Jean Chretien, Brian Mulroney, George Radwanski and Canada's Charter of Rights
This Is Our World, So Let Us Be Glad In It
Edmonton - Wednesday, October 8, 2003 - by: Ron Thornton
	So often we are quick to criticize, to squander our tranquility by not simply going with the flow. To that end, I have tried to embrace what is and be glad.
	I'm glad Prime Minister Jean Chretien mused about taking a toke once he leaves office and the wacky weed become legal in our fine land. It is not that I advocate the use of pot, but when I reflect upon the Chretien political legacy, I can only imagine how worse it could have been had he been stoned most of the past ten years.
	I'm glad the "unite the right" efforts between the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservatives have failed. It would seem so premature and unfair to return to the conditions of 1984 without also attempting to welcome the Bloc Québécois back into the fold. Come to think of it, if this family reunion is to be done right, then none other than Brian Mulroney should be welcomed back to lead the parade. As the Alliance is now anti-Liberal instead of anti-Tory, as the Tories want to return to their former glory days, as the Bloc has no referenda to contest anytime soon, and as Mulroney is a year younger than Paul Martin, they all have a chance to get what they want. One day, so might the electorate.
	I'm glad that we have such dedicated public servants as George Radwanski. It is heartwarming to discover someone else who gets as much pleasure out of spending my money as I do. While I may not have enough after-tax dollars to go on fancy overseas trips myself or to order from the menu of the most extravagant restaurants, I can now sleep at night knowing that my sacrifice has allowed someone like Mr. Radwanski to experience such pleasures. Sure, there may be those who feel less then enthused supporting such a bureaucratic lifestyle, but such people are merely demonstrating a degree of selfishness at not having been able to spend their own money on themselves and their loved ones.
	I'm glad for we are so enlightened and progressive to boldly engineer artificial changes to our society, to redefine without fear or concern as to the consequences of what we do. While some are concerned that to alter the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples would also open the door to legal challenge by those who advocate polygamy or incest, I look forward to such change with great anticipation. Embracing our Charter of Rights, we can soon expect to be the beacon of freedom and liberty for political refugees from the world over. They shall come to our shores from China, India, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Russia, Brazil, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In fact, they will come from every nation that does not recognize same-sex marriage. How proud we should feel to soon be one of three nations, preceded only by the Netherlands and Belgium, where marriage between a man and a woman as well as those between couples of the same gender would be recognized as one and the same. After all, can the people of such world leading nations, representing less than 1% of the world's population, possibly be wrong?
	I'm glad for tomorrow for, if we both make it to then, there will always be the hope that things will get a little bit better than they are today. I am also glad for a sense of humour. It reduces the risk of an ulcer.
	Ron Thornton
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