#36 Jim Henson

There are few people in the world who have not, at one time or another, been swept up in the delightful, magical world of the Muppets.

Whether you were watching Sesame Street, or The Muppet Show, or one of the Muppet movies... no matter how young or old or crooked you were... the Muppets proved to be the most endearing, funny and universally-loved critters that were ever sewn together.

Any of us who has ever laughed at the Swedish Chef, or hummed along to "It Ain't Easy Being Green" or posed the question, "Moi???" a la Miss Piggy, has creator Jim Henson to thank.

Sesame Street is a television show directed towards a youthful audience, intended to entertain and educate. My nephews learned to count to 10 in Spanish, thanks to Sesame Street (the American version, that is.)

Sesame Street premiered in November, 1969. I was almost 9 years old. It was one of my 'go to' shows to watch any day that I was home sick from school.

It is now in its 43rd season. There are people who watched Sesame Street as children, who are now watching it with their grandchildren.

The Muppet Show aired from 1976 to 1981.

The opening sequence of The Muppet Show

Imagine... a show full of puppets, aimed at a more adult audience! It was styled on a variety show, with Kermit the Frog as host, and an A-list group of guest stars, including Elton John, John Cleese...

Cleese as a Mexican maraca soloist as part of his 1977 guest appearance on The Muppet Show

...John Denver, Ethel Merman, Rudolf Nureyev, Diana Ross, Bob Hope, Julie Andrews and even 007 himself, Roger Moore. It was such a popular show that celebrities approached the producers, wanting to appear on it, and not the other way around.

These days, when you say a show is aimed at an "adult audience", half the time it is offensive even to adults! But The Muppet Show was not like that. It was 100% kid friendly, but with humor that appealed to more mature viewers. Ohhh, those were the days...

If you do not remember "Veterinarian's Hospital", then you just weren't there.

Who thinks these things up? Jim Henson, that's who.

At least he did. Jim Henson passed away at the age of 53, in 1990.

Jim Henson was to puppets what Steve Jobs was to phones, the major difference being that what Jim Henson created was readily available to everyone across all socio-economic strata. You didn't need a mortgage and to be locked into a 3-year plan to buy what Henson was selling.

It is said that the term "Muppet" is actually a portmanteau of the words 'marionette' and 'puppet'. Henson himself actually used this explanation, while at other times said it was just a made up word. You be the judge.

There are oodles of websites that will describe the technological evolution of the Muppets. One fascinating bit of trivia that my research uncovered is that most Muppets are left-handed, due to the necessity of the Muppeteer using his or her right hand to control the head and mouth! I LOVE trivia!

The Muppets are so lifelike and engaging that children who see them 'in person' will still interact with the Muppet, even when the Muppeteer is visible to them.

I am old enough and wise enough to know that anything seen on TV or in the movies is manipulatable, but I am nevertheless still fascinated with wide-eyed wonder, watching Kermit the Frog ride a bicycle as he did in The Muppet Movie.

This is the stuff of a brilliant, creative, childlike mind; the simple images that reduce people to rolling on the floor laughing, the stuff that is so rarely seen anymore, especially in entertainment geared towards adults.

That brilliant, creative, childlike mind was Jim Henson's.

I remember I was living in Fort McMurray, and on my way to Ottawa to a conference, when I bought a People magazine with a cover story about the passing of Jim Henson. Inside, there was a sketch of Kermit being comforted by Mickey Mouse, an image created by the Walt Disney Company in sympathy on Jim Henson's death.

So there I was in some airport, sat there reading this magazine, looking at this sketch, with tears streaming down my face. Funny... it still has the same effect, 22 years on.

Even at the time of his death, the Muppets taught us that 'the show must go on', even when it was a painful thing to do...

From "A Tribute to Jim Henson", 1990, broadcast around the world 

This song, "Just One Person", was also performed by the Muppets and their Muppeteers at a memorial service for Jim Henson.

Scooter's line says it best: "Perhaps the substance of Jim Henson's genius was the ability to see wonder far off in crazy directions and get people to follow him there."

It is a wonderful thing that his work has lived on, that Sesame Street and the Muppets are still a part of our world, educating and entertaining us.

To conclude my tribute to Jim Henson and his genius, which has enriched all of our lives, here is a video of the Muppets and Queen, singing "Bohemian Rhapsody" (...and here are the lyrics to this version). Today is the first time I've seen this. He is STILL enriching my life. Brilliant. (Especially brilliant is the way they deal with the rather dark-themed lyrics of the first verse, after the prelude.)

Enjoy...!





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#35 Sarah Palin

Before the 2008 American presidential election season, most of us had never heard of the Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin. Since that time, there are very few who have not heard of her, and depending upon one's politics, you either love her or hate her. Well, I happen to be on the 'love her' side. I deeply admire and respect her and God knows, this is a woman who has earned my compassion.

Former Governor Palin began her political career on the city council of Wasilla, Alaska in 1992, and was elected mayor in 1996. She successfully ran for Governor of Alaska in 2006, and during the presidential campaign of 2008, was selected by John McCain to be his vice-presidential running mate.

