NDP party leader Adrian Dix has no comment on the organized movement within the BC Liberal party to oust Christy Clark if the party loses the election.
It’s called the 801 movement, symbolizing 8:01 p.m., one minute after the election and precisely when the movement plans to begin the process of putting pressure on Clark to step aside.
The movement -- made up of party members and business leaders -- has already created their own buttons.
I am posting this without editing it.. I’m gonna let it stew for a bit.
Dear editor,
10 years ago, a man came to me in a dream. He said “you’ll never know what treatment to take, if you don’t know what makes you sick.”
After 12 years of the BC Liberals, I am feeling sick.
I am sick of the negative attacks against the BC NDP and their leader Adrian Dix.
I am sick of the petulant statements made by Cabinet Minister and my MLA Terry Lake via Twitter. I know that one of his staffers feels that “negative ads really make you think.” Did you know that by wearing diapers, you do not have to rush to use the toilet? While both ideas have merit, they both end up with crappy results.
I am sick of being told to remember the 90s. Clark et al have rebranded themselves as today’s Liberals. Are we to simply skip over the past 12 years and forget yesterday’s Liberals? Child poverty has been a stain on the BC Liberals that will not wash off easily. I think it’s great that Todd Stone supports the Food Bank, does he not get the irony that he’s running for the party that pretty much caused the sharp increase of food bank usage? Under the BC Liberals child poverty rose by 35 per cent shortly after they took office. BC has a record of 8 years as the worst when it came to child poverty, now we’re second worst.
I’m sick of the Reaganomics retread that Clark is touting. Keepin’ them taxes low, creatin’ them jobs, drillin’ for them resources and keepin’ that spendin’ down? I remember when Sarah Palin said it. What did Obama say in response? “You can put lipstick on a pig…but it’s still a pig?” In some strange stretch of logic, Clark wants us to forget the BILLIONS of dollars in debt that have been added to our books under her watch.
I am sick of the waste of taxpayer dollars on things like “Ethnic-gate,”paying legal fees for Virk and Basi, cost overruns on BC Place and the convention centre, and the millions spent promoting the BC Jobs plan (A simple check with Stats Canada shows that Liberal claims about job creation are not correct.)
I could go on for days about the sickness I feel in relation to the BC Liberals (both yesterday’s and today’s.)
Yes Kamloops, there is a malaise hanging over our city and I have the perfect way to treat it. Let’s exorcise the demons of the past dozen years and vote the bums out. Let’s lance the boils on the North and South shores of the Thompson River and let the healing begin.
Joey Jack
Hey world,
It has been a while since I’ve updated my blog and there are some changes coming down the pipe (pike?)
My radio show The Joey Jack show will be coming to an end. I also think that my participation with “MoreCowbell” will be somewhat diminishing. I have taken a job that is shift work and it seems like the schedule will not jive with some of my extra curricular activities.
I’ve already been talking with my fab cohost Duncan about perhaps doing a different format of just doing what we often do (sit around) and talk turkey about a variety of subjects and record them and edit them into a show we could podcast.
I am thinking about hosting a morning radio show on CFBX..maybe on Monday mornings. I can see it now! “A Case of the Mondays with Joey Jack.”
I have been doing a regular thing on CFJC TV’s Midday show each Thursday at approximately 12:20. It has been a lot of fun and I enjoy the whole TV thing. I am considering pitching a show to Shaw Cable here in town called “Hitching a Ride.” Where I’ll pick up a local “celebrity” and drive them to a location and video record the conversation a-la comediansincarsgettingcoffee.com
It could be a new fun way to get to know local peeps!
I’ve also started working on a short story about an Aboriginal man that seeks justice for what happened to him in the residential schools. It’s been an interesting process creating characters and writing dialogue (which I friggin hate doing!)
This April 11th and 12th, I’ll be the MC at the monthly comedy gig at The Dirty Jersey, I’ve been working on some new material and have been looking through my notebooks for old material that I’ve put away. I’m talking about stuff I did in 2005.. no Bush jokes, I promise!
The other guys I tell jokes with are really funny! Aaron Shufletoski and Davis Kambeitz are two guys I really click with and we’re in the works of starting a new band as well. I’m thinking of resurecting the name “The Sleeveless Tease” or calling the band Tickets at The Door orrrrrrrrrr Steve Harper and the Honourable Members.
Hmm what else?
Oh yes! The Blue Grotto in Kamloops is hosting a Battle of the Bands which I will be the MC starting on April 18th. You can enter here: http://thebluegrotto.ca/battle-of-the-bands/
Lots of good stuff happening in life.
Be good.
Jack Nicholson wins the Oscar for creepiest old man.
Below is the final entry on the tumblr account of Jamie Hubley, a 15-year-old boy who committed suicide in late 2011:
Im a casualty of love.
Well, Im tired of life really. Its so hard, Im sorry, I cant take it anymore.
