Taking the Old Crone show on the road

I'm distracted by a number of things here. All good.

If you're in the area come visit us at the South Stormont Trade Show on Friday evening and all day Saturday. If you don't know where the arena is in Long Sault ... just drive around till you find it . Or stop and ask somebody.

While I'm gone remember there's tea and Peak Freans in the cupboard.

Red Ensign Standard # Forty-Three

Genealogy is the only first hand knowledge I have of addiction - difficult to give up with every brickwall a greater challenge than the last. I’ve yet to make the trek to Stone Arabia, New York, but one day I will as the roots of my family tree both maternal and paternal can be found there and about.

It remains to be seen whether a trip to the Mohawk Valley would provide answers to long- asked questions. Like what a German- speaking, Swiss mercenary soldier with the British army was doing in New York state in 1815 - other than the obvious which would be to wed a German-speaking wife. And he did - then promptly headed north to British North America and a settlement of loyalists with ties to his bride’s family.

These men believed as passionately in their cause as the patriots. The stakes were the same: their rights as property owners and citizens of the land. As in any war, there are winners and losers. The loyalists lost, and soon found there was no place for them in their native land. America's loss was great; Canada, however, grew due to the talents and strengths of these men.

I like to think that there I might find, in an old Palatine church, a still legible marriage register that will tell me once and for all what that soldier’s family name was. Not the anglicised name we use today but the German name he was given at birth in the canton of Solothurn, before he lived under the Ensign.

I asked the brigade to embrace a theme. Not necessarily the names and dates of a family chart but the stories that they tell. And a couple actually did just that.

Ruth writes about her nanny, a home child.

In 1939, England declared war on Germany. My Nanny lied about her age and joined the WRENS, the Women's Royal English Navy.

From Jason, an account from his dad, the a cowboy poet, about the Percheron 'old Ned' and the tornado of 1899.

"And ’til his dying day, when rains came, he was a short ton of quivering"

From Anthroblogogy - They're - baack

My dad recounts an experience late in the War when he got leave from Annapolis and hitched a ride part-way cross-country in a B-25 Mitchell, to see his Mom at home in San Jose. "That thing was so loud, you couldn't even hear yourself think!" He took his leave from the aircraft somewhere in Nebraska, and continued on by train...

From Absinthe and Cookies the story of a pioneer woman, her great-grandmother Annie Anderson Heal.

Most of the early women arrived with only the supplies their horses and wagons, or boats, or backs could carry. The first white woman to settle was Ann Anderson Heal, who arrived here in 1903. Her trip from Victoria to Tyee Lake included six days on horseback, six by riverboat , and six days on foot!

Darcey talks about his grandfather the chainsaw carpenter.

Being also a lumberjack in the winter he kept his toolbox fairly simple as being out in the bush taught you to improvise. A measuring tape, string, hammer and of course his faithful chainsaw. I can’t recall the brand as the damn thing was all rusty and covered in oil stains. Toss in a few flathead screwdrivers and that was all he seem to ever need - big or small jobs.

From Argghhh a post about crazy aunt Ida.

Every family has one. The 'odd' relative. The one that makes you know your family is unique, among all those others.

And then on to other things ...

From Albion's Seedlings a post on citizenship and belonging.

We need to glory again in the name of Scotsmen or Welshmen or Englishmen and in the name of Britons, but in a multi-racial society we can only do this through fostering a sense of civic nationalism and pride in our collective and separate identities.

In keeping with the season at Quotulatiousness a couple of posts on summer wine.

At Abraca-Pocus - People think they know you.

Naturally, a stranger in a strange land (you don't have to go too far to feel like a foreigner, trust me), feels strange. In turn, one withdraws a little. One becomes the observer. I felt withdrawn. I observed.

At Bound by Gravity everything you need to know about equalization.

The Conservative Hipster's two cents in case anyone asked on an elected senate.

And more on the Senate from Phantom Observer.

And frankly I don’t think the provincial governments would give an argument against the idea of term limits for the Senate, since they care more about how a Senator is chosen than how long that appointed ass occupies a seat in the Upper Chamber.

From Beaverbrook at the Monarchist - more a Commonwealth Loyalist

I think when it comes right down to it, I'm more of a Commonwealth loyalist than a monarchist. I know this because I am rather indifferent to the plight of Nepal's monarchy, or whether one is restored in Serbia. I am by no means convinced that monarchy is a superior system of government, only the evolved British one. I am for the British Crown and tradition, full stop. If that makes me a loyalist more than a monarchist, so be it.

