Canada's Upcoming Election

I've noticed a trend over the last decade or so come election time, with more and more people of all ages passing on their right to vote. The question most often asked, 'who are you voting for?' has changed to 'are you going to vote?'.

I, for one, have passed on voting in past years because, like a lot of you, I've felt very uncomfortable believing in any one candidate enough to want to vote them in to run our country. 

The criteria a candidate needs to meet for me to vote them in really shouldn't be that hard to do.

I want a candidate who will listen to the people of Canada; ALL of the people, ALL of the time.

I want a candidate who will say what they mean, not talk in so many riddles it makes my head spin.

I want a candidate who will put our needs as a whole above their wish to run a smear campaign against each other.

I want a candidate who will honour the promises they made that got them elected in in the first place.

I want a Prime Minister who will, once elected; work with the other Parties to do the job of running our country on our behalf; respect the needs of every Canadian and carry forward that respect when they represent us on our home turf and on the World Stage; remember that he/she were hired by us and can be fired by us too.

When it comes to voting or not voting, I'm now looking at things from a new perspective. As a female born in 1962, I've never had to 'fight' for my 'right' to vote. My female ancestors didn't have that 'right to vote' handed to them on a silver platter as their male counterparts did, they fought long and hard to earn it for themselves and for future generations.

For that alone, I will at least do them the honour of researching who my candidates are and what they stand for, try harder to make a decision and on election day, I will vote.

Those of you who wish to research what the Party Candidates stand for, you can type their name, or their Party, into an internet search engine, it should bring you to a page or a link to their Campaign Platform.

Good luck!

A Case of Greed Part Five

Success...she was so close she could almost taste it.

Stepping into Philomena’s position was the biggest hurdle she needed to fulfill her dream of becoming one of the richest women in the country, of living the life she believed she’d been born to lead. Holly played her part so convincingly for the last year, the part of the very efficient, now very sorrowful, assistant to Philomena Townsend that it was easy to see why Alec Longstreet believed her to be the woman for the job.

“Holly-girl, you may only get one chance in this life to get what you want, with your looks you’d do best to pull out all the stops...you have to dress for success,” Holly repeated her mother’s advice to the woman in the black dress and stiletto heels staring back at her. “There’s no fool like an old fool,” repeating the old adage to herself, as pumped up with confidence at the image she presented, she mentally prepared to cross the next hurdle in her plan for success.

Alec Longstreet hadn’t looked twice at her, but tonight that would all change. Alec Longstreet didn’t stand a chance.

A Case of Greed Part Four

John scanned the area ahead with a mixture of relief and dread when Jerry was nowhere in sight. “Perhaps it’s time to call your brother out of the bushes? He can join us in my office. Save the puzzled look, you Townsend boys all look alike,” Alec said as he watched Jerry slip out of the shadows to join them.

The pointed look, the almost imperceptible shake of the head as they walked into Alec’s office told John that the bug slated for here had yet to be installed. Whatever happened here tonight would not be recorded on their home unit.

“Are we alone here?” Alec asked Jerry. “Good,” he responded at Jerry’s nod, “let’s get this over with. Install the bug.” John’s head swivelled side to side trying to sort out what he was hearing.

“Which Townsend boy are you?” Alec asked.

“John,” he answered, none too happily.

“Well, John, don’t look so confused. Jerry and I had a long conversation earlier this evening. I want whoever did this to Philomena caught as much as you boys do. Philomena’s the closest I’ll ever come to having a daughter. Now, shall we talk about how, working together, we can achieve that?”

John knew Jerry would make a better thief than a Private Investigator, with his stealth-like ways, making him question how Alec knew about the bugs in the first place. “I’m sorry John, I was listening on the other side of the door, waiting for my chance, when I heard Holly laughing...at what they’d done to Phil,” Jerry said as his remembrance of that moment, how hard it had been not to step out and blow his cover, crossed the features of his face. “A few minutes later I heard Holly saying her goodbyes. I followed to be sure she was leaving the building before coming back to wait Alec out. When I got back, Alec’s light was out. In my haste, I entered his office only to find him sitting at his desk in the dark, a gun pointed at me.”

“It’s not real,” said Alec as he pulled the toy gun he’d had trained on them out of his pocket. “I’m not a violent man. In fact, I abhor violence. My young nephew saved his hard-earned allowance to buy that for me after my house was broken into last fall. Trust me, after a long day of having to sort the bullshit from the truth, it’s good to have a reminder of what’s really important in this world...to me.”

