The Government is not Canada

I need to separate the two so my head will not explode. Just like The Government is not the US as I must remind many people when talking badly about things happening in my former nation.

Harper and the Governor General have done something I believe is far worse than George Bush ever did. They literally make the government cease to function for months. Proroguing Parliament as a way to avoid facing scrutiny is beyond the lying the way George Bush and his team did. I just hope this turns out the way it did in the US when Republicans shut down the government in the 90's. The backlash was extraordinary.

Back to training our 3 months old puppies, it takes time, effort and vigilance the same thing we need to do to train our politicians into remembering they work for us.

THE YEAR OF WORK

I am calling this the year of WORK. 7 days a week with two full time jobs has been difficult to say the least. We're still in our first year of business and it's had it's ups and downs. Emilio and I decided we need a break so next week we are closing the store and going to be a normal family again for one full week. I am looking forward to his home cooking again.

This is the year we lost our Katie, who still comes to my mind every single day, sometimes with a smile and sometimes with a tear but always with love. Now we have the boys and I tell them about their sister and have them doing cute things she used to do, like running frantically down the hallway to our home. Makes me laugh every time. Puppies are WORK! More than I anticipated. I hope soon they will treat their big kitty brother Buster with the same respect Katie did. Buster is so patient and passive and the best cat in the world.

The WORK that really needs to be done is bringing immigration back to fairness. I know of more than a few declined applications. It is breaking my heart that the beacon of hope that was Canada for this binational couple no longer exists. It used to be a process where you had the points, the background checks and the money, then you waited in line for your turn. That system no longer exists and might have prevented us from coming here had we applied two years later. Starting a new life, creating jobs with a business and proudly paying every cent of taxes owed to this nation might not have happened. It pains me to tell other binational couples to look elsewhere for a home because of the changes to immigration and the extremely narrow 38 professions allowed in. Too many Toms and Emilios are not being allowed the chance and IT NEEDS TO STOP!

Let's make the change needed in 2010. Canada needs to be less like the USA in the coming year.

Happy Holidays!

Strange Week

This week was mucho stressful. My day job is turning into an overtime nightmare. Lots of work and lots of getting up in the wee hours or logging in late after I close the store.

I had a couple things happen that really made me step back. One, a friend from a long time ago who found me on Facebook earlier this year unfriended me in a really big way. You see she's become a die hard Republican robot who literally shoots out platitudes from the party like witty little factless bumper stickers. At first I thought maybe I can teach her something because on Facebook I am pretty much an open book, it's the best and usually only way I get to communicate with family and friends. So I really don't hold back on anything there, my opinions, mainly political go from my brain to the website without filters. Also because so many people who knew me back when as a very shy and assumed straight kid, now get to see someone very different. So anyway, no loss on losing her friendship, over the White House HOLIDAY Tree of all things. But it did make me think about being diplomatic and I now know you cannot be diplomatic while being teabagged by a birther.

The second thing was an e-mail conversation with a friend. Not to make too much of it but one part of the discussion was an honest take on the fact that I am very political man and it turns some people off. I live for politics, I read about it, discuss it at websites, follow the latest news on it, join boycotts, spread information on it and try to change it in my former and current nations. It's what I do and I asked myself why tonight. I spent many years not knowing the difference between a Republican or Democrat. I watched Reagan's first innaugural with awe because I was home sick from the 7th grade with the flu. I didn't realize he was my enemy at the time (his choosing not mine). I spent the 90's as a young gay man who didn't give a rats ass about our rights. By then I knew to vote Dem but really didn't know why.

So tonight I asked myself, why am I annoyingly political to some people? (in a Carrie Bradshaw kind of way) I found out very quickly why. When I met Emilio I quickly I have no rights, I am a powerless American citizen who met a guy who was my dream come true and I had no way of preserving the relationship I wanted all my life because the nation I was born in is a fucked up mess. The only way I can fight back is by being political, teaching people, staying informed and being passionate about our rights and for fairness and equality in every area, not just for gays. So I say I am proud I became annoyingly political and don't care if people don't like it. It's who I am.... take it or leave it.

New Arrivals

Hunter and Abrahan arrived safely late Saturday night and we were lucky to have them stop by the store Sunday. We spent an enjoyable afternoon talking about the move and hopefully taking away some of the anxiety of being in a new country.

In fact Hunter just called me to say they think they found an apartment nearby to us. Very exciting!

We welcome our newest friends to Toronto and hope they love it here as much as we do.

This and That

Today was supposed to be the settlement hearing for my court case against Restaurant Liquidators. Fortunately I requested a phone conference because the defendant did not show up, just his lawyer did. So I was awarded $100 compensation for my troubles and got a postponement. The funny thing is Restaurant Liquidators is on the same street as the court in London, Ont and Adam couldn't get there. It bodes well for my complaint against him not showing or calling when the equipment broke.

Good news on the horizon, Hunter and Abrahan arrive this weekend. The latest bi-national couple to arrive to our wonderful Canada. They are traveling quite a bit to get here since no US stopovers are allowed. Emilio and I know about that craziness all to well.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving with Adam and Eric. Originally we were invited to Doug and Rich's but we declined as it was our first day off since May and we really needed to rest in, which we did until 1:00pm. Eric came up with the brilliant idea of eating at the revolving restaurant at the CN Tower. 5pm dinner allowed us to have the view in day light and the second revolution in darkness. It was spectacular to say the least. The food was good, company was great and the view awesome.

Michael Coren is a disgrace

I don't normally watch Michael Coren because the two times that I tried he came across as a whiney Catholic victim. But today I saw that Bishop Lahey of Nova Scotia was arrested for child pornography on his laptop. The Bishop was someone who brokered a multi million dollar deal for victims of priest abuse. So I turned on his show and as usual Michael Coren the church's apologist eluded the bishop was unfairly chosen from the line of people at the airport to be searched (ergo his usual catholic victimhood).

He goes on to say 85% of the cases were homosexual in nature and that the church tried to purge gays from the priesthood to solve the problem. Someone needs to teach this man that the church is a breeding ground for pedophiles, that they choose the profession as a power position of unquestionable authority to gain access to their victims, it has nothing to do with sexual orientation.

The reality is Michael Coren is more likely a molestor than the average gay man since the majority of sexual abuse cases come from straight identified men who are head of the household, related or know the family of the victim. Perhaps it's time we seek to deny him equal rights as a danger to society.

Later in the show he supported the ban on gays donating blood due to promiscuity (another swarmy look from his gap toothed pious face)

Then he chastized David Lettermen for his affairs. I only wish he had such harshness for his bishop.