The Squamidian Report – Nov. 10 / 18
 
Issue #859

Including:
From Russ
From Lorne
The Ontarion

Hi All,

Every once in a while our cable TV provider gives us access to channels we don’t currently have access to in the hope that we will like then and then of course subscribe to them. Once we’ve viewed the ‘free sample’ for a week or so it is then taken away. If we want to see it again, we much pay. Like thats ever going to happen. We already get ‘bundled’ channels or stations that we don’t, won’t, and never will watch. Didn’t the CRTC require cable operators to unbundle channels so customers could chose what they wanted and only pay for that? But, I digress….

For a couple of weeks we could ‘see’ the Silver channel. It shows old movies and films, some of no interest, some very interesting. Included in the old films are many National Film Board of Canada films from the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s. These are interesting. They were the type of thing we were shown in movie theaters and back in public school well over half a century ago in order to show us what was going on in this country and how various things were being done. This was how we learned about things in the years way before the Internet, in the days before TV was so common, when if you did have a TV it only got about 3 stations assuming you could actually see anything through the snowy static on the little screen. Watching these old NFBC films from back then points out something very troubling about this country. The old films showed a sense of pride for a young, forward moving, forward thinking country. They showed a Canada that was a world leader in industry, education and social issues. They showed a Canada that was simply a world leader. The old NFBC films taught a young Canada about everything from west coast logging to northern mining and western grain farming. The showed us northern fishing and hunting camps. They taught us about residential schools that were put in place to help and to teach native children about the new world they were now a part of. Some of these areas of study went on to become tainted by self serving administrations and/or corporate greed regardless of how well intentioned the original plans may have been. Many of these topics became judged by current values and political correctness that has lead to a desire to re-write or destroy a past that was well meaning and cutting edge for those times.

Something has gone very wrong. We went from being proud Canadians on the world stage to being nandy pandy wimps. Somewhere along the line we have given away our resources, our culture, our commerce. In my rather limited mind the slippery slope started with the Avro Arrow being scrapped, suddenly and with no explanation. Canadians went from leading the world in cutting edge jet technology to bowing to external demands from competing and aggressive neighbors. At some point Canadian governments folded in on themselves, lost their sense of pride in this country and instilled that decay in the population. We reverted back to hewers of wood and carries of water. Then of course we folded even further and sold out those industries, now we just supply wood and water for others to profit from. The erosion continues and will continue to continue until nothing is left. We are embarrassed by the fact that once we were proud. We once stood shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the free world, as equals. Now our ‘leaders’ are more interested in self promotion and social engineering, and taxing to the point of being punitive and as a means of control.

We have let others write the history books and have let them almost erase us from the history they are writing. Take the first and second world wars…. Canada and Canadians stood side by side with the other countries as they fought for freedom. Canada then let the overly aggressive neighbors walk all over her as they vied for importance, almost as if our governments were and are ashamed of our contributions. Our political leaders have continued that trend to belittle the people. After all, we elected them thus proving how unworthy we really are.

I’m not even sure where I intended this rant to go but I do know that when we lost our pride in our country and ourselves we betrayed our armed forces, those forces that proved themselves so well on the world battlefields. I don’t think that many of those brave men and women would be very impressed with the country they would see if they could see it now. Tomorrow, Nov 11, is Remembrance Day. Please, don’t give in to the greed and selfishness that has gripped societies so badly. Don’t give in to the desire to abandon what this country used to be, how it was and what it stood for just to satisfy politically correct ideals and dogma. Don’t give in to the already overwhelming on-slot of Christmas commercialism. Remember on Remembrance Day. Remember those who gave so much and remember what and how this country once was. And as currently un-Canadian as it seems to be, remember to be proud.
doug
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From Russ

Remember when the cessation of fighting in 1918 was named “Armistice Day”... World War 1, “The War to end all Wars”?
I had a neighbour in Centreville when I was a young kid, named Ed Brown, he was a survivor of WW1, and he used to show me where a bullet from a German machine gun went through his body. Being an inquisitive kid, I would ask him if I could stick my fingers into his scars. And he always accommodated me!
“How come you’re not dead?” I’d ask.

I don’t remember his answer, but he was always very happy to sort of brag about his injury. The memory of this experience has always left me in great honour of our War Heroes. Armistice Day was not a school holiday, but our teachers kept the 2 minute silence at 11:AM on each November 11th.(quite a chore to keep 30 plus kids quiet for two whole minutes!).
Throughout my entire life, I’ve honoured our war dead by wearing a Poppy and attending a Cenotaph Service somewhere. I am unable to do so now, but still watch the Remembrance Day service on TV (wearing a Poppy) standing alone, in silence, remembering those who fought and died so we could remain free.
 
Then came WW2.  Patriotic women and men flocked to the Recruitment Centers and ‘signed-up’ out of loyalty and dedication to “King & Country”
(You don’t see much of that ‘spirit’ nowadays!)
 