Despite himself, John found he could actually come to like this man in another time and place but he wasn’t convinced that this wasn’t all an act. A lawyer who won as many cases as Alec Longstreet did was certainly capable of keeping up pretences to gain ground, or in this case to give his girlfriend everything she so desired.

Bullying

We all know that what every soap opera has is a hometown bully or two. The vast majority of people who watch the soaps know that what they are watching is fictitious, but what’s a teenager to do when the life they lead closely resembles a story written for a soap opera?

For them, the bullying dished out to them is very real. They get up in the morning, go to school and get picked on, beat up, abused - verbally, physically, mentally and sometimes sexually, all in a day’s work for a bully.

Most of which was a fact of life for a lot of us growing up, but when I was a kid you went to school, got picked on, nobody touched you without a teacher becoming involved and you went home, free of it for the night. The bully didn’t have access to you once you were home. And with limited phone time and a parent sitting there the bully certainly wasn’t brave enough to call you at home to continue the torment.

These days there is no such thing as ‘home free’ with the electronic world we live in. Many learn to use a computer and a cell phone long before they’ve been toilet trained and once school starts, many go to school attached to a cell phone - that may or may not be attached to the internet. All of which gives parents a sense of relief to be able to quickly reach or be reached by their son or daughter, but it also gives bullies more access to harassing them. And since the vast majority go home alone that harassment follows them, making some down time next to impossible, but what’s a parent to do?

Should parents be tuned in non-electronically to their child to know whether they are being bullied or are the bully? And should they be teaching the social skills needed to prevent or deal with being bullied or being the bully? Should we, as a society, be standing up and saying enough is enough? Should the hands of our teachers and principals be untied so they can deal with bullying first-hand? Absolutely.

Should parents be taking cell phones away or giving limited access until their child has learned the skills needed to stand up to a bully? Or only allow internet use when the parent is home to monitor them? I don’t know. But I do believe that something needs to be done before it’s too late to save somebody’s child from turning to the life of a criminal, or ending the precious life God gave them because they see no other way out.

A Case of Greed – Part Three

“What have you got for me, bro?” asked Job.

“First, how’s Philomena?”

“She’s doing great...and not the least bit schizophrenic,” Job said with an edge in his voice.

“That comes as no surprise,” his brother, John, responded. John felt very sorry for all involved in this mess...more like very sorry for the world of hurt there was going to be by the time they were finished with the ones involved in hurting one of theirs.

“Here’s a rundown of what we have so far. We’re taking turns keeping watch over the offices of LLP; it’s been pretty quiet so far,” John said as he took his turn in the dark alcove across the street staring up at the lonely office with its light still on."Holly Ryan’s been in very good spirits for someone whose friend has been through such an ordeal and in an unsurprising turn of events, has been hanging so much onto Alec Longstreet, they’re practically attached at the hip.” Seeing how high up this deception went, as Alec Longstreet was the big L in LLP, did nothing to deter the Townsend brothers.

“You guys be careful.”

“We’re okay, don’t worry about us,” John said. The, us, he was referring to included himself and Cousin Jerry. Jerry may not have been born to their parents but make no mistake, he was their brother in every real sense of the word and had been from the moment John and Job’s aunt and uncle died in a car accident and their parents had taken Jerry in and raised him as their own. “Besides, it’s all quiet around here. For now, they think they’re safe.”

“Perhaps we should take a walk,” said the voice from behind him.

“Uh, Job? I’ll give you a call back,” he said as he slowly turned and stared into the face of Alec Longstreet.

Stay tuned for Part Four.

Message to Readers

I've had a few requests to continue A Case Of Greed so look for Part 3 on or before Tuesday (March 22nd) afternoon.

Love Comes Full Circle

10 word exercise #8

Dynasty, hypocrisy, regret, contentment, issues, suave, interaction, in-law, examination, mechanic

Jason Mullens didn’t need the weekly cross-examination from Nancy’s family to let him know that once an in-law, always an in-law. He got the picture. But here he was preparing to walk into the lion’s den once again for Sunday brunch. Her father would take shots at him for everything from being just a lowly mechanic to how he wore his hair but what it all boiled down to was that he’d never be forgiven for having the audacity to marry the youngest daughter in the Laing Dynasty.

