Something on my Mind: The Blinker

Behold the lowly blinker: A hundred years ago, no self-respecting carriage driver would leave home, er, stable, without it. His or her team of horses wore them everywhere. Blinkers were more than the thing to wear: They were the latest technique to keep the horses focused and undistracted in the public highways and bi-ways.

(I'm wondering if some of our unfocused and distracted drivers today could use something like these?)

Today, there are blinkers, to be sure, but they are a little different: A blinker is a little stick on the left-hand side of the steering column. Said stick is flicked either up or down (for a right or left turn, respectively), telling drivers coming to you or behind you that you are shifting lanes or turning.

That's the theory anyway. I'm just not sure how many drivers know that. Many do, I'm sure, but in the main, I have had so many near-misses because the driver coming to me or in front of me failed to warn me (a little stronger than "told" me) of his/her intentions.

I have no figures in front of me as to how many accidents or deaths have been caused by blinkerlessness (not a real word, Maurice) drivers. Maybe "clueless" is a better word.

A case in point is a recent visit from my wife's sister and her family. They were cut off by some clown as they drove through Fort Macleod. No reflection on the town itself, of course It could happen anywhere, by anyone, at anytime.

My brother-in-law was able to slam on the brakes just before they all became another highway statistic.

Blinkers are a metaphor for good communication skills. I'm sure you've gathered that by now. Simply put, if you are changing courses (lanes), or if you're heading in a different direction (any point of the compass), it's a matter of simple courtesy to let people know what you're doing.

I took my driver's test forty-six years ago, so I can't remember any instruction along this line. But beyond rules, there is this common feature that, well, isn't very common anymore, namely, common sense.

If you're changing lanes or making abrupt turns, let people know well in advance. The same holds true for communicating in life: If you're changing a lifestyle course or moving in a different direction, don't spring it on those near and dear to you—let them know well in advance of your intentions.

Not doing so is rude, inconsiderate, and insensitive. And how many "accidents" could have been prevented in your marriage, family life, neighbourhood, job site, and other place where you could "collide," if you had simply put on your verbal blinker.

One of the most common quirks I have noticed over the years is how short the flicker of the blinker is getting. In other words, people flick it on, then off, in a matter seconds.

It's almost like they want to indicate as quickly as possible, then get it over with. Apply that to communication and I'm sure you'll see where I'm going with this. For some reason, an abrupt answer here or a pithy announcement there is sufficient communication, but it's not.

That may work with cars, but we're actually humans and we operate differently.

Just remember that next time you want to change directions or make a move, let people know well in advance. You never know what accident you might prevent.

Something on my Mind: It's the Canadian Way

Just so you know, my wife left me the other day.

Okay, okay, it's not quite the way you're thinking, but at least I got your attention. She left me for a brief getaway with our three adult daughters, a mother-daughter reunion for her 6oth birthday.

Normally, I don't drop my guard and speak about personal or intimate things, and this column is no exception. I just need to combine a personal perspective on a recent news item.

These three daughters are scattered across Canada—one each in Kamloops, Langley, and Halifax. Getting together, even for a weekend, is a massive undertaking.

Somehow they pulled it off and as I write, they are together in some backwoods BC hamlet, hooting it up. Okay, knowing them, maybe not hooting it up, but at least drinking a pine float (a mug of water with a toothpick) on the sundeck of their rented airbnb.

I use the word "backwoods" simply because the hamlet: a. doesn't have wifi; and b. doesn't have a McDonalds.--both hallmarks of civilization...not

But that's not the story.

The real story is the rock slide that my wife and Halifax daughter discovered had trashed their route , some 25 kilometres west of Revelstoke. Things had gone swimmingly well for them, up to that point.

If you know your BC geography, when Highway 1 through the Rockies is washed out, it's a no-go zone. (Actually, even if you don't know your BC geography, it's still a no-go zone.)

The alternate route was a very convoluted one: Head south of Revelstoke on Highway #23, catch two ferries, then head west to Vernon, which is still two hours from Kamloops.

And here's the real, real story: The ferry normally carries thirty cars at a time, the round-trip is an hour, and everything shuts down at midnight. So when my wife and the Halifax daughter showed up at the ferry, already miles and hours out of their way from their destination, there were three hundred (as in 300) vehicles ahead of them.

If you do the simple math, that would be at least a ten-hour wait, though the ferry would be shutting down in a few hours (at midnight, remember?). Based on the normal schedule, my wife and Halifax daughter would have to sit all night, with the inconvenient chance of getting on by mid-morning.

It's the middle of nowhere, so there's no bathroom, no coffee shop, and nothing to do but inch ahead every hour. And no wifi or McDonalds, to boot.

But the "Canadian way" kicked in, and the unnamed, unknown ferry crew did an all-nighter; that is, then ran and ran the ferry through the night in order to accommodate the stranded travellers.

