the scandal plagued Senate drove the Premier to his current position.  That is understandable, as he needs to be on the side of public opinion.

I understand the position of the Premier and the people of Saskatchewan, but there is a greater issue at play.  The Premier and the people of Saskatchewan need to carefully consider.

If the government is not able to fix their house then how can they fix yours?  Governments and politicians across the country are increasingly plagued with scandal and a disregard for transparency and democracy.  Only our elected politicians are in a position to provide Canadians with accountable and transparent governments.  Prime Minister Stephen Harper has failed Canadians and especially regarding the scandals surrounding certain Senators.

Further, an elected Senate will change nothing.  Many elected politicians from the House of Commons and provincial legislatures are less than honest with voters.  If abolishing the Senate is the solution as opposed to fixing the Senate then is it possible to apply that same rule to abolish our current institution of government.

According to the Premier of Saskatchewan, there are more important issues than our scandal plagued Senate.  I disagree.  What is more important than democracy, accountable and transparent governments, and honest politicians?  It is time to fix what we have, not abolish it.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Political Greed

Federal politicians and Senators whom have betrayed the trust of Canadian voters and taxpayers seem to have lost their moral compass. It is possible they never had one in the first place. Conservative Senators Duffy and Pamela Wallin, along with liberal Senator Mac Harb seem to be at the centre of the controversy. Senators David Tkachuk and Carolyn Stewart Olsen are key players in the whole mess. Senator Tkachuk is now stepping down from the Senate committee that has been trying to figure out which Senator is the greediest. Today they decided it was Mac Harb.

Does it really matter whether it is $90,000 or $150,000 or $200,000? According to Senator Carolyn Stewart Olsen, it does matter as she lamented how terrible it is when politicians betray the public trust. Both she and Senator Tkachuk are attempting to shift the whole matter of greedy Senators on to the liberals.

The NDP have been on the attack regarding greedy Senators. Today the NDP voted against a liberal motion intended to set out transparency and honesty rules for greedy and not so honest politicians. How does that make any sense?

There is little reason for Canadians to believe what federal politicians are saying. All we know for sure is that they are betraying your trust and taking Canadian taxpayers for the ride of their life. It is both disgusting and sad.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Senate Scandal

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has ruled with an iron fist since he became Prime Minister. With the Senate scandal and everything else that has gone wrong with his “Harper Government" it is only the Prime Minister who can speak to this mess.

He has suppressed free speech in not allowing many of his caucus members to speak out on issues important to them and their constituents. They now have every right to rise up and rebel over the Senate scandal issue.

The Prime Minister claims he knows nothing regarding the details and nature of the scandal. He just keeps on firing people. Therefore, if the Prime Minister knows nothing has fired his Chief of Staff and has little reason to trust anyone’s advice you have to ask who is now advising the Prime Minister. All power is in the Office of the Prime Minister. That strategy is now a liability for the Prime Minister.

The involvement of Senator David Tkachuk and Carolyn Stewart Olsen is no surprise to me. Senator Tkachuk is a long time backroom political dealmaker now weaving his web from the Senate. Do not underestimate him. My bet is he will slither out of this mess unscathed, but will Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Sunday, January 06, 2013