Sarah Palin with John McCain, 2008

Sarah Palin and her husband Todd are the parents of five children, the youngest of whom, Trig, was diagnosed prenatally with Down Syndrome. Her eldest daughter, Bristol, became a single mother in a very public way, after the world knew who Sarah Palin was. 

The Palins - Track, Piper, Willow, Sarah with son Trig, Todd, Bristol with son Tripp

 

Sarah Palin is a Republican, and as such, her views on issues are conservative-right. As a vice-presidential candidate, her stance on issues such as abortion, immigration, oil exploration, the economy, health care and so on were put out there for public consumption, for voters to decide if they agreed or disagreed with her, and would choose to vote for her (and John McCain, the presidential candidate), or not. Fair game.

What was (and still is) not fair game is the vile, horrible, hate-filled garbage that has been spewed about this woman, her family, her choices, her politics, even her faith, ad nauseum since 2008.

Palin has a style that is - refreshingly - not typical of 'inside the Beltway' politicians. She is young, pleasant, folksy, and from time to time wears a pony-tail. She's outdoorsy, knows how to hunt and shoot big game, and is in her element living in the far north. She's got a doll of a husband...

Sarah Palin with husband Todd, Alaska's "First Dude"

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..and... she's smart as a freakin' whip, with skin as thick as a moose hide, and is very, very deserving of the "Mama Grizzly" moniker she coined. All of this drives Democrats INSANE.

Unless your "choice" is to abort a fetus with Down Syndrome, then left-wingers deny you your right to "choose", or so it seems. To them, there is only one "choice". To carry her child to term and give him life was Sarah Palin's "choice". Since becoming a nationally-known public figure, she has been accused of such malicious and ridiculous crap, even going so far as to claim that the child, Trig, is not even hers, but her daughter's. How, one must ask, could one then abort a child that is not even one's own? Liberal nut-jobs like those, however, don't get bogged down in the details. You either "choose" to abort a child at the drop of a hat, or you are nothing more than a crazed clinic-bomber. There is no other "choice" in the left-wing world.

Her daughter, Bristol, did get pregnant around the time of Palin's being chosen as the vice-presidential running mate. Bristol was going to marry the father, until he was sucked up into the media vortex. Next thing, he's posing semi-nude in Playgirl, and "dishing" supposed tell-all details about the Palin family in a book deal, which, had he done the honorable thing, would never have been offered to him. He took the 30 pieces of silver over the mother of his child, and his child. Not a guy whose word I would take concerning the weather, let alone on anything having to do with the Palin family. Blood sucker.

Sarah Palin has been called every gross, horrible, misogynistic name in the book. The "b" word is tame compared to some. And why? Because people don't agree with her politics. That, apparently, gives left wing loons the right to be intolerant, ignorant, vicious bastards.

And interestingly, whereas other such beleaguered women of power would be stridently defended by various national women's groups, no one stands up to defend Sarah Palin. I guess it's only liberal women supporters of abortion who are worthy of defence.

As much as I love America, and I do, it is their most unattractive quality as a nation, this vitriol-spewing hatred towards conservative politicians, and the support this hatred gets from the main-stream media. I don't know who would have to run for office in Canada or Britain, or any other westernized country, that would be subjected to what Sarah Palin, and others, particularly conservative women, have had to put up with.

Anyone whose sole source of American political insight is CNN or MSNBC gets a very narrow, biased, negative, slanted view of those on the political right. Fortunately, for those interested in facts, there are options that don't include these sources.

I have heard Sarah Palin speak on any number of occasions. I cannot tell you chapter and verse of every political stance she espouses, but I'll tell you this - I have never heard her express an opinion with which I did not agree. Whether it concerns drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or abortion, or dealing with immigration, I agree with her. I respect and admire her bravery for taking such stands and being willing and able to defend them. But, most of all, I feel compassion for Sarah Palin, for all that she and her family have had to endure, while she puts herself out there as someone who just wants to serve her country. What a price to pay, and no wonder so few good people run for public office. That's a scary place to be, and that's exactly what liberals want those with conservative values to fear. Well, they underestimated Sarah Palin and America's response to her. She didn't get to be vice president, but she's not going anywhere, and America will be the better for it.

To conclude on a more pleasant note... who can hate a woman who raised Piper, this sweet little girl who took care of Trig while Mommy was giving her speech at the Republican National Convention in 2008...?

 

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#34 William Harris

No list of people that I admire and respect would be complete if it did not include my father.

Dad & me on the Staten Island Ferry, NYC, 2005

(Statue of Liberty in the far background)



As I write this, Dad is two months away from his 93rd birthday. He is in amazing shape for someone that age, and as a nurse who, on a daily basis, sees chronically ill people half his age, I know of which I speak.

A few years ago, Dad realized that he had outlived his own father. Somehow, I don't think any of us will live to see 93, or anywhere close to it!

From my earliest memory until now, in my eyes, Dad hasn't changed a bit. His hair is a little greyer, maybe, but that's it. It's no wonder everyone he meets can't believe he is as old as he is. He certainly doesn't look it. There's nothing that makes his day more than to hear that!

