Warren, I still respect you . . .

There are few things in life I dislike more than hypocrisy. Abuse of position is one of them. Both, that’s the worst. That’s why I find Warren Kinsella’s latest post so disturbing. I like Kinsella, his support of Israel and anti-racist stance are things I take some comfort from. I even grudgingly admire his attack on Stockwell Day (but I do find a little hypocrisy in mentioning Christian values in his letter when he seems so un-Christian in his tolerance of other's beliefs) . But I also know that he has a strong streak of the hypocritical. His post regarding his daughter and her school is just that. While I can understand wanting to stand up for her, I think Kinsella has gone a little too far. His beef appears to be that a fund-raiser at a private club is inappropriate as that club may have, in the past, discriminated against people on racial grounds. Not that they do so today, no, that they may have in the past.

. . .at that point, a parent who is also a proud First Nations person wrote a letter to alert people to the fact that [the Club], quote unquote, "excluded and specifically banned people of different race and colour in the past."


While I would hardly want to defend that record, I know better than to throw stones. And so should Kinsella, who takes great pride in the Liberal Party of Canada. All one needs to do to show the rank hypocrisy is look at the record of the Liberal party in regards to the Chinese, or the Jews:

Sir Wilfrid Laurier was Prime Minister in the Liberal Government that passed this:
The Chinese Immigration Act, 1904

Mackenzie King was Prime Minister in the Liberal Government that passed this:
The Chinese Immigration Act, 1923
And he was also the Liberal Prime Minister who turned away the SS St. Louis

But if that were all, I’d probably not write this. After all, I can understand how a parent can get a little out of hand when his daughter is involved.

In the past I have been a volunteer administrator in children’s sport and have seen so many people volunteer time for the wrong reasons. The worst involved a person who abused their position on a regional board to benefit their own club. After lodging a formal complaint I found the board would not act and I resigned. Imagine my schadenfreude when that person was charged with embezzling money from that club! Abuse of power is a terrible thing. I think Kinsella has done that here, he used his Liberal connections to intimidate a school principal and a school board.

“ . . . I have communicated my concerns to the Minister's office, and we are confident that you will help to ensure that the decision-makers at the school conduct themselves in a more appropriate, and dare I say Christian, fashion from this point forward.”

Warren is a well connected, powerful back-roomer in the Liberal Party. His line there makes it pretty clear he has used those connections to apply pressure on the board. I don’t like that. I believe it is an abuse of his position.

Global Warming – I’ve Done My Part

Call me a skeptic, call me a “denier”, whatever cranks you up. I don’t trust the UN, nor the political pushers of Global Warming, to give us anything but the most fearful spin on what we now call Climate Change. Kyoto? Just a cynical method of transferring wealth to Russia in thanks for running their communist economy into the ground! It doesn’t address real reductions, or the incredible growth in emissions from China, India, or Indonesia, and who really believes any of them will sign Kyoto II?

Still, just to show you I can play the game, I took the One Tonne Challenge and won. You see, I paid my way out of the trap, and it only cost me $27.50 USD. Geez, it’s even tax deductible! I just ponied up for 5 Tonnes to cover off my apartment, and voila! I’m guilt free. Now all I need to do is find me some indulgences . . .

What Do You Get With Your Airmiles?

Have you ever wondered what you really get when you swipe your Airmiles or your Safeway Select? What you should really ask is what you give up: It’s your privacy! Maybe it’s not worth much, you think, but I bet you just haven’t really considered it. These cards track what you buy, when you buy it, where you buy it, how often you buy it, what you buy it with, & how you paid. They have your name and address, and other identifying and classifying information. Add it all up and they know you better than your spouse, your mother, your friends, and maybe better than you know yourself. And then they sell that knowledge.

So, what can they possibly tell about you? Would you worry if the Government knew your voting preference? You should. Or maybe you might be concerned about your sexual preference. Are you sure Airmiles data can’t end up with groups like this? The fact is, a good data miner could easily discern, with a high probability, your voting preference, your marital status, your sexual preference, whether you’re having an affair (swipe the Airmiles card at the No-Tell Motel much?), or if you’re declaring all your income (did you answer honestly when they asked your household income?). Are you environmentally conscious or are you an evil polluter? I sure hope you don’t make regular trips to Bangkok on business, you might just be marked as a potential sex-tourist . . .

Maybe I’m just paranoid, but in this age of computers, it’s very easy to compile a very detailed profile. Are you sure that toaster you’re saving points for is worth it?

Read the Small Print:

SAFEWAY CLUB CARD CUSTOMER
AGREEMENT STATEMENT
We respect your privacy. Safeway does not sell or lease personally identifying
information (i.e., your name, address, telephone number, and bank and credit
card account numbers) to non-affiliated companies or entities. We do record
information regarding the purchases made with your Safeway Club Card to
help us provide you with special offers and other information. Safeway also
may use this information to provide you with personally tailored coupons,
offers or other information that may be provided to Safeway by other companies.
If you do not wish to receive personally tailored coupons, offers or other information, please check the box below. Must be at least 18 years of age.

The AIR MILES® Privacy Pledge
The Loyalty Group does not give, rent or sell Collector lists from the AIR MILES® Reward Program to any organization or individual other than business units of The Loyalty Group, Sponsors of the AIR MILES® Reward Program and companies contracted to process and manage Collector transactions, redemption requests and communications. In addition, a Collector's specific transaction information from one AIR MILES Sponsor is not disclosed to any other AIR MILES Sponsor.