My wife and Halifax daughter had high-tailed it back to Revelstoke for the night to get a motel, then made a point to show up at the ferry by 6:30 the next morning. Because of the selflessness and Canadian-esque efforts on the part of the ferry workers, they were on their way to Nakusp, then over another ferry, finally arriving in Kamloops, and on to the airbnb.

Like the Americans who were stranded and served in Gander, NL, during the 9-11 crisis , we saw another example of Canadians stepping up and out when the travelling chips were down.

That episode on the part of the ferry crew probably won't make the news, but it's front-page news to me, and fourth-page news for you. I think it's worth celebrating.

Can someone pass me a pine float?

Something on my Mind: Untie the Right

No, the heading is not a typo. More on that later.

It should come to you as no surprise that I really feel good about the "unite the right" movement that growing in this province. A fractured conservative populace and divided conservative parties over these past few years became the breeding ground that allowed the leftist sweep two years ago.

Shame on us.

Finally, Albertans are not only waking up to some harsh political realities, but they are now starting to actually do something about it. Good on us.

Personally, I have become active in my local constituency association (CA) in recent months as a result of the distress this province is facing. I meet on a monthly basis with my MLA and other motivated and concerned conservatives. It has been a joy to work with them.

Something has to be done to snatch the power from the NDP before they destroy Alberta any further. It's still two years until the next election (May 2019), and they could do even further unimaginable damage.

This column is not about bashing the socialists and their ill-conceived (but well-planned) agenda, even though it's well-deserved. Rather, it's about the hope I have in Alberta's future.

The right has been divided for a myriad of reasons and years for a while, and we have all paid the bitter price. An NDP-led government has been the result, but we can't let it happen again.

Wildrose became the new right-wing response to a left-wing conservative party (an oxymoron if there ever was one) slippage. As with all right-wing parties, there's always a loopy fringe element that was attracted to Wildrose. I believe the powers-that-be have been able to vet those types.

Unless, of course, I'm considered part of that loopy fringe element. (What's my greatest vice: I like the Canucks?)

"Putting egos aside," was one line I heard last night at a joint Wildrose-Progressive Conservative barbecue. There's a growing (and necessary) unity movement within the Progressive Conservatives and the Wildrose parties. A strong right-wing, small "c" conservative party (called the "United Conservative Party") is what will save Alberta from yet another four years of miserable socialist leadership in Alberta.

The barbecue last night, a mix of movers and shakers in my CA, was a good start. Among the small group there were three ex-MLA's, the sitting MLA, farmers, professionals, and business people, a mayor and councillor (from different jurisdictions), plus a county-famous columnist...

That's the reason I had "untie" instead of "unite" in my witty heading. Both parties have been all "tied up" in their own philosophies. They need to be "untied," in order to embrace the broader picture, namely, one strong conservative party.

I have heard that the lost investment in Alberta is in the billions since Notley and her minions took over. The senseless bills in agriculture, education, and the environment will be part of the NDP legacy when they leave office in just under two years.

And the baseless climate change miscalculations and the carbon footprint scare tactics are two more serious missteps on the part of the NDP. I just wish they had their scientific facts straight and the good of Albertans in their plans.

And maybe, just maybe, talk to the people first before these bills are passed.

It will take years to recover from the messy eggs they have laid, so there is no time to lose in getting ready for the "right" party to get in. As the history of politics has proven for decades, right across Canada, only a (small "c") conservative party (fiscally and socially) is truly fit to lead any jurisdiction.

First we untie, then we unite, and we should get our province back.

Something on my Mind: A Different ISIS Crisis

I know we're all alarmed beyond beyond words with the string of terrorist attacks in Europe in recent weeks. At the rate the ISIS fiends are going, I'm sure there will be more to come, maybe even before this goes to print.

I would like to say that ISIS, and its copycat or affiliate terrorist organizations, has been the worst and most barbaric war machine in the history of mankind. Yes, I would like to say that, but it would be untrue. Not only untrue, but not even close by a long shot.

Your understanding of history, of course, would suggest otherwise. Consider the millions upon millions of humans that have been slaughtered by their fellow-countrymen over the past, oh, 100 years. Pick your country, pick your villain: Germany, China, Russia, Korea, Turkey, Mexico, Serbia, Bosnia, Cambodia, just for starters.

These bloodbaths, based on ideology , ethnicity, and skin colour, are actually more like a bloodriver (new word; don't use it in essay or a speech, unless you absolutely have to—like I did).

These "bloodrivers" generally flowed within a set geographical area. Sometimes they were limited to a country (eg., Turkey); sometimes it was expanded to a larger region (eg. Germany in Eastern Europe). There seemed to be no set agenda to spread it out around the world.

And then there is this newest monster on the block: ISIS and its associates (say, in Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya, or the Philippines) are no longer bound by the same rules of engagement. If there was such a thing as morality or ethics in warfare, ISIS certainly made short work of it.

Unlike others, ISIS is waging a religious war, and that takes things to a new low. But with their warped religious perspective, no one is safe anymore.