My father was a Chartered Accountant until he retired just a few years ago. Even now, some of his close friends and clients will call him during the tax season to have him pick up their paperwork. At 92, he still doesn't mind hopping in his car to do that for them!

My siblings and I all learned about "tax season" at a very young age. It was the period from January to April 30th each year when Dad was pretty much on the missing list - working morning, noon and night, seven days a week. April 30th, though, was almost as good as Christmas. We'd all stay up late until after midnight, when he'd come home and we'd order out for Chinese food from Hong's Take-Out on Torbay Rd, and usually get it all for free. YUM!!

It was also hockey season during that January to April period, and at the time, Dad watched hockey when he could. I remember that he would buy hockey tickets, little tickets that came in their own little envelopes. The tickets would be based on the time of a goal or a penalty, one second before the goal and one second after, too, if I'm not mistaken. I used to be in charge of the tickets during tax season and I remember calling Dad at the office in the night time with a play-by-play of how his tickets were doing! I must have driven him cracked, but he never let on.

My mother was the disciplinarian, and as she used to say of Dad, "Your father never raised his voice or his hand to any of you". Except Alice. The story lives on about how he said to her once, "Don't you speak to your mother like that, you saucy brat!" She was traumatized!

Mom always felt it was ridiculous to tell us "wait until your father gets home". She was of the opinion, rightly so, that if we were bad, she needed to deal with it there and then, and believe me, she was up to the challenge! I remember many times, calling Dad at the office in tears, telling him how mean Mom was being. He'd ask to speak to her, and as far as I was concerned, Mom was going to be told to be nice to me! I now have no doubt that he probably asked her if she needed milk or anything brought home, and that was that.

I remember many afternoons during the summer when we'd meet Dad as he was driving up the street after work. He'd let us climb up onto the bonnet of the car and drive up the rest of the street with us sitting there, leaning back against the windshield. He'd probably be arrested if he let us do that today!

Staying home sick from school was the best! One call to Dad in the morning, saying "I'm sick..." guaranteed that when he came home for dinner, he'd be bearing fudge sticks and creamsicles and dixie cups and comics. Little Lulu, Casper the Friendly Ghost, and of course, Archie! It's a wonder we EVER went to school!!

Then we grew up and reached driver's license age. He even taught Mom how to drive, and was as calm and patient with her as he was with us, even when she crashed into the garage door! When it came to accidents, Dad was always all about "are you all right", and never "what have you done". Unfortunately, we all gave him way too many opportunities to have to ask us, "are you all right?"

There are a million memories I could write about from childhood...

- The summer holidays to Clarenville, Gander and Corner Brook, which I loved as much as if it was Disneyworld.

- Going to Gander from Clarenville on a Sunday morning to go to Mass.

- Driving out the highway singing "A Bicycle Built for Two".

- The trip on the coastal boat MV Cabot Strait up to Goose Bay and back.

- Bringing him glasses of grapefruit juice when he was building Alice's bedroom downstairs.

- Delivering Christmas presents every Christmas Eve.

- Going to Midnight Mass at the Basilica, all dressed up and sitting in the front pew whle Dad ushered with the Knights of Columbus. I used to love the stories afterwards of how he had to kick the drunks out of the confessionals!

It was a kick, too, to have Mom and Dad come visit me when I lived in Fort McMurray. It was also a wonderful experience to get to go with them to Hawaii, just two years before Mom passed away. I'm so glad we got to do that.

All of us learned to share Dad's love of baseball. It was a thrill indeed to get to go with him and Alice to Yankee Stadium in 2005 and see our team, the New York Yankees play four games.

Me, Dad & Alice at Yankee Stadium

It was magic! Wonderful, wonderful memories.

Dad was a great athlete in his own right, having pitched a perfect game for St. Bon's against Mt. Cashel back around 1948. It was a nine-inning game, too, not a wimpy seven-inning game like they play now around town! He also rowed in the Regatta, and played hockey, and whatever else was on the go, enough to earn him the honor of being inducted into the Newfoundland Sports Hall of Fame in 1977, a fact of which we are all very proud!

In recent years, Dad has required my services as a nurse from time to time, and for the most part, he is a very compliant patient. When he's in hospital, the nurses all love him because he never complains, and never asks for anything. He leaves all that to me, to fight the battles!

Dad talking to Doug on the phone, after knee replacement surgery.  

He never complained a bit!!

He's a trouper when he needs a heart bypass, or total knee replacements done under epidural anaesthetic, but he's a big ol' sook when he gets "man flu"!!

As we've been getting older, all of us, we realize how lucky we've been to have a Dad whose been such a positive influence in our lives. He never wavered from the straight and narrow when it came to how he led his life as a husband, father, businessman, athlete, friend, colleague and Catholic.

Father John McGettigan (seated) with Alice, Dad and me,

celebrating 50 years in the priesthood.

Trying to live up to that example has varied from difficult to impossible.

He has set for us a standard of honesty and respect that I believe we have all tried to meet, as best we can, with at least modest success, I hope!

I would consider my life a success if he is as proud of me, as I am of him. He is the best Dad ever.

Dad & me at his 90th birthday party.