Because we just can't get enough of Joe Volpe. From London Fog - Keep Your Children Inside

"We have no record of any contact between CIRA and Mr. Volpe or his staff. Furthermore, CIRA does not deal with website content. This is and continues to be a guiding principle underlying our operations."

At Bumfonline, Huck had a birthday.

If you happen to be having a birthday this week celebrating at least 40 years of life, this is a reminder to take your daily dose of Ginkgo, shut off your car's turn signal, and quit boring people with tales of the pre-electricity, dinosaur-hunting days of your childhood.

And John the Mad, celebrates the birthday of G.K.Chesterton

... today, April 29th is the 132nd birthday of that great Catholic apologist, writer and journalist and one of my heroes, Gilbert Keith Chesterton.

From Canadianna's Place : Canada - Great place to be a pedophile.

We tell ourselves we're a civilized society. We are shocked by the Dutch political group that would legalize child pornography, and eventually child-adult sex. We ask ourselves 'how could they?' and yet our judges are treating child rape as a non-violent crime and finding excuses to give child porn collectors house arrest and community service.

The Conservative Canadien goes digital.

On home-grown terrorism

From Stephen Taylor, guess who's coming to Kingston.

While Loney's objectives are legitimate (though I disagree with them), he should be wary of taking up the cause of those that sought to destroy his freedom to advocate on their behalf.

At ESR's Musings - When are Canadians going to grow up?

I've spent much of the day watching coverage of the terrorist cell capture and I've been dumbstruck, not by the size of the alleged operation -- though it was impressive in its apparent scope, but by the attitudes of Canadians interviewed by the media.

At GenX at 40, why a common fertilizer was designed to go boom.

Still more on ammonium nitrate from Angry in the Great White North.

Toronto Tory supports the mission in Afganistan because .... ? "There are a number of reasons, and here's a hint - Terrorism isn't even in the top 5."

From John Murney's blog - Toronto Mosque vandalized

I won't say what famous event this vandalism reminds me of, but I hope never to see its like in Canada again.

Bits and Pieces

Grandinite meets the antonym of the ugly American. And he didn't like 'em much.

Apologetic Americans are, in my experience and opinion, one of the worst kinds of Americans you will ever meet.

From Taylor and Company - Airport noise in Toronto

I know this is all very complex stuff -- hard for mere mortals like a mayor and journalist to comprehend -- but let me run a simplified version past you that might make sense. Back when this territory was first colonised by Europeans, they set up towns all across southern Ontario wherever the land was bountiful and commerce and communication were not too onerous.

From Hammer into Anvil a leukemia primer here here and here.

At Italics Mine -The United Nations Tax Department. It may be time to start planning the next party.

Is this is the way of the new world order? Countries awarding the United Nations (one dictator, one vote) the authority to levy taxes on transnational activities originationg with-in their borders. The mythological Boston tea-party is associated with the phrase, "no taxation without representation".

From Minority of One, outrage at wife-tossing and child-tossing.

At High Places - Shane had a feeling.

However, despite vicious and blatant statements calling for the destruction of Israel, I thought there was no way that Iran’s President was that stupid. I guess he really isn’t

Raging Ranter is optimistic about ethanol.

And finally. Something you don't see every day from the Robot Guy.

Some people don't know their arse from a hole in the ground

Don't you just love those old, country sayings. I do. They make me laugh. What makes me weep is the MSM reporting on agriculture. They confuse their illusions of a simple life down on the farm with the realities of actually farming. To be fair, the average urban reporter can't possibly understand the complexities of what is taking shape on the family farm right now. Most farmers have a hard time getting their heads around it.

From an Ottawa Citizen editorial Extortionists on tractors, here's a guy who really doesn't know if his ass is punched or bored.

Making sure every Canadian can be fed is a legitimate goal for the government, but maintaining small family farms isn't necessarily in the broad Canadian interest any more than keeping independent gas-station operators working would be.

Gas-station operators? Kind of a dumb comparison in that they aren't the ones pulling raw crude out of the ground. And, I'm sure that those price wars can be troubling but no one expects them to sell gas for less than they paid for it - several years running. Farmers are price takers not price makers.

