Items Worthy Of Note

More noteworthy items for your reading enjoyment!

CITY TRAINS CITIZENS TO WORK AS SCABS

I am certain that just about everyone in this City knows what a "scab" is

• "A person hired to replace a striking worker"

Or as Jack London wrote:

• "A scab is a two-legged animal with a corkscrew soul, a water brain, a combination backbone of jelly and glue. Where others have hearts, he carries a tumor of rotten principles."
  
  "When a scab comes down the street, men turn their backs and angels weep in heaven, and the devil shuts the gates of hell to keep him out...
  
  a scab is a traitor to his God, his country, his family and his class."

I certainly hope that the City outside workers' union did not agree to this tree planting venture. They are being set up. I am certain that they read in Henderson's column recently a remark by a certain unnamed Councillor who effectively said that there is going to be a strike in January.

Of course the City is starting already to pressure the Union. They are taking away union jobs to plant all these trees, and at overtime rates too on a Saturday, and having it done by citizen volunteers at no cost to the City. What a way to keep this matter on time and on budget to preserve the political career of the Councillor formerly known as Councillor Budget.

Of course, there will be no maintenance required at the East End Arena. They are undertaking a pilot project on the weed infested WOW-FACTOR gardens on Dougall to see if anyone notices. You see the Arena is to have a

• “Focus on Naturalized Landscape at WFCU Centre”

After all, what could be more natural than weeds?

But if you think that this is all that this is about, guess again. Take a look at this sentence

• “Parks and Recreation will organize local volunteers into work groups.”

Do you see the word “organize” and “worker groups.” That gave it all away.

Yes, management will get the names of all of these volunteers and put them into special groups that they can call upon if the City workers dare go on strike. First, Parks and Recreation. Then we will have special litter volunteer work groups who will be organized to pick up garbage. Then patches volunteer work groups for pothole fixing. When you see a press release asking for people to shovel, then you know that volunteer snow work groups are being set up for the January snow falls.

City Hall is not worried about a strike. Citizens volunteers will graciously take the jobs of City workers.

Who will complain and stand up for the Unionists. Not taxpayers because this will keep taxes down since wages don't have to be paid to volunteers. Who cares about the workers since, according to Henderson, "many of whom don't live in Windsor."

So the Workers better settle right away or this will be a long, long strike. Eddie has won even before the strike starts. What a planner.

PRESS RELEASING A PRESS RELEASE

It’s enough already. Give Eddie his new PR department, quickly.

I have never seen anything like this before. Perhaps it is a new style of communications. Here is what is on the City’s News Release page:

Then when you click on the link, here is where it takes you, back to the July 29 press release:

The funny part is that the July 29 press release doesn’t show up on the News Release page now at all. It has disappeared completely.

Weird.

NEVER USE GREENLINK

Here's another story that should scare you if you chose to use Greenlink, if it is ever built, to go to the United States. Moreover, it should terrify you if you and your children ever decided to use the parks over the Schwunnels ie the kilometre long tunnels that are being proposed to improve the quality of life of Windsorites.

The problem is that an accident can happen at any time and the consequences can be horrific. Remember that the new DRIC bridge is supposed to be able to carry hazardous materials too!

• Tanker burns on Lodge overpass
  FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS • September 23, 2008
  
  Firefighters averted a potentially damaging explosion this afternoon, dousing a fire in the cab area of a rig hauling thousands of gallons of gasoline on I-75 at the Lodge Freeway in Detroit...
  
  Reda said Ayoub told him that as he was driving, the engine started smoking so he pulled over to investigate. When he discovered the fire, he tried to put it out with a fire extinguisher but was forced to call 911 when it began to spread.
  
  Reda said the truck was carrying 11,000 gallons of gasoline.
  
  The blaze this afternoon was contained to the front end of the truck; its gas tank apparently fueled the flames, which firefighters put out with water and foam."

DO NOT DARE CROSS DRIC SUPPORTERS

What a silly Letter to the Editor Terry Kennedy wrote in the Star.

It was totally predictable that Greg Heil would be smeared. But if someone wants to do the job, at least be accurate.

It seems that Mr. Heil is a lot more aware of Sandwich “politics” than is Mr. Kennedy. He resigned because he did not want to be caught up in the litigation that will obviously be started in which the Heritage study will be one of the factors that the Bridge Company will use to show bad faith on the part of the City. Mr. Heil was very clear on this point such that I thought that Terri would understand it:

• “I have a grave concern about potential political influences tainting the outcome of this study, which may jeopardize the heritage welfare of Sandwich," Greg Heil said in his resignation letter.
  
  I'm also concerned about the likely vigorous litigious fallout to which I could find myself personally exposed if I participate."

Terry proves Mr. Heil’s point about the improper use of the Heritage study and about meddling in my opinion when he states:

• “For Mr. Heil to call it "meddling," when people need protection from the Ambassador Bridge Company…”

Then the ultimate insult of all was used especially to someone who said “he has no sympathy for the bridge.” To Terry and the West End activists and politicos, unless you do exactly as they tell you and hate the Bridge Company, then you are nothing more than a Bridge Company supporter:

• “I wasn't surprised at Mr. Heil's cynical view. His "inconvenience of residents of Sandwich" remark is an insult, which betrays his true allegiance.”

MAKE THE BORDER THE ISSUE IN ESSEX

It did not take very long before the opponents of Susan Whalen attacked her because she acted as lawyer for the Ambassador Bridge Company.

We have seen several articles in which she has been attacked and I suspect there will be more. I expect a slam or two from Gord Henderson in the next few weeks although it looks like Gord would rather write columns about airplanes and museums rather than about some of the other vital issues taking place in the Windsor these days. After all, it does take time to renovate a house and it is hard to keep up with matters of importance.

I do not think that her support for the Bridge Company will hurt her at all. In fact, I think it will help her. She can say that she provided legal assistance to a Company that knew what it was doing at the border.

She should attack Watson and say that, if he had only helped expedite their process for the Enhancement Project rather than support DRTP and attack the Bridge Company viciously in Parliament, 15,000 high-paying jobs would have been created already in the region. We would not be suffering the economic devastation that we are.

The more important issue that should have been raised in the Star articles is why the Prime Minister did not say something on the border when he was in Windsor recently. Mr. Watson had the opportunity to have him make an announcement about doing something finally on the Border but he did not say a word about it.

What a disgrace for a Government member not to get his Party Leader to talk about the most important issue in this area, one that is vital for the economies of Canada and the United States. But then again, the Conservatives have no idea what they are doing about Canada/US issues anyway, as can be seen especially after NAFTA-gate.

Watson cannot escape from this issue and the responsibility because he is the only Government member in the area. It was his obligation to produce and he did not. The argument is very similar to the one that I used with respect to the NDP who at one time held the balance of power in Parliament but did nothing for the region as well.

Mr. Watson and the NDP have a lot more to be concerned about with respect to the border issue than does Ms. Whelan!