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#33 Mary Jo Kopechne

Today's post takes me way, way back, to an episode that occurred when I was only 8 years old, yet the name, and the place, are words that I remember. If you are looking to find someone for whom to feel compassion, Mary Jo Kopechne is your girl.

Mary Jo Kopechne, 28,  was the woman who was in the car being driven by Senator Ted Kennedy, that went off a small bridge on Chappaquiddick, Massachusetts, in 1969. He escaped the submerged car. She didn't. That's the short, very sanitized, Kennedy-ized version. The truth, like most things related to the Kennedy clan, is a lot uglier. But, let's start at the beginning, and learn a little about who Mary Jo Kopechne was.

Mary Jo was a secretary to Ted Kennedy's brother, Robert Kennedy, around the time Robert was elected to the US Senate. She was one of the six "Boiler Room Girls", so known because they worked in a hot, noisy, windowless room in Robert Kennedy's campaign headquarters. She was close enough to the 'power' that on one occasion she spent a whole night at Hickory Hill, Robert's residence, retyping a speech that he and his staff were revising. Kopechne and the other staffers were knowledgeable politically, and were chosen for their ability to work skillfully for long hours on sensitive matters.

She was devastated by RFK's death in June, 1968. Though she felt she could not return to Capitol Hill after his death, she continued to work in politics. In December, 1968, she worked for one of the first political consulting companies.

According to the New York Times, she was "a devout Roman Catholic with a demure, serious, "convent school" demeanor, rarely drank much, and had no reputation for extramarital activities with men."

On July 18, 1969, Kopechne attended a party on Chappaquiddick Island, off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The celebration was in honor of the dedicated work of the Boiler Room Girls, and was the fourth such reunion of the Robert F. Kennedy campaign workers.

At approximately 11.15 p.m., she left the party to go back to her lodgings, after agreeing to be driven by Ted Kennedy. For some unknown reason, she left her purse and keys at the party.

According to Kennedy's inquest testimony, he drove towards the bridge, took a wrong turn, and ended up going off the side of the bridge, into Poucha Pond.

He managed to get out. He claimed that he tried to dive down to rescue Mary Jo about eight times, but was unsuccessful.

He also claimed that he then rested on the side of the pond for about 15 minutes, then made his way back to the house where the party was being held, to get help.

He passed at least four houses on his journey back to the party, but felt no inclination to go to either of them to summon help.

Once he got back to the party, two gentlemen accompanied him back to the waterway; Joseph Gargan, Ted Kennedy's cousin and Paul Markham, a school friend of Gargan's who previously served as the United States Attorney for Massachusetts. They both dove in the water in an attempt to rescue Mary Jo Kopechne, but were unsuccessful. They insisted to Kennedy that the accident had to be reported, but Kennedy became hysterical. They finally agreed to go back to the party to advise Mary Jo's friends what had happened, while Kennedy was to go inform the authorities.

Kennedy then swam the 500 foot channel back to Edgartown, on the other side of the bridge, and returned to his hotel room, where he changed out of his wet clothes and went to sleep.

From Wikipedia:

"Back at his hotel, Kennedy complained at 2:55 a.m. to the hotel owner that he had been awoken by a noisy party. By 7:30 a.m. the next morning he was talking "casually" to the winner of the previous day's sailing race, with no indication that anything was amiss. At 8 a.m., Gargan and Markham joined Kennedy at his hotel where they had a "heated conversation." According to Kennedy's testimony, the two men asked why he had not reported the accident. Kennedy responded by telling them "about my own thoughts and feelings as I swam across that channel ... that somehow when they arrived in the morning that they were going to say that Mary Jo was still alive". The three men subsequently crossed back to Chappaquiddick Island on the ferry, where Kennedy made a series of telephone calls from a pay telephone near the crossing. The telephone calls were to his friends for advice and again, he did not report the accident to authorities." 

John Farrar, the diver who recovered Kopechne's body and captain of the Edgartown Fire Rescue unit, asserted that Kopechne did not die from the vehicle overturn or from drowning, but rather from suffocation, based upon the posture in which he found the body and its position relative to the area of an ultimate air pocket in the overturned vehicle. Farrar also asserted that Kopechne would likely have survived had a more timely attempt at rescue been conducted. Farrar located Kopechne's body in the well of the backseat of the overturned submerged car. Rigor mortis was apparent and her hands were clasping the backseat and her face was turned upward. Farrar testified at the Inquest:

"It looked as if she were holding herself up to get a last breath of air. It was a consciously assumed position. ... She didn't drown. She died of suffocation in her own air void. It took her at least three or four hours to die. I could have had her out of that car twenty-five minutes after I got the call. But he [Ted Kennedy] didn't call."

- testimony of diver John Farrar, Inquest into the Death of Mary Jo Kopechne, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Edgartown District Court. New York: EVR Productions, 1970.

Farrar testified later at the inquest that Kopechne's body was pressed up in the car in the spot where an air bubble would have formed. He interpreted this to mean that Kopechne had survived in the air bubble after the accident, and concluded that...

"Had I received a call within five to ten minutes of the accident occurring, and was able, as I was the following morning, to be at the victim's side within twenty-five minutes of receiving the call, in such event there is a strong possibility that she would have been alive on removal from the submerged car."