I won't even get into what makes him think family farms aren't necessary in the broad Canadian interest. Given that family farms are one hell of a lot bigger than they were even 25 years ago I can only surmise that this guy thinks maybe corporate farms are in Canada's best interest.

It's true that Canadian farmers have to compete against heavily subsidized Americans and Europeans and until we can convince foreign politicians to stop distorting the market, we can level the field either through trade barriers or with matching subsidy programs. However, we must not confuse this damage control with support for inefficient or unnecessary farms.

Nobody has a right to make a profit in any field. Farmers who insist they do are irrational. When that irrationality intrudes on other people's right to make livings and otherwise act freely, those people's rights must be protected. By the police, if necessary.

That there's the clincher. Matching subsidies? Clearly this guy knows nothing about countervail. Trade barriers? Tempting as that may be, it's exactly what Canadian farmers have been trying to eliminate for the past decade or more. Inefficient farmers on their unnecessary farms gave it up long ago. This problem didn't happen over night and it's viable farmers who depend on export markets who are in trouble now.

When the spin- off of a failed agriculture industry begins to trickle down - and it will - do you suppose they'll still be blaming irrational, unnecessary and inefficient farmers?

The Ottawa Sun does a much better job in this editorial, but I'll hazard a guess it's written by a local reporter who spends a good deal of time writing ag news.

This government has begun to mend relations between our two countries and should move agricultural subsidies to the top of the bilateral agenda. Wasn't the removal of trade irritants the main purpose of the North American Free Trade Agreement?

Truth is I have not one ounce of optimism for the future of agriculture in this country. There isn't enough money to bail them out in the short term. One can only hope that there is now both the political will and the astuteness needed to level the playing field in the long term.

I think this civil disobedience thing will continue to be as ugly as a windrow of assholes racked up before sundown. Trust me, this is even funnier if you know anything about makin' hay. Trouble is, very few people do.

( I should point out that when I say MSM I mean the non- agricultural media. Though hard to find on the internet decent ag reporting can be found at AgriNews and Ontario Farmer.)

H/t Jack's Newswatch

Project Truth Inquiry Resumes

Historical sex assaults a priority, inquiry told

Deputy Chief Danny Aikman provided the commission with hundreds of pages of documents outlining the force's investigation procedures.

When it comes to looking into sexual assault, there is no marked difference between the way the investigation is carried out in relation to a recent case or a historical one, he said.

"Historical sexual assaults are given the same consideration as those which have recently occurred," the force's protocol on sexual assault investigations reads. "The investigations are given the highest priority, are referred to the Criminal Investigation Division and are closely monitored."

Don't allow victim testimony at abuse inquiry: lawyer

Victims fear that if the motion proceeds, the inquiry will be a pointless exercise and won't allow the community to heal.

After an investigation in the 1990s known as Project Truth, police laid 114 sex abuse charges against 15 Cornwall citizens.

And couple of briefs from SeawayValley.com. Sorry no permalinks
Here:

A disturbing statistic about sex crimes in Cornwall has surfaced at the Project Truth Inquiry. Documents show the Cornwall Community Police Service's number of sex crimes reported has almost always been higher here than the rest of the province and country since 1980. Deputy Police Chief Danny Aikman says he's not sure if it means there is more sex assaults here or just reporting of incidents. His evidence shows the overall crime rate in Cornwall is consistently higher than the rest of Ontario and Canada. Police Chief Dan Parkinson is expected to take the stand later this week. Aikman's testimony continues today.

And here:

The Project Truth Inquiry resumes today after a week long break. The short answer is, you can expect to hear from the police. No, the Cornwall Police Service is not expected to get into the nitty-gritty of any specific abuse investigation, but rather, will focus instead on policies and procedures of the city's police service. Lawyers have been working closely with the top brass from the police service in preparing them for their testimony. So far, close to half a million dollars have already gone to lawyer's fees and other costs as the service prepares to testify in front of the commission.

Red Ensign Standard XL

So, we're back to roman numerals again with the current edition of the Red Ensign Standard.
You have to agree the red ensign looks right at home over at the Taylor & Company shop.

... ducks in a row

Up date to yesterdays post. Farmers who have distrupted three food terminals in Ottawa are going home but leaving their tractors behind. They're going to wait and see what the federal budget has to offer. Next possible targets includes not only booze terminals but border crossings.

Wahler had these words of warning: "If this won't do the trick, we'll do something even more drastic next time."

Farmers say they may expand their blockades to beer and liquor distribution centres, and possibly U.S. border crossings.

