The Tunnels Sell-out Of Windsor

"When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less," as Humpty Dmpty said to Alice.

Humpty has spoken:

• "When is a covered below-grade DRIC road not a covered below-grade DRIC road...when Eddie, Dwight and Sandra call it a tunnel!"

I got this notice by email. I would expect a similar ad in the Saturday Star. The short tunnels are now going to be our salvation; Or as someone is calling them, "shunnels."

In reality, it is a sweet-heart political deal. We are being sold out for political expediency regardless what your position on a tunnel is. It's another con job with a Windsor love-in with DRIC the expected result.

Now we know why Sam's proposal was "leaked" to Gord Henderson. The fix was in. Surprise, surprise. We were being set up:

• "The Schwartz proposal, which involves eight to nine tunnel sections of varying lengths, designed to shelter adjacent communities and create new parkland atop the tunnels, was presented to the DRIC as an olive branch -- the city's first significant concession since this process began -- but it apparently made little impact."

You see what Gord called in the same column "depressed roadway plan, including three extra-wide bridges adorned with a number of trees" will now be called tunnels. That is why Eddie wanted to have Schwartz "respond" to DRIC. Sam can congratulate DRIC coming around to his point of view and that of his tunnel experts.

Now we know why a Star Editorial said:

• "Schwartz has presented the DRIC team an option involving several smaller tunnels that could be constructed less expensively than a six- kilometre tunnel"

It all has to be well-orchestrated so that DRIC and the City make "concessions" as the Star Editorial conceded was necessary to get a deal finally.

• "This community is prepared to compromise on some points"

By calling what DRIC always proposed to do "tunnels", the Mayor is going to try and say that Council's tunnel motion has been met. DRIC will go along with it because they are getting exactly what they already proposed. Who cares about the language. It is like the CAW calling what they achieve a "victory" over the auto companies as plants are closed and union workers laid off.

It is just Windsorites after all who are being treated as idiots. Heck it's the summer anyway and who reads the paper! Didn't I tell you that Eddie's Eminence Greasie was good at his/her job!

The new DRIC notice uses "short tunnels" in it along with Parkway with a capital "P." (They dropped the word "enhanced" so the Bridge Co. would not get too mad.)

As I said before, the Bridge Co. should sue for trademark infringement. Not only is DRIC stealing their language but also is taking their concept of road building which they proposed. Heck it is just a short step from Governments trying to grab what they have built up over the last 30 years: their business which has made their crossing the #1 crossing in North America.

Now let's get this straight. This is an Eddie/Dalton/Dwight/Sandra move. It is the PROVINCE that decides where the road goes. It is the highest office in the Province who must call the shot on the language too. The Feds just put up half of the cash and look pretty.

It is all politics not engineering now. There is an October election and Dalton needs to keep his seats in this area if he is to stay in power.

The use of the word "tunnel" is to make it appear that Eddie has won and that the Province is going along with his re-revised Schwartz Plan # (who knows). And after all, Eddie did support Sandra at her nomination meeting. So you know everything was cooked up in secret again

It's wonderful face-saving for everyone isn't it and a huge deception of Windsorites. But we are too stupid to know that aren't we especially after the Star gets through brainwashing us. Heck we swallowed Eddie's WUC stuff didn't we!

Expect to see smiling photos of Eddie, Sandra and Dwight around the time of the DRIC "concession" but it will NOT be over the border. You see, since the Feds are paying half, then a Federal rep would have to appear in the Photo-op....That would be Jeff Watson, the Conservative MP. The three locals will NOT give him a chance to be involved in their glory for heaven's sake!

Dwight and Sandra can now claim that they are responsible for this in order to be re-elected. It's like Eddie and certain people who ran on "tunnelling" in order to be re-elected

Of course, this has totally politicized the process so the Feds should be upset. All of this work to beat the Bridge Co. and the Provincial Cabinet Ministers and Eddie make a farce of DRIC so that the process is no longer "respected" but has become legally attackable!

• "DRIC will only provide recommendations and final decisions on the access route and tunnelling will be made by the provincial government and its cabinet."

Should the Bridge Co. be concerned? Not really since the road proposed can go directly to their Enhancement Project as the City's WALTS proposed years ago. And their lawyers have just been given another arrow in their quiver to shoot at the process.

The amusing part will be watching Bill Marra on Cogeco, the first one to speak in the WUC debate, thanking Eddie for knifing him and his tunnel buddies in the back as they approve the deal "unanimously." Tunnel Motion, what Tunnel Motion.

The gyrations will be fun to watch. In fact, I had been told a few days ago by a senior Municipal Politician that a majority of Council had already disowned the new Schwartz idea as disclosed in the paper. He/she claimed also that Council had not yet been shown the details of the Schwartz Plan!

Yea right. Nothing like thinking I believe disinformation. Why that line was just as funny as Councillors introducing a Motion for a Provincial Inquiry of the WUC matter. I wonder if Henderson will call Marra the next Windsor Mayor again as a reward for his support of Eddie on the matter when it comes to Council. That assumes that Bill will forego his principles and knuckle under on the "shunnels" approach!

What a gutless bunch of wusses we have as Councillors. Which one will pretend to introduce a Motion to oppose the short tunnels deal and then back off as again happened with the WUC Provincial inquiry Motion.

Never fear though, the real deal has been made over E C Row a long time ago. That won't happen until after the Provincial election.

As for the Feds, they just sit and fume and pay as the City and Province plot against them! Now they know how the Bridge Co. feels!