First Id like to mention my friends Nancy, Abby, Colleen, jemma, and Kasia
Being sad is sad : /. I’v been like this for way to long. I cant stand school, I cant stand earth, I cant stand society, I cant stand the scars on my arms, I cant fucking stand any fucking thing.
I dont want my parents to think this is their fault either… I love my mom and dad : ) Its just too hard. I dont want to wait 3 more years, this hurts too much. How do you even know It will get better? Its not.
I hit rock fucking bottom, fell through a crack, now im stuck.
My favorite singers were lady gaga , Adele , Katy perry, and Jessie james, Christina aguilara and most of all I think KASIA!!! I LOVED Singing, and she helped me a lot : ) Im not that good at it though :”/, Im going to miss you guys
(well You know who you are, But to the people who didnt like me (many) A big fuck you, Go ride a unicorn. But w/e I love you anyway.)
Remember me as a Unicorn :3 x) MAybe in my next life Il be a flying squirreel 
I’Il fly away.
***
We often hear about school bullying when it’s too late.
Children are killing themselves because of it and I’m disgusted.
I was bullied a lot in school and I am ashamed to say that I participated in it too. Bullying down the food chain is one appropriate usage of the term “shit always rolls downhill.”
One of the worst ways that we all participate in bullying is being the silent witness. When I worked for an organization rampant with workplace bullying I was told that it wasn’t bullying if there was not a complaint.
“If the ‘victim’ doesn’t make the complaint Joey, there’s nothing I can do.” said the maladroit manager.
I think a lot of people choose to turn a blind-eye to bullying because it’s something many of experienced as kids and it’s part of “growing up.”
What we must remember is that back in the good old days when we grew up, a text message was something written on a piece of paper and handed around the room and tweeting was something birds did. Kids today have to deal with so much more than we did and to think otherwise is putting your head in the sand. They can no longer escape bullies while at home with Facebook, Youtube and Twitter used as mediums of adolescent torture, (where the cowardly perpetrator can hide behind a screen name.)
In my life, I’ve met so many brave young people dealing with bullying in their lives. It’s so difficult to make the point that it does get better. The long-dark tunnel of high school does have a light at the end of it and the bullies you know today will eventually end up with what they’ve contributed to society…
nothing.
Or they’ll end up in the RCMP (just kidding!)
Dr Martin Luther King Jr said that we won’t remember the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends and I agree.
I’m reaffirming my commitment to be a voice for those without one. I will no longer be a silent witness to bullying and I’m encouraging and challenging everyone reading this to do the same.
George Harrison sang “Here Comes the Sun” and it’s true.
It may be a long, cold and lonely winter but the ice slowly melts, smiles return to the faces because here comes the sun.
It’s all right.
Wear something pink on February 27th to let victims of bullying that they are not alone.
I host a radio program with my friend Duncan McGregor called More Cowbell. This past week we talked about death with fellow CFBX host Peter.
Ch-ch-check it out!
I support the #IdleNoMore protest for a number of reasons:
1. Having a concern for the protection of our water ways is the responsibility of all Canadians. Rather than posting pictures about the number of water ways no longer protected, I’ve decided to move a step beyond clicktivism and put boots to the ground.
2. Band politics already make me uncomfortable and the changes to the Indian Act will make it easier for a very small amount of people to approve land leases etc.. of reserve land without consulting the band membership. It also gives the Minister of Indian Affairs, who has never been an Indian, the ability to call meetings where land leases can be approved by a simple majority of those who attend (who needs quorum?!)
3. Indian/Aboriginal/First Nations/Metis/Inuit people have been on the receiving end of horrible prejudice intolerance and social injustice for too long. The inequities in our society must be addressed in a meaningful way. In less than one month a young Aboriginal girl named CJ Fowler was found dead and another young Aboriginal girl named Sarah Robinson has gone missing. They have joined the over 600 Aboriginal women who have been killed or have gone missing while their families are left with no answers and no justice.
4. I’m just so pleased that Canadians, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal are coming together in solidarity.
Our government says that the’re making these changes in the spirit of “economic growth.” I’m growing tired of our government(s) using the fear of a trembling economy to ride roughshod over our democratic process where we debate, have amendments included and have the voices of those affected heard.
When I was 21 I asked my mother what makes someone Aboriginal? She looked at me and said “proud.” I am proud and honoured to support my fellow Canadians of all stripes in bringing attention to the actions of a government that has taken away the rights of workers to strike, lied to the Canadian people about the cost of the F35, embarrassed our country on the international stage with its actions in the UN, impose laws on groups in the spirit of “transparency” yet hold hundreds of committee meetings in camera, away from the prying eyes of the news media and have now taken another chance to insult Aboriginal people.
We are often reminded, by those without power, that the majority of Canadians did not vote for the current government in power. Now is your time to act. Talk is cheap, but action is worth its weight in gold.
I shall be idle no more…how about you?
There are a few provisions in the Act that are strange indeed.
