Catharine asks: Are you a skier or a snowborder?

Catharine asks: Where you affected by the thawing and freezing as Montreal was?

Catharine asks: If you live in the eastern part of North America/Canada, how did you cope with the cold?

Catharine asks: What is your most memorable winter moments?

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SHOULD A WAR-MONGER UPSTAGE THE PRESIDENT=ELECT?

Remember when the Bush White House refused to let the Obamas  use Blair House so t hey could start their girls to school  on time.  The Bush people said BlaIR house   was occupied.Now we kn ow the  whole miserable story. President Bush  wants to honour John  Howard, the former Australian Ptrime  Minister who joined Bush in the immoral and illegal wafr against Iraq.  Bush will fly  Howard and his wife to Washington, put them up in Blair  house for one  night (JAN. 12)  and present them with the Freedom Medal.

There is a delicious piece of iron y here.  Howards  government was just defeated and Howard lost his own seat in the election.  Why secufritywould Howard   wanto receive the Freedom Medal when the Australian psent;preeople have just given him the boot?   But I digres

Why would Bush force the Obamas and ther two little girls into a public hotel (where the security woulod be difficult )  f0r ONE night so that Bush could  present  medal to his war crony, Howard.Does this reveal how selfish and   miserable the Bush crowd is?

It  does to me.

What about you?

SHOULD A WAR-MONGER UPSTAGE THE PRESIDENT-ELECT?

In  the last days of his presidency George Bush is doing what he can to save his legacy.  This means also doing what he can to honour those who followed him into the Iraq  disaster.   High am ong   these is  the former prime  minister of Australia,Joh  n Howard,

So Bush is arranging  for Howard and his wife to fly to Washington, to stay in the presidentiaL guest house, Hfor one night (January 12), then B ush will invite him o ver to the White and ;present him woth the prestigious Medal of Freedom.

There is a delicious irony here.  ,Howard,s unpopular goovernment has just australianbeen thrown out of office  and Howard lost his own  seat.Why  in the world would Howard want the Medal of Freedom when  the  Australian people have just given hi m the boot?  B ut   I digress.

Can you believe the reason the Obamas and their children were forced to go to a public  hotel where security wlould be  more difficult, was  because  Howard and his wife were goin g  to staY In Blair House (which has a hundred rooms) for  ONE night

it is hard to believe the  Bush people could be as small as this.

Do you  agree?

ed

SHOULD DR. MORGENTALER HAVE BEEN AWARDED THE ORDER OF CANADA?

On February 15 this year, I posted this question: « Should Henry Morgentaler be awarded the Order of Canada? » It was a short post and, I thought, relatively innocent. To my utter astonishment the post received more comment – 67- than any other post since my blog began in the fall of 2006.

On Canada Day, Governor-General Michaelle Jean announced 75 new members of the Order of Canada including Henry Morgentaler. He was awarded the Order, the Governor-General wrote, because of « his commitment to increased health care options for women, his determined effort to influence Canadian public policy, and his leadership in humanist and civil liberties organizations. »

Now 85, Morganteler, a Polish Holocaust survivor who immigrated to Montreal after the war, opened his first abortion clinic in 1969 and performed thousands of procedures, which were illegal at the time. Partly because of his efforts , the Supreme Court struck down Canada’s abortion law in 1988. Morganteler still runs six abortion clinics in Canada.

Not surpisingly, Dr. Morgentaler’s appointment has unleashsed a storm of controversey in the blogosphere, the editorial pages and most of all on both sides of the abortion issue.

The Campaign Life Coalition says it is dreadful that a man who spent his life performing abortions should honoured. Their spokesperson, Mary Ellen Douglas, says « If Morganteler had any integrity he would refuse the medal. This presentation should be given to people who have made Canada a better place to live and the elimination of thousands of human beings who would have contributed to the future of Canada is a disgrace, not an honour. »

On the other hand, feminist and author Judy Rebick, says « Dr. Morganteler is a hero to millions of women in this country. He risked his life to struggle for women’s rights …. He’as a huge figure in Canadian history and the fact hs hasn’t got [the Order of Canada] till now is a scandal. »

Campaign Life is urging Order of Canada recipents to return their medals in protest?

Should they return their medals?

Or does Dr. Morganteler deserve this honour? Some Conservative MPs say he is too divisive. But should only noncontroversial « safe » Canadians be awarded this honour. It would seem to me such an honours list would be pretty anemic.

Why do you think there was such a large response when we first raised this issue last February?