I suggest that, with a balanced religious perspective, everyone should be safe forever.

I don't think they are more barbaric than Stalin or Hitler; maybe even less. With such easy access to the social media world, the public can see the atrocities sooner and clearer than any other time in the history of mankind.

I can assure you, for example, that what our white-skinned "kindred spirits" in Germany did to the Jews, gays, handicapped, and Gypsies was as bad, if not worse.

Where they are different is their strategy: Whereas most of the other monsters had geographical boundaries, ISIS seems to have no boundaries—literally and figuratively. The whole world, then, is their war zone.

For the longest time, the ISIS "bloodriver" (still a little awkward but useful) was limited to Iraq and Syria. Its affiliates were elsewhere, but ISIS was not, until recent months.

And this the rub, and a very serious rub at that. It's says "we ain't seen nothing yet."

I don't believe we've seen anything yet, in terms of the bloody carnage that ISIS will create. And as we're seeing in Belgium, France, Germany, and England (seemingly on a weekly basis) , to say nothing of what has happened in the States, no one country (at least in the western world) is immune from such barbarianism.

Mobile targets and shifting venues will be the strategy of ISIS from henceforth. Being blasted by Russian and American fighter jets continues to decimate the ISIS ground forces over there. Thus, ISIS has shifted to over here, with their targets being international airports, concert halls, farmer's markets, and pedestrian walkways.

It's a matter of time before they will maximize their carnage and attack sports venues, shopping centres, or mega-churches. This new tactic defies reason and predictability. Perhaps the most despicable part of this is that almost all the victims are innocent civilians.

It seems that when good religion rules and motivates, there's nothing like it; but when bad religion rules and motivates, well, there's likewise nothing like it.

Something on my Mind: On the Edge of Hanna

It's not too often I sit down and "pen" a few lines about a personal experience. I do that (or don't do that) out of principle, and for three reasons: 1. I am a very private person; 2. this is a public context; and 3. do you really want to hear about my life?

Apparently that's what Facebook is for.

To be sure, I have felt free to express a personal opinion now and then, and will continue to do so. I believe that is an inherent right under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. However, I get very disturbed, then, when others express their personal opinion, often in the area of morality and faith, and are bombarded with rants and raves, even death threats. So petty and short-sighted.

More often than not, it's an opinion from the Right, with rants and protests from the Left. Rarely the other way around. It sounds like I am on the verge of a rant myself, so I refrain.

But this is more than a perspective; it's a short story, co-starring my wife and me, and that's where I shift from personal to public. It is a feel-good story, and, boy, do we ever need to hear them now and then.

It's about the town of Hanna, some three hours north of where I live. It is the town just a few kilometres west of the Cactus Corner, if that helps. Please do not confused Hanna with Hannah, as in the person of Daryl Hannah, one of Hollywood's most ditzy has-been actresses.

No, the Hanna I'm speaking of is the home of some of Nickleback's members, as well as the childhood town of our own MP, Glen Motz.

It's also home of some very typical Alberta merchants.

It was late a couple of week's ago and we were trying to get to our motel in Hanna. I was choked that we would get there so so late, close to 10:00pm. But I never knew we would get there much, much later when the dust settled (as in 12:45am).

We hit a deer about twenty minutes west of Hanna around 9:45pm. If this was a sports score, it would read like this: car, 0; deer, 0; game over.

One of the last places you want to be is on the side of the road, late at night, waiting for a tow truck. No reflection on the tow truck: he was making his way back to Hanna from a drop-off in Calgary. He said he's pick us up in 90 minutes and he did. Warm and friendly sort of guy, but I wasn't in a warm and friendly kind of mood.

One of the only real flies in the ointment was the 60 or 70 cars that whizzed by us without stopping, even slowing down. I'm sure they weren't from Hanna. (Sorry, one guy did stop to chat, but he had more f-bombs than a drunken sailor.)

Just for the record, there's not a lot one can do sitting in a car on the side of the road, with no lights no water, and a smashed-in front end. You can't read or listen to the radio when there is no power.

From the tow truck driver who was most accommodating, to the motel staff who stayed up and waited for us (until well after midnight), to the local auto body shop owner-car rental agent—insurance adjuster (same guy, in case you didn't catch the hyphens), we were well taken care of.

The shock of colliding with a deer (a big one at that), and being stuck in a town three hours from home, along with the missed business appointments the next day, was mitigated by such outstanding service provide by ordinary, common business people, who went well beyond the call of duty. This what the real Alberta is all about.

Other upsides to an otherwise messy situation included renting a 2016 Ram truck, getting an outstanding settlement for my Escape, and upgrading to yet another, newer Ford.

So, hats off to Hanna. In a world of big city crime, of violent factions even within some Albertan cities, of cold and reserved neighbours everywhere, it's refreshing to know that there is a Hanna out there—and in fact, many other "Hannas" out there.

It will be nice the "meet" them sometime, just perhaps not under these "oh deer " circumstances.