“Come, they told me
A new born King to see.”
I have not been a real fan of Christmas for a long time. I think that people have now just accepted that each person has their own reasons to celebrate. For some, “Jesus is the reason for the season,” while for others it’s about the winter solstice and for a lot of people it’s about getting the latest contraption or that wicked new sex toy adapter to the Nintendo Wii (which will be renamed ooooWIII!)
“Our finest gifts we bring,
To lay before the king.”
I have great memories of the holiday season when I was a child. It was as I grew older I began to realize the level of dysfunction in my family and how it changed my experience and eventually my memories. One day I decided to take a vacation from my feelings and stopped Christmas in it’s tracks.
“Little baby,
I am a poor boy too.
I have no gift to bring
That’s fit to give the King.”
I found myself sliding into the negative thinking and cynicism and would decry the holiday for anyone wanting to spread good will. Again I was taking a vacation from my feelings and felt that others should see it my way.
I was wrong.
Years ago, during my first Christmas away from my family I was working on the Adventure of the Seas. I didn’t know it then, but a very healthy majority of people who cruise during that week do not celebrate Christmas. I thought , “perfect!” it would make it all the more easier to distance myself from the old memories of the past which I wanted to bury.
“Shall I play for you?
On my drum?”
Lo and behold I found myself working at the shore excursion desk very early on Christmas morning and this older woman came to the desk and she said “Is this your first Christmas away from home?” I told her that it was my first Christmas away from my family. She gave me a hug and wished me a Merry Christmas and I started to cry. I had realized how much of an impact it was on me to not be around the people I loved during the season.
Christmas 2003 we welcomed impoverished children from Cozumel Mexico when I was working on the Enchantment of the Seas. I spent some time chatting with each of the little kids in Spanish and many of them asked me if I too was Mexican. After we met with them the Cruise Director came out dressed as Santa Clause and all of the little children went crazy! They were so happy to receive their gifts and some of them even performed a song in sign language for us. I sat at the back of the theater, tears filling my eyes.I began to realize that my vacation from Christmas couldn’t last much longer.
I was wrong.
I went back in my pit of cynicism and self loathing and stayed there until a few years. I went to the website http://www.imaginepeace.com and printed the poster which boldly declared “WAR IS OVER: if you want it” and I realized that my vacation was over. I had redefined what Christmas meant for me. I spent a week or so putting up those posters on light posts in and around busier intersections in Kamloops and you know I felt so good doing it.
“Mary nodded,
The ox and lamb kept time.”
I realized that for myself Christmas was about spreading goodwill to everyone, not just your family and friends, but the strangers who feel the way I felt for so many years. The people who look sad in the store lines because thy are thinking “Can I afford this?”
The husband who lost his job and isn’t sure he can provide for his family anymore.
The single parent who is struggling to give their kids gifts, even though they live in poverty.
The elderly people you see everyday sitting at the same café alone with their thoughts.
“I played my drum for Him,
I played my best for Him.
Then He smiled at me,
Me and my drum.”
The Christmas carol “The Little Drummer Boy” has always been one of my most favourite songs this time of year. It always touched my heart because I felt, much like him, that I have no gifts to give. I was stuck in my old thinking patterns of Christmas only being about greed. Now I know that even the smallest gesture of kindness can be a welcome gift anyone in pain can receive.
It’s certainly the best gift I’ve ever given.
Merry Christmas everyone.
I hope you reflect and find your reason for the season.
I’m quick to say that I dislike children.
When people hear that they often say, “Oh! You were a child once.”
It’s true, I was a child once. I was a self loathing child. I would sit there watching PBS Nova thinking “I wish I was older.” I couldn’t wait to get older.
I am still waiting to grow up.
There are two children that I love very much. My niece Lilah and my nephew Hunter are my sister’s kids and they’re so special.
Yesterday we watched TV for a couple of hours…well I should clarify, the television was on and my niece and nephew were spending their free time annoying me while I sat on the sofa.
I loved it.
They were playing with felt pens and I told them to give me tattoos.
Lilah wrote on my arm that Charlie, Rango, Mimi, Peaches and Odie RULE! (those are a sampling of her pets.)
Hunter drew two things. He drew a potato which he named Oxy and a man with a small body, a big head wearing a birthday hat, with a big nose complete with ice cube hanging out of it.
He also drew an hour glass.
He named the man Horbart and said that he was “running out of time,” in reference to the hour glass.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“He’s running out of time to feel normal.”
It was an interesting thing to say.
In the light of the recent shootings in the USA, it’s nice to know that my niece and nephew are still sweet innocent children.
I hope that Hunter’s mention of time running out to feel normal wasn’t one of those strange insights that only children have.
Who’s running out of time?
Who feels normal and what does it mean?
I wish I took a picture of the drawings. They were pretty cute and in terms of what Lilah wrote, given that two of the pets are sleeping right beside my mom.. I think she’s right.
