Giving thanks
The weekend home was my idea of a perfect Canadian thanksgiving: turkey dinner (not fried - will save that till American thanksgiving), crisp apples, and walks on leaves crunching underfoot...all which left me thinking, appropriately so, all that I have to be thankful for:
1) When I lived in Africa and while traveling in South America and Asia, I've never felt particularly badly or sorry for the people I was living with, working with, coexisting with, etc... however this last trip to Kenya sort of hit me in a strange way... and as I was walking in the warm sunny autumn days this weekend, I couldn't help think how crazy it is, that just by the pure accident of my birth, I get to live in peace and security and have the luxury of choices... and I think that this is something that shouldn't be left up to accident and chance...we should all have that: regardless of where you live and where you were born, be able to exist in peace and security and have choices...
2)...on the Canadian political side... who am I thankful for? Gerard Kennedy. Why? For coming in 2nd in Ontario and putting Bob Rae in 3rd in Ontario, and for barely coming up as a blip on the radar in Quebec...why is this something to be thankful for? This shows that Rae is not an option in Ontario and Kennedy is not an option in Quebec. Regardless of whether or not it's fair, with today's electoral system, you need both Ontario and Quebec to win. So it would seem that out of the final four, both Kennedy and Rae don't really stand a chance of leading the Liberals to victory in the next election...thus leaving us Libs with two "viable" options: Iggy and Stephane Dion....all leaving me cautiously optimistic...thankfully.
posted by JJ @ 8:19 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
JJ -
Mathematics doesn't seem to support the premise of your blog.
Other provinces aside, the combined totals for the candidates in Ontario and Quebec only are:
Ignatieff - 799
Kennedy - 399
Rae - 492
Dion - 460
Given that Dion is leading in no provinces, compared to Rae's 4 and Kennedy's 2, where is this great leap (of faith) forward to come from?
Outside Quebec Dion placed no better than third anywhere, including 4th in all important Ontario.
But we should give thanks for eternal hope.
pumpernickie
PS: Am willing to eat my words on pumpernickel with cranberries if I am proven wrong :).
You're on pumper! I would also like to refer you to my man Kinsella's musings on this topic for Oct. 2nd...seems like we are on the same page re: final two...
Btw, am sad because I thought that you were going to comment on my world free of poverty thoughts :)
The thing is, Dion has credible amounts of delegates in all provinces.. so he can claim to have national support in all regions of Canada.
Scott Tribe:
Perhaps you should refresh your Liberal.ca ticker if you think Dion has credible support in all provinces.
He came 5th (!!!) in three of them.
Manitoba - 9 delegates
PEI - 4 delegates
Newfoundland - 6 delegates
Not exactly a "credible amount" unless you are weighing it against Martha's count.
JJ - You wrote, "I couldn't help think how crazy it is, that just by the pure accident of my birth, I get to live in peace and security and have the luxury of choices... and I think that this is something that shouldn't be left up to accident and chance...we should all have that: regardless of where you live and where you were born, be able to exist in peace and security and have choices..."
First it is pretty hard to disagree with the statement - and I don't. Second, you are to be commended for putting your money, talent and energy where your mouth is, not by bemoaning where you (and I) were born in the rich, free and relatively peaceful west, but by working to make a difference.
Politics in democracies like ours is about making choices and you are working to do your part to make this world a better place. That is why I am a L/liberal. I believe in equality of opportunity, not outcome and that government can be a force for good in society.
So whether we are discussing opportunity in Innu communities or in sub-Saharan Africa, I firmly believe in removing some of the disadvantages that are "place of birth" anomalies to allow people the freedom and choice to succeed, choose and prosper.
We do have a lot to be thankful for.
Well said Pumpernickel and thanks for commenting on that part of the post... As for Thanking Gerard Kennedy, I would like to remind readers about the 1st ballot results of the 1996 Ontario Liberal Leadership :
KENNEDY, Gerard 770
CORDIANO, Joseph 557
DUNCAN, Dwight 464
McGUINTY, Dalton 450
GERRETSEN, John 152
CASTRILLI, Anna-Marie 141
KELLS, Greg 24
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