Farrar believed that Kopechne "lived for at least two hours down there."

In spite of this testimony, the medical examiner concluded Mary Jo Kopechne died of "accidental drowning". "Accidental" and "drowning", my eye.

For the sake of brevity, I have trimmed this summary of what happened down a great deal. The whole article on Wikipedia has many more details than I have provided here.

That Senator Ted Kennedy (thereafter known as "The Swimmer" in some circles) got away with a mere slap on the wrist - a two-month suspended sentence and a suspended license for approximately 18 months for leaving the scene of an accident causing injury - is a sterling example of the stranglehold and thrall that the Kennedys had over those in power in the 60's. It was almost Mafia-like, the way Ted Kennedy escaped any real punishment for this woman's death.

In the summary about Mary Jo Kopechne on Wikipedia, it lists her political affiliation as "Democrat" . Somehow, I believe that during the two to four hours she spent in that car before she suffocated to death, she probably had a re-think about that.

She is the reason that Ted Kennedy did not campaign for the presidency in 1972 or 1976. He did, however, try for the Democrat nod for 1979, but was beaten by Jimmy Carter.

Not that Carter was the real deal. Far from it. But better him than a murderer to occupy the Oval Office.

Her parents did not pursue civil proceedings against Kennedy, fearing they would be accused of going after "blood money".

Kennedy died in 2009, and I imagine he is STILL at the Pearly Gates, trying to spin what he'd done.

This 28 year old woman, with her life ahead of her, died, essentially at the hands of Senator Ted Kennedy. Whether she was in a position to embarrass him politically, or what his motivation was, God only knows.

For her, I have only the greatest compassion. To have been merely living her life, forging a career as she had, and to then die such a terrible, avoidable, rescuable death... it's so difficult to rationalize. The only thing we have to be grateful for is that the incident ruined him. He continued to be a senator - Massachusetts was under the Kennedy spell - but he would never achieve what he could have, and that, my friends, is karma at its finest.

Rest in peace, Mary Jo. "Vengeance is mine" sayeth the Lord, and I have faith that he's exacting your revenge.

a.

#32 Condoleezza Rice

Today, I wish to acknowledge a woman to whom I know I will not do justice: Condoleezza Rice, the 66th United States Secretary of State, having first been National Security Advisor under President George W. Bush.

Condoleezza Rice was born in the segregated South, in Alabama, to a Presbyterian minister father and a high school science, music and oratory teacher mother.

She began to learn French, music, figure skating and ballet at the age of 3.

She graduated high school in 1971, and went on to study piano in college. She realized she did not have the talent to play professionally, so considered a new major, in political science.  

Despite changing majors away from piano, she is considered an accomplished pianist and has performed in public since her youth.

From Wikipedia: 

"At the age of 15, she played Mozart with the Denver Symphony, and while Secretary of State she played regularly with a chamber music group in Washington. She does not play professionally, but has performed at diplomatic events at embassies, including a performance for Queen Elizabeth II, and she has performed in public with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and singer Aretha Franklin."

With Yo-Yo Ma after performing together at the 2001 National Medal of Arts and

National Humanities Medal Awards, April 22, 2002

This woman has a list of credentials and accomplishments, half of which I can hardly pronounce. Here's a smattering: 

• In 1974, at age 19, Rice was inducted into the honor society Phi Beta Kappa.
• Awarded a B.A., cum laude, in political science by the University of Denver.
• While at the University of Denver she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega, Gamma Delta chapter.
• Master's degree in political science from the University of Notre Dame in 1975.
• Worked in the State Department in 1977, during the Carter administration, as an intern in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
• In 1981, at the age of 26, she received her Ph.D. in political science from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. Her dissertation centered on military policy and politics in what was then the communist state of Czechoslovakia. Coincidentally, Josef Korbel was the father of Madeline Albright, another future Secretary of State
• Hired by Stanford University as an assistant professor of political science (1981–1987).
• Promoted to associate professor in 1987, a post she held until 1993.
• Appointed to the boards of Chevron, Transamerica Corporation and Hewlitt-Packard.
• Professor of political science at Stanford University where she served as Provost from 1993 to 1999.
• Served on the National Security Council as the Soviet and East European Affairs Advisor to President George H.W. Bush during the dissolution of the Soviet Union and German reunification.

I read this partial list, and find myself mentally exhausted and humbled.

Rice was a Democrat until 1982, when she changed her political affiliation to Republican, in part because she disagreed with the foreign policy of Democratic President Jimmy Carter, and because of the influence of her father, who was Republican. As she told the 2000 Republican National Convention, "My father joined our party because the Democrats in Jim Crow Alabama of 1952 would not register him to vote. The Republicans did."

Condoleezza Rice was the National Security Advisor at the time of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. She recognized that a preventative versus a punitive policy was necessary, as further successful attacks would result in the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, as it had on that day. Thus, she supported the administration's use of the many information-eliciting tactics that were (and, despite assertions to the contrary, I'm willing to bet still are) employed in Guantanamo Bay, such as waterboarding, forced nudity and stress positions.