Not to take anything from the solemnity of Remembrance Day, picture this, if you will: It’s 1958, I’m a Rooky cop with KPD, never had any training in ‘marching & manoeuvring’, but was “volunteered” to march in the up-coming Remembrance Day Parade, down King Street to the Cenotaph in front of the City Hall.
Enter Sergeant Major William Ball, a Drill Sgt. With the Militia.
Now, follow me to the top floor of the Dunker Building on King Street, West. About 2 dozen, dozy cops are ‘hanging around’ waiting for something to happen....And HAPPEN IT DID! Billy Ball (don’t dare call him that!) whipped us into shape by shouting commands with such unquestionable authority, that we promptly, and ‘smartly’ became a reasonable ‘marching unit’! Except for one.
“you’re in the Army now, you’re not behind a plow!!” shouted Billy.
Ken Smith, a recruit from ‘up country’ just could not march! He had two left feet! Ken was a ‘good natured, quiet kid’ who never took anything too seriously....and that can spell trouble when the KPD cops are “on display”, marching down King Street in perfect step! Unfortunately , Ken was in the front row, and “was the only one in step!”
He kept trying to ‘correct’ which was throwing the rest of the platoon out of step!!  Most embarrassing. We love you, Ken.
Funny how these things are remembered on Remembrance Day.
 
On a serious note; we lost a cousin who was a Flying Officer in WW2. Don Brubacher is honoured this day.
Willard Poll also served in the war, in the Infantry, I believe.
Sheldon Brubacher was also in the Army, but I don’t think he was sent ‘Over-seas’.
Lorne Brubacher was ‘trained and ready’ to “be shipped out”, but by some miracle, never left  to ‘go to War’. For which, we thank God.
War is HELL.
 
Your Old Uncle Russ.
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From Lorne

About time I reported in.  I like to keep Doug, our editor, advised of the price of gasoline here, now at a low of $ 1.06 per as compared to the $ 1.50 charged at his local gas bars. Not that I want him to feel sorry for moving to such a majestic part of the country, just to remind him that he may be missing out on some of life's perks, like I think bananas are cheaper here too.  In other news on the home front, my long time persistent cough seems to have abated, due perhaps to the powerful remedies prescribed by that aforementioned young oriental doctor or is it doctoress? Unfortunately, the possible side affects are still  lingering. Some I've had for years anyway. (if you know what I mean).

In a more timely and sobering thought, It is 100 years since the end of the 1st World War. Following the war, a world wide flue epidemic  took more lives than the war. Including my older sister, Ethel. I was about 3 month old so I have no recollection of anything.
Lorne
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THE ONTARION REPORT

Hello everyone!
Well, here I sit with my right hand in a large bandage. I’m making an attempt to type my column for this weekend but it’s a difficult thing to do. While making a few more wooden toys for my collection today I managed to catch the rubber glove of my right hand in the flat wood bit that was spinning in my bench drill press. It’s my own fault for not shutting the press off between drilling moves. When the glove caught on the spinning bit it drew my hand into the bit and at first I had thoughts of having lost a finger or two. However it only cut the skin of my first two knuckles on that hand. Of course since I’m on blood thinners for my heart condition, I bleed like crazy whenever I cut myself, large or small. It bled like a stuck pig as I usually say and I had to enlist the help of my personal nurse Carole to bandage the hand up to try to stop the bleeding. It’s still bleeding and it’s been 8 hours since the accident! I’m now wearing the second set of bandages and it’s still bleeding slowly. I now have a rubber glove over the entire bandage to keep pressure on the wound. Hopefully this will stop the bleeding over night! Of course the movement of typing isn’t helping! Guess I’ll have to make this week’s Ontarion a shorter one than usual to give the hand a rest. After having the hand bandaged I still managed to complete the build of five small pick up trucks for my lineup of toys. They turned out quite well even with all the hubbub! If I can keep up the pace of one or two toys a day I’ll have quite a lineup for my spring show and sale. I’ll just have to be more careful in the future not to stick my hand in any more running machines. First it was accidentally sanding off several knuckles on my bench belt sander then I put on the protective gloves to prevent that happening again and then I caught my “protective” glove in the drill press! What the heck next? Nothing I hope! LOL! OUCH!
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Hey, I must tell you that I finally got a call last week to bring the MG to Oakville at my convenience this week because the parts were finally due to arrive this Thursday. So, when Wednesday turned out to be not a bad day weather wise, Carole followed me to Oakville that day and we made a day of it by stopping after delivering the MG to the windshield repair shop. We decided to stop at a Wendy’s Restaurant for lunch on the way home. It was a busy day with all the heavy traffic both on the way to Oakville as well as on the way home. However we took our time and enjoyed the break from all the work around the house to get ready for winter. It took us an hour and a half to travel in each direction but by taking our time we managed to get there and back without incident. The MG will be in Oakville for a week or more but we’re in no hurry to get it back. Just as long as it comes back with a new windshield and no new scratches or dings in the new paint! As you know, it’s been a summer of waiting as far as the MG is concerned! Once this repair is completed I hope that the snow won’t be on the ground for the trip home from Oakville. If it is, the installer said that he will have the MG shipped home to Kitchener on a flatbed truck. I’m sure the insurance company will love to receive that bill! LOL! I’d rather not drive it home if the snow is on the ground at that time. Home on a flatbed truck is a safer way to bring it home in the snow for sure! I only hope the insurance company is agreeable to paying that bill! IF not I guess we’ll just have to pay for that trip ourselves. I’ll just have to wait and see if they’ll pay for that trip in with the rest of the cost of replacing the windshield or not. Fingers crossed, they won’t deny that cost!

Well, the hand is getting sore at this point so I think I’ll call it a day!
Thanks for tuning in and I’ll look forward to talking to you all again next week in The Ontarion Report!
Bye for now … Greg
Something To Think About>
Working safely even in your own home is something to keep in mind! Just ask me! Take care and enjoy the weekend!
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Have a good one..
the doug
The Fine Print!
The articles in these issues are the sole property of the persons writing them and should be respected as such.