... like a duck to water

Farmers who began blocking a food distribution terminal in Ottawa on Wednesday seem to have taken to these civil disobedience tactics and have decided to stick around.

Yesterday morning, farmers who had already spent three days slowing transport trailers at food terminals vowed to stay at the National Grocers depot for as long as they could. They had originally planned to stay until noon yesterday.

"Nobody wants to go home today," Vanderspank said.

Farmers working the "hole," where they let trucks into the terminal, allowed rigs to pass about every 20 minutes.

Down here in the "far east" you'd be hard pressed to find a farmer who doesn't think it might be good for consumers to go without some of the commodities they take for granted. The level of farmer dissension of course being proportional to what they have to lose. And some of them appear to have little to lose at this point. The next round of blockades however might prove to be the most effective.

John Vanderspank, who's helping organize the blockades at food terminals on Sheffield Ave. and Bantree Rd., said farmers aren't afraid to escalate their protests.

He hinted that targeting alcohol distributors before a long-weekend this summer could be their next attention-grabber.

Terminals at Cambridge and Whitby were also targeted last week, however, the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association worries these protests could end up hurting the industry in the long run.

In Cambridge, about 100 farmers circled a huge warehouse that serves retail grocery stores in southwestern Ontario.

The group says it wants to send a message to consumers about what it would be like to face food shortages if farmers weren't growing produce.

But an Ontario agriculture group is questioning the tactics, saying this type of protest could hurt rather than help the farmers' cause.

Brenda Lammens of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association says her members' products are perishable, and that the blockades make it seem like one group of farmers is fighting with the other.

The fruit and vegetable folks have at least one thing right - farmer solidarity is at issue here. One would expect that at this time of year much of Ontario's fruits and vegetables would have been processed months ago. You'd also think, with nothing perishable in the fields, this might be a good time for them to show some solidarity.

Interestingly enough, the fruit and vegetable growers expressed the same concerns about distribution disruptions when it was first proposed by the Landowners Association more than a year ago. See March 21, 2005 Press Release

"This decision by an organization that tends to have rural affair issues will certainly cause farmers more grief and undo our efforts to draw attention to our economic condition within this province,"” said Len Troup, the Chairman of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers'’ Association (OFVGA).

Troup was responding to openly conveyed threats by Randy Hillier, the president of the Lanark Landowners Association (LLA), who told those gathered at a small rally on March 9 that they would be back in "“30 days, closing up the major food distribution units, that distribute all the food to supermarkets."” Hillier, an electrician by trade, and his organization have issues with provincial regulations as they impact on LAND OWNERSHIP rather than agriculture or agricultural-based concerns. Troup said the OFVGA has no problem with producers letting politicians and the citizens of the province know what challenges are confronting farmers– so long as they are educational, constructive, and inclusive.

There's bad blood between the Landowners and a number of farm organizations, including the OFA, who claim that the Landowners Association's issues and motives don't necessarily address agricultural issues. Perhaps not. But a growing number of farm organizations don't seem to have a problem embracing not only Randy Hillier's strategies but his hardline attitude and tactics as well.

Oops update:It occurred to me that the fruit and vegetable folk include greenhouse growers. I'll have to assume (yes I know that is dangerous) that they have devised another way to support their farming brethren.

The Protestants got off easy

It occurred to me last fall that maybe it was time I read the Da Vinci Code. It was becoming a source of embarrassment. I don't just wait for books to make it into paperback - I often wait till they show up at yard sales.

So, when I put my name on "the list", which was substantial, the local librarian admitted that after reading it she didn't understand what the big deal was. Neither did I.

A good read of course but historically speaking it didn't reveal much I hadn't read or contemplated myself years ago. It being possible to not only to pick up a fine copy of the Gnostic Gospels from a rummage table for a quarter, but to consider that there might have been more to this Mary chick than we'd been led to believe.

But what did strike me as unbalanced or even biased was that the Protestants seemed to get off easy in the misogyny department. Maclean's Brian Bethune noticed that too.

His five million women murdered by the witch-hunting Vatican is probably his ultimate moment; even Michael Baigent, the other side of the plagiarism case, cuts that to 30,000. (Both, of course, ascribe every last victim to papal misogyny, as though the judicial muders of Puritan England and Salem, Mass. were the work of Jesuit provocateurs disguised in Miles Standish costumes.)