Jim Merriam

Jim Merriam

LATEST STORIES BY JIM MERRIAM

 

Sexting stupidity: transgressions not unique to just south of the border

As an ongoing spectator sport, politics in these parts got a lot more interesting last week. The shenanigans of senior Conservatives in both Toronto and Ottawa have suggested that we’re not all that different from our cousins in Yankeeland. We marveled at the folly of Anthony Weiner in New York, felled by more than one sexting scandal. Democrat Weiner represented a New York district in Congress for 12 years and resigned from Congress in 2011 after a sexually suggestive photo that he sent to an adult woman became public. Six years later, Weiner pled guilty to another, unrelated sexting charge involving a 15-year-old and was sent to jail. Now we have Tony Clement, a senior member of the federal Conservative Opposition, stepping down from his committee roles and other duties for what appears to be similar offences. And like Wiener, he didn’t stop at one. If anything, Clement’s transgressions might be even more disturbing because of his membership on a little-known and highly-secretive national security and intelligence committee in Ottawa. Commentator Robyn Urback had this to say about Clement on CBC. “More than the nature of his interactions, Clement’s grotesque lack of judgment makes the decision to remove him from the Conservative caucus unassailable. Not only did he make himself vulnerable to extortion . . . but he apparently did so repeatedly. This can only be explained by hubris, or stupidity, or both.” Then we come to Ontario and Jim Wilson, who could be called the dean of provincial Conservative politics with his experience as a cabinet minister in both Mike Harris and Doug Ford governments among a long and distinguished record of service. Wilson also has stepped down from cabinet and the PC caucus amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Getting back to comparisons south of the border, besides Weiner a number of others, including well-known names in media and entertainment, have fallen after sexual accusations. The much ballyhooed #Me Too movement is partly responsible for a number of resignations coming immediately after accusations surfaced. These kinds of allegations make for anything but good government on either side of the border. But they do make for coffee shop chatter and eventually might influence political strategies. America’s mid-term elections last week illustrated some other areas of similarity between our two countries. The delay in counting ballots, particularly in trouble-plagued Florida, has resulted in calls for a switch to mail-in balloting. If the Americans are serious about that switch they can learn a lot from the Canadian municipalities, including a number in Ontario, that successfully conducted recent elections with mail-in voting.

November 14, 2018 Local News
Jim Merriam.

Rural Canada takes a blow when supply management disappears

The federal Liberals have had no end of difficulties dealing with rural Canada during the past several years. The ill-conceived and poorly implemented long gun registry showed that rural folks simply will not vote for a party that ignores their best interests in such a cavalier way. Things won’t get any better now that the Grit government has thrown dairy farmers under the bus to get a new North America trade deal. The deal opens almost 4% of our dairy market to imports. The fact it’s only 4% provides scant comfort to those worried about the future. We’re on a slippery slope on this issue and 4% interference in the market does nothing but grease that slope. In short it’s another nail in the coffin of supply management. Previous trade agreements also have infringed on our dairy industry. A total of 1.5% domestic market access was given away in a trade deal with the European Union, 3.25% went in the Trans Pacific Partnership and now the biggest chunk, 3.6% in the new North American deal. The government is talking about compensation for those farmers most affected by the deal and there’s little doubt there will be a compensation package. That’s all well and good, but what does compensation do to protect our agricultural sector going forward? New farmers who get into the dairy business – if anybody’s interested in doing that – will see no benefit from such compensation. Supply management controls over-production, such as the U.S. must deal with, partly because of subsidies to the industry. The quota system also assures a meaningful bottom line for dairy farmers and generally provides a floor for the economies of rural Canada. Due to the production controls it also helps to guarantee the quality of the product that consumers purchase in stores. When supply management disappears – and obviously this government’s lack of backbone as evidenced in these free trade talks illustrates it could be coerced into making it disappear – our food supply, farm economies and all of rural Canada will take a big blow. U.S. President Donald Trump had a bee in his bonnet – or his wasp-nest hairdo – about supply management, particularly as it applies to dairy. So what is going to stop him from opening up this new trade agreement to get more concessions down the road? Canada is dealing with a bully here and bullies don’t just give up and go away. If they get away with stealing your cookie today, they’ll take your entire lunch tomorrow. The new agreement is being called the USMCA, or the U.S., Mexico, Canada Agreement. That name is favoured by Trump, even though it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. But the name is not important. After all a thorn by any other name would prick you just as bad. Trump also had trouble with our negotiating team led by Chrystia Freeland, foreign affairs minister. Although it’s really none of his business who we send to the table, Freeland does not exude the kind of gravitas that the negotiations required. In addition, Freeland simply doesn’t elicit the confidence that Canadians would like to see when it comes to a situation as delicate as free trade. But that’s beside the point now. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet is not exactly bursting at the seams with confidence and gravitas. If it keeps making deals such as this one on behalf of Canadians, the faces around the cabinet table are likely to change in the 2019 election.

October 10, 2018 Local News
Jim Merriam.

Shunning is one way to express political opinions

Shunning was all the rage recently when a restaurant in the U.S. refused to serve Sarah Huckabee Sanders and her family because of her job as mouthpiece for the Pumpkin Patch President. To avoid shunning might well be the best way in which modern society should work. But… And it’s a big but. Shunning is one of the few ways that the great unwashed can express their opinions about one or more of our so-called leaders. Turning your back would seem a better option than punching the object of your disfavour in the nose, wouldn’t you say? For those of us who believe Sanders is as hypocritical as her boss – there’s tonnes of evidence if you care to look it up – shunning seems almost too good for her. And since there are no real ways to get through to people protected behind the shield of modern politics, it’s difficult not to cheer on the restaurants and other businesses that take a stand against all the fibs, prevarications, dissembling and outright lies that come out of the White House briefing room. Yes, Sarah, we heard you recently when you said you resented being called a liar, but you too should look at the evidence. It abounds. The argument against shunning, of course, is that it reduces debate to the lowest possible level. However, Trump, Sanders and their ilk have reduced it pretty much as far as it will go. Historically, shunning had its start and appears to have been used mostly by religions. Here’s an explanation. Shunning can be the act of social rejection or emotional distance. In a religious context, shunning is a formal decision by a denomination or a congregation to cease interaction with an individual or a group, and follows a particular set of rules. The extent and duration of the shunning vary among the various groups that practice it. Shunning is often associated with Amish and Mennonite groups, but it is also employed by other churches. Certain cults and traditional societies (such as in Bali) practise severe forms of shunning that can lead to whole families being ostracized from all aspects of society. Let’s get back to shunning in the secular world. The bakers who didn’t want to make a cake for a gay couple in a way were shunning that couple. Also shunning is part of playground bullying. Not only do bullies pick on and torment their victims, they can also lead the “in” crowd to shun the outcasts. Trump, of course, is an old hand at this and has been in the process of shunning Canada and our prime minister, China, European allies, etc. About the only folks Trump seems capable of dealing with are traditional enemies such as Russia and North Korea. There is a tremendous temptation to meet this kind of bullying – and shunning – with more of the same. It might not be the way to advance the cause of peace in our world. Nor would such actions follow the dictates of gentleness and acceptance taught by many religions. All of which leads to the conclusion that shunning doesn’t really have a place in our modern society. But man, it must have felt good to see the Huckabee-Sanders family have to leave that restaurant without sustenance.

July 18, 2018 Column
Image by default