As methods of torture go... let me think about which would be preferable - a little session of nekkid waterboarding, or the impossibly horrible unthinkable torture of having to choose between staying in your burning office on the top of the World Trade Center and burn to death, or jumping from the flames to your death. Nothing will ever convince me that waterboarding terrorists is a bad thing. I further think it should be used from time to time at Her Majesty's Pen, but I digress...

She also recognized very early on that communication failures and barriers in the intelligence community made the United States vulnerable. A year before 9/11, she was quoted as saying, "There needs to be better cooperation because we don't want to wake up one day and find out that Osama bin Laden has been successful on our own territory." No, indeed.

She knew that counter-terrorism efforts needed to not only focus on terrorism-supporting nations, governments and organizations, but on ideologies that fuel terrorism.

She is one intelligent, insightful woman.

As Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice traveled widely and initiated many diplomatic efforts on behalf of the Bush administration. She championed the expansion of democratic governments. Rice stated that the September 11 attacks were rooted in "oppression and despair" and so, the US must advance democratic reform and support basic rights throughout the greater Middle East. Rice also reformed and restructured the state department, as well as US diplomacy as a whole.

With President Bush in the Oval Office

At the end of her tenure as Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice returned to Stanford University. There was some speculation that she might run for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2008 elections, but said at the time, "...the one thing that I have not seen myself doing is running for elected office in the United States." What a shame. It is often said that the most qualified people never run for office, and this is a sad example of that.

At only 57 years old, Ms. Rice still has lots of time to change her mind. We shall live in hope. What a remarkable president she would be...

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#31 Kathy Dunderdale

I'm three quarters of the way through my Lenten 40 project, and though one might think practice makes perfect, it doesn't! It's getting harder, if anything, but... I will persevere.

The lady who is going to help lead me down the final stretch is Kathy Dunderdale, the 10th premier of Newfoundland.

Kathy Dunderdale was sworn in as premier on December 3, 2010, on the same day as Danny Williams resigned.

On October 11, 2011, she became the first female ever elected premier of the province, and only the second-ever female provincial premier elected in Canada.

She was first elected as an MHA back in 2003, (with a little help from me, as I happen to reside in her district), and soon she became one of the more high profile members of Danny Williams' cabinet. In 2008, she was appointed Deputy Premier.

Up until recently, the leaders of all three political parties in Newfoundland were women. I haven't seen anything written about this factoid, yet, but I'm sure it cannot be a common occurrence, assuming it ever happened before, at all.

Premier Kathy Dunderdale; Yvonne Jones, former Liberal leader; Lorraine Michael, NDP leader

When Danny announced his intention to resign, there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Who could possibly replace him?

Kathy Dunderdale, the Deputy Premier, was the one who would have that dubious honor. I say "dubious" because it must have been a daunting prospect to take the reins of a party, and a province, that had been led by one of the most popular politicians in Canadian history, even in Newfoundland history, likely even rivaling ol' Joey himself.

Danny had a charisma that few others possess. Even though Kathy Dunderdale does not necessarily possess that same magnetism or silver-tongued-devilishness, she has proven herself to be nobody's fool; a very capable, unintimidatable, quick-on-her-feet, shrewd leader in her own right, not given to being satisfied living in Danny's shadow.

Her determination in making her own indelible mark has caused our Danny some angst, which is good to see. He resigned. Nobody wanted him to, but he did anyway. We, as a province, had to move on without him, and we did. I think in some slightly juvenile way, this upset the old boy. He was not the behind-the-scenes puppeteer that he may have envisioned himself to be.

Her popularity in the polls, while strong, is not what his was, but I'll tell you this... never do I see her being interviewed on TV when I think, "Gee, I wish that was Danny." There are some among us who probably do, but I believe most of us, while eternally grateful for the difference he made, have gotten over him.

Within 12 days of assuming the premier's chair, she resolved a year-long strike involving home care workers in Burin, as well as a dispute with the province's physicians, where 14 had resigned en masse, 13 of whom later rescinded their resignations. She started off with a bang.

And onward we march... The fishery is in a shambles, but the Middle East tensions will resolve long before the fishery is ever fixed again. The Maritime Rescue Sub-Center closing (a federal decision) is creating a lot of debate in the House of Assembly. On the upside, phase one of the Lower Churchill - Muskrat Falls is proceeding with the usual, predictable objections, which time will resolve. The offshore continues to make us all oil sheiks.

It's all pretty much status quo on Prince Phillip Drive. Actually, it's better than that... I was beginning to think Newfoundland had changed its name to "Have Province" there for a while!

Kathy Dunderdale is forging her place in history, keeping us afloat, and standing on her own two feet - not trying to fill the shoes of The One Who Came Before, but as The One Who Came Next. She's wearing shoes that are going to be equally hard to fill, once she's done with them. We're still in good hands.

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#29 Soldiers

In my Lenten 40 list, I wanted to somehow acknowledge military personnel who have made enormous sacrifices, even the ultimate sacrifice, in preserving our freedom and way of life.

