Outtakes
Edmonton invites enviro-snitching
A proposed bylaw would make it an offence (punishable by a $250 fine) to idle one’s car for longer than three minutes.
The anti-idling bylaw would prohibit people from operating motionless vehicles more than three minutes in a row, or a total of three minutes during a half-hour.
The law wouldn’t apply to clearing windows or when temperatures drop below -10 C, which are among 14 proposed exceptions that also include some commercial, emergency and repair operations.
At least it takes into account Edmonton’s propensity for bitterly cold weather. However, the whole process will evidently be driven by a citizen complaints process, rather than the usual method of bylaw officers observing offenders and issuing a ticket accordingly.
“No physical inspection will be undertaken, only verification of information provided through a witness statement. The complainant will be required to attend court if the matter is contested,” a city report says.
Basically: your neighbour rats you out, and you get a fine. No questions, no debate, and no due process to ensure that the initial complaint is truthful.
Anybody else see a problem with this? Apart from the obvious, “is this a city government or a wannabe nanny state?” issue, that is?
Alberta nuclear plant plans on hold…again
Bruce Power has apparently withdrawn its application to prepare a plant site near Peace River, Alberta. Apparently the withdrawal is only temporary, pending consideration of a second site.
Still: can we not just get on with this already? I mean, if Alberta wants to start the long process of meaningfully reducing emissions, and the equally long process of shaking itself free of its reliance on fossil fuels, nuclear power generation is pretty much the place to start.
Harper backs down on Section 13 repeal
More than a few people are up in arms about this, but I for one can’t bring myself to be frustrated by it. I assumed, going in, that Stephen Harper was an establishment politician rather than someone who would work to make radical changes in the law of the land, especially to the CHRA. I voted for Harper in the last election anyhow, despite his noncommittal stance on section 13 of said Act.
And while I held out some hope when delegates at the recent Conservative Party of Canada convention voted overwhelmingly to stand up for freedom of expression in Canada by way of repealing Section 13, nothing in me automatically assumed that something which was popular with the delegates would work its way up the chain to become something the Prime Minister himself would seek to actively pursue.
Electoral politics doesn’t matter. Culture matters. We make culture right here on the Internet. All politicians are liars and creeps. Unelected bureaucrats are the real bosses. It’s all a facade of a charade.
Why do you live your lives acting as if any of these people matter? Stop waiting and hoping for them to make your life complete. You are worse than a desperate single chick waiting for Prince Charming.
Live as if the revolution has already happened. Violate the law every day then beat it with a bat and leave it for dead in a culvert. Stop hoping some hero will come along and make the Bad Law go bye bye.
Grow a pair.
Just so. And when it comes time to vote, well…don’t hand us over to the green tax enthusiasts just because the Conservative option isn’t quite as freespeecher as you are. The frying pan sucks, but the fire is worse.
Religion of Tolerance
Suicide of the West reports on an anti-Israel rally at which Islamic protesters chanted such tolerant slogans as “Go back to the ovens!”
And then notes that Jew-hatred, these days, is a very non-partisan sport indeed.
Prayer for the state of the world today
To end it all on a positive note, and then a hopeful one, however, I direct the good reader to the “State of the Planet Address” that Pope Benedict XVI gave recently. I don’t think that was his official title for it, though; some copy-editor at Zenit needs a good *thwack* upside the head.
I started blogging back in 2004 -- in May, if the Wayback Machine is to be believed. Not that I remember the exact day. To be honest, I didn't take it that seriously then; it was a fun distraction, but nothing more.
That all changed, I think, once the Danish cartoons were published, and the assault on the right to freedom of expression became very visible. With the recent issues in Canada concerning the "human rights" commissions, the gravity of the matter has only increased, and my interest in blogging has increased right along with it.
I used to blog at a domain called Time Immortal, but it seemed to be the right time for a change -- there's been a lot of that in my life of late. Hence this blog: a fresh start, and proof positive that I won't shut up even if I get shut down once in a while.