Daddy’s little girl, that was Nancy Laing-Mullens, and after ten years of marriage to Jason’s deep regret, his interaction with Nancy’s family was always, would always be, a sore spot between them. Not based solely on those issues, but he’d pretty much given up hope for any sort of contentment for either of them. It was time to move on.

“So, you come to the table with grease under those nails, son?” her father asked in the same derisive tone saved for criminals, the unlucky, who had to face him in court.

“No sir.” Jason bristled, but kept his cool. This wasn’t the time or the place for a confrontation.

“You prowling around again with that brother of yours? If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again, he’s no good. The Mullen boys will never amount to anything.”

Since before he’d even met Nancy, Jason hadn’t wasted much time hanging out with his older brother, Garth, and it irked to think he’d always be tarred with the same brush regardless of how clean he’d lived his life.

Garth had been in court more times than Jason could count, and had always found a way to make the problem go away before having to do time…that was until he stood before the stiff face of Judge Richard Laing and was sentenced to two years for armed robbery.

“That’s enough. This has to stop.” Spoken so quietly, Jason wasn’t sure he heard correctly until he noticed that his look of stunned surprise was mirrored on the faces around the table of Nancy’s brother and sister-in-law, her sister and her mother.

“Have you lost your mind?” Her sister, Angela, hissed as she elbowed Nancy in the ribs. “You’ll ruin it for everyone!”

They say the eyes are the window to the soul and if that’s true, Nancy’s was crying out for something they’d both lost sight of. “No, I haven’t lost my mind. In fact, I’ve finally found it again. It shames me that I’ve let this go on,” Nancy said, making and holding eye contact with Jason, looking for some sign that it wasn’t too late. Seeing hope there, she turned to her father. “Not saying a word while you brow-beat my husband, talk down as if you’re better than him. Well, Daddy, not anymore.”

“Maybe you should leave and come back when you’re ready to be civil. No daughter of mine is going to talk like this to me; must be from hanging around with this white trash.”

“Suit yourself,” Nancy said as she pushed her chair out, preparing to walk away and give her marriage a second chance.

“Sit down.”

“Patricia, this is none of your…”

“None of my what? Concern? Business? You’d like to think that. It keeps us all under your control. Well, it’s every bit my concern; I know my daughter well enough to know that if she walks out that door now, she won’t be walking back. And Richard? If she walks, so do I.”

“Mom!” Angela and Richard, Jr. exclaimed in unison.

“It makes me proud to know I raised one of my children to be the kind of person who’ll stand up for what’s right, not for what it will get her,” Patricia said as she looked at each of her children in turn. Noting the look of chagrin on Richard Jr’s face and the look that passed between him and his wife, Sally, she knew she’d at least started to reach him, but Angela would be another story.

Angela had high hopes of living the life where the worst she had to think of in a day was where she’d go for her next manicure. What she did to need a manicure was a mystery to Patricia.

In the beginning, Patricia had thought her husband to be very suave and debonair but after twenty plus years of marriage she was tired of the hypocrisy of having to pretend she was something she wasn’t, for she too came from what her husband so freely referred to as, ‘White trash’.

“When I get back, everyone had better have come to their senses!” Richard said as he stormed off, unable even in light of a family crisis to miss a tee time with his cronies.

With the kitchen and dining room put back to normal, having settled Angela’s histrionics to a dull sulk, and with promises to keep them all posted she said her goodbyes to Nancy and Jason, Sally and Richard, Jr. before seating herself on the front porch swing in the waning light of the afternoon sun. Sipping her tea she patiently waited for her husband to arrive home. The conversation for tonight had been a long time coming.

“I adore you, you know. You know that, don’t you?” She’d been so lost in thought she hadn’t heard Richard come home.

“Before you say anything, I never made it to the golf course. I made it as far as Rockford Park and have been there ever since…thinking,” he said as he sat beside her. “Thinking that for a man who has such a brilliant career, how could I be so stupid? When did I turn into such a snob? Can you ever forgive me for being such an ass?”

“Of course I forgive you,” she answered, snuggling into him, “but it’s not me you owe an apology to.”

“I know. The advice I give to all who pass through my court room is to ‘own it, take responsibility for what you’ve done and find a way to fix it’. Easy to preach, much harder to practice, but it’s high time I did, don’t you think?” And first thing the next morning he made through his rounds of apologies and hugs with more hope for the future than even he’d had in a long time.

The End