It would be impossible to choose one single individual, therefore I have entitled this post simply "Soldiers", which I respectfully intend to be as all-encompassing as possible, including soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, army, navy... all those who dedicate their lives to the protection of their country, be it America, Britain, Canada... uniformed men and women who fight for the principles of freedom, democracy and prosperity for all its citizens.

The history of war dates back, essentially, to Cain and Abel. Since Man has populated the Earth, there have been conflicts, small and large, for reasons small and large.

From Wikipedia: 

"The Jewish Talmud describes... that there are three universal reasons for wars: A) economic, B) ideological / religious, and C) power / pride / love. " 

"The seeming contradiction between warfare and morality has led to serious moral questions, which have been the subject of debate for thousands of years. The debate, generally speaking, has two main viewpoints: Pacifists, who believe that war is inherently immoral and therefore is never justified regardless of circumstances, and those who believe that war is sometimes necessary and can be moral."

I am one of the latter. In fact, I believe George W. Bush had full moral authority to drop the biggest and best of his nuclear arsenal on the entire Middle East on September 12, 2001.

The world, including the Middle East, would be a more productive, happier place today, or at least it would be after the ensuing nuclear winter had elapsed. I'm in no rush. Better later than never.

However, Bush exhibited more restraint than I would have, and instead, launched military action on Afghanistan on October 7th, 2001.

Military action = deployment of soldiers. The boots on the ground. The men and women who, in whatever role they play, put themselves in harm's way for the greater good.

"The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his."

~George Patton

I am not a parent, but I am a very 'involved' auntie. I have never had to experience saying goodbye to a beloved niece or nephew heading off to Afghanistan or Iraq.

I can only imagine the permanent knot in the stomach, and the head-swimming fear when reports of deaths of servicemen and -women reach a parent's, or a child's, ears.

The thing about the military of Canada, the United States and Britain is this... they are volunteer forces, first and foremost. No one is dragged away and required to perform military service, unlike many countries. And, while Canada's role up to 2001 had been mainly a peacekeeping role in places such as Bosnia, now these soldiers were getting a chance to use their skills, to face down a geniune evil, to make a difference in the world. I believe that is what most of these men and women signed up for in the first place. To make a difference. To be soldiers. 

"Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference in the world, but the Marines don't have that problem."

~Ronald Reagan

Soldiers have been admired and looked up to for centuries. It is their honor, bravery, strength, discipline and willingness to die for a just cause that has been the foundation of that admiration and respect.

Soldiers have been immortalized in literature and film, fiction and non-fiction.

Their images have been rendered in statues, artwork, and on ancient coins.

Kids play with toy soldiers, pretending to conquer evil empires on rainy afternoons.

Peace is only possible because military might ensures it. As paradoxical as that may be, that's the way it is. It is in our genetic makeup to be hunter-gatherers, the earliest form of military.

Their primary goal may have been food, but crossing paths with other tribes while in search of that food? Well, you look at them. What do YOU think?? Their strength preserves peace for their tribe. Then, like now.

"We make war that we may live in peace."

~Aristotle

But in war, to achieve that peace, lives are lost, lives of those brave, dedicated, strong and fearless soldiers. The ultimate sacrifice.

The rights and freedoms that we enjoy are ours because men and women died to protect them. Our right to live freely, to vote, express ourselves as we wish. We're free to be stupid, or successful. Free to travel the world, worship as we choose or even if we choose, to assemble with whom we choose. Freedom to protest. We have soldiers, dead and alive, to thank for these and all the freedoms we daily take for granted.

"From time to time, the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots."

~Thomas Jefferson

And in return, we owe them respect. Regardless whether or not you support the cause, you must support those that have fought the fight.

It's a shame that the respect owing the Royal Newfoundland Regiment soldiers who died in the battle of Beaumont Hamel on July 1st, 1916 were not given that respect, when the day of this overwhelming loss was chosen as Canada Day and promoted as a big party, in the style of the American Fourth of July.

The Newfoundland Regiment is virtually wiped out at the Battle of Beaumont Hamel.

Of 780 men who went "over the top" that morning, only 68 answered roll call the next day.

To patriotic Newfoundlanders, it will always be the day that commemorates the battle of Beaumont Hamel, and as far as this Newfoundlander is concerned, the face-painted maple leaves can go to hell. Lest we forget.

So in conclusion, while we pray for peace, let us not forget to pray for those whose sacrifices have, and will continue to, bestow it upon us - the soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, army, navy - and let us never underestimate the vital importance of military power in keeping us safe.

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#28 Burton Winters

Today, my post is about Burton Winters, a young boy from Makkovik, Labrador, who was lost on the ice for 3 days until his body was found on February 1st.

It is not about him alone, but also about how his family and community have not faded away but are actively pursuing changes in Canada's search and rescue capabilities in Newfoundland & Labrador, that have stirred up my compassion, admiration and respect.

I have trudged through the parking lot of the Health Sciences Center during snowy weather, feeling like I was trying to make my way across the far side of the moon. I cannot, for one horrible moment, even begin to imagine what this 14 year old boy endured as he walked 19 kilometers, over 3 days, through a storm on the ice, trying to find his way home. If this story doesn't break your heart, you don't have a heart.

This link will bring you to the CBC's website, to an interactive timeline of events relating to the search for Burton Winters.

The basic story is this: At 1.30 p.m. on January 29th, Burton dropped off his cousin at his grandmother's house in Makkovik. He then got on his snowmobile to go home. This was the last time he was seen alive.

He was reported missing later that evening. His snowmobile was found late in the afternoon on January 31st. His body was found in the morning of February 1st, 19km away from the snowmobile, and 23km away from Makkovik, out on the sea ice.

What happened from a search and rescue standpoint from the time he was reported missing until the time his body was recovered is... I don't even know the words. "Completely unacceptable" is a fair start. "Horrifyingly negligent" fits, too.

For a little background 'flavor' relating to the Canadian Coast Guard's priorities in Newfoundland and Labrador, consider this... on March 12, 2009, when Cougar 491 helicopter was crashing into the north Atlantic 35km off the east coast of Newfoundland with 18 passengers and crew on board, 17 of whom died, THE ENTIRE CONTINGENT OF COAST GUARD RESCUE CAPABILITIES FOR NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR WAS IN NOVA SCOTIA, FOR TRAINING. All of them. Every helicopter, every person, everything. The province with the longest coastline in Canada, at 28,596km (17,769 miles) was left with NO coast guard rescue capabilities. And people wonder why the thought of calling myself a "Canadian" nauseates me...

Fast forward to January 29th, 2012. When the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC), in HALIFAX, OF COURSE, (Nova Scotia having a 7,400km coastline) was notified that this boy was missing, it advised that its two helicopters, based in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador, were out of service. One was being repaired, and one was having a scheduled maintenance check done. A private helicopter joined the search instead.

It seems that once you call the JRCC, and they essentially put you 'on hold', as they did in this case, there is no requirement on their part to follow up to see if their services are still required. It is up to the requesting party, in this case the RCMP in Labrador, to keep calling the JRCC and asking. And asking. And asking. Unbelieveable. This is why they did not join the search for two days. No one called them back to ask them to come, again!! Once, it seems, is not enough.

Canada is an embarrassment.

Then, this guy appears...

Rear Admiral David Gardam makes his way to St. John's - which up until then he was probably unable to find on a map - to start putting some sort of spin on this debacle.

This is what he had to say...

First excuse -

"Gardam said poor visibility and a low ceiling prevented the military from dispatching a chopper from its base in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL, sooner."

So, people, what he's saying is this: if you're going to get lost, plan to do it only on clear, sunny days. They're not up to the challenge.

Can you imagine the AMERICAN Coast Guard coming up with a girlish excuse like that? Not in a million, billion years. 

Second excuse -

"We have to manage a very large area, and it’s a balancing act on how you manage weather, resources, aircraft availability, crew rest," Gardam said.

So, in case what he's saying is not clear to you, let me break it down... if you're a child lost on the ice, Gardam says they may not search for you because they have a big area to cover, and something else, somewhere else, MAY happen. It doesn't matter that it's ALREADY happening, to YOU.

Adding insult to injury, get a load of this metaphor...

"It is very much like a ballet, and it has to be managed that way."

WHA-A-A-A-AT?!?!

This man needs to be court-martialed, for that lame, ridiculous statement, alone. It's nothing like a ballet. It's life or death. The life or death of a child. I hope he has nightmares of being lost on the ice for the rest of his pathetic, cowardly life.

Here is the article from a Halifax newspaper, from which I took these quotes. I didn't make 'em up, folks.

The federal Conservative government would have let this story die if it wasn't for the persistence of the Liberals and the NDP. You have no idea how much it chokes me to admit that, but it is the truth, and the truth must be acknowledged. The non-stop lobbying by the family of Burton Winters has also been instrumental in keeping this tragedy in the public eye.

One change has been forthcoming, that it is now the responsibility of the JRCC, once contacted, to continue to follow up to ensure their services are no longer needed, not to just sit there, painting their nails, waiting for the next call from Newfoundland and Labrador to which they can just say no and get back to their needlepoint.

Appropriately, the federal Liberals and NDP, the provincial Progressive Conservatives and Burton Winters' family acknowledge this as a first tiny step, but are not satisifed that this is all that needs to be done.

The best weapon that Burton Winters' family has is the fact that this child was aboriginal, and the aboriginals of this country have a very strong voice. I just hope it is strong enough.

Burton Ultimately Reunited Thousands Of Nflders & Labradorians

We Immediately Need These Essential Rescue Services

This sign is right - this tragedy has reunited Newfoundland and Labrador. I am certain that there cannot possibly be anyone who lives here who thinks that reducing our search and rescue capabilities is appropriate. It is strictly political, especially in the case of the upcoming closure of the Maritime Rescue Sub-Center in St. John's - which is moving... you guessed it... to Halifax... in that province with the 7,400km coastline.

Obscene.

So, to sum it all up... my heart aches for the loss of Burton Winters and the pain his family are suffering. I hope that they continue their fight to ensure search and rescue for this entire province is at the level it should be, and not part of a 'ballet', where we're constantly afraid that the guy in the tutu is going to land on his (Rear Admiral) arse, again. 

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