PAROLE BOARDS AND OTHER PLACES

Monday, April 28, 2014

WHEN SCARBOROUGH HAD LAND

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TORONTO’S SCARBOROUGH

BY

James Bredin



I remember Scarborough proud Protestant and blue,
With portraits of a Queen near every pew.
No Sunday shops, no music hops, no liquor on display,
Where the Lodges and the Legions marched each Victoria Day.

Where ensigns flew, Union Jacks too, unique uniforms on parade,
A raucous rush of pompous pride by pals from every trade,
As they beat the drum down Danforth Road on the twenty fourth of May,
Out to the country and back by Byng, again on Dominion Day.

Those were loyal times before the war for king and queen and all,
For more than a few, this love did cause, their ultimate downfall.
It did at Dieppe and D-day too like their seniors at the Somme,
They died for king and country; they did it for a song.

And soon they were forgotten, those who fought for king and crown,
Though those lucky to return had saved the country and the town.
They would walk again forever with their flags flying high,
Marching medals of the heroes that no one could deny.

Except the town of Scarborough was down on the drawing board,
And those fields and sheep and meadows didn't fit the grand accord.
No newcomers paid attention as the veterans vied for space,
And their parades of marching medals only had an old-time grace.

And Scarborough changed by day and night from a township to a city,
Old soldiers faded fast and few and no one had much pity.
And the immigrants came in wave after wave from places far and wide,
As the soldiers went to grave after grave with their flags and faded pride.

But still a few survive today and I'm sure they are not pleased.
'bout the changes to the town and how Scarborough had been squeezed,
From a township to a city where no one cared for esprit de corps,
So they amalgamated with Toronto and Scarborough was no more.

And culture clash and bureaucrat and ever changing rules,
Of mandarin and moguls and Tamils dressed in jewels,
While traffic roared and the buildings soared sometimes to sixty stories,
Where women wrapped in saris sashayed in all their glories.

They had lost the town without a fight, those men from long ago.
And everything was centralized; they said to save some dough,
But the authorities had lied again; it was all politically correct,
And no one marched, no flags did fly and no one did protest.

There are sometimes you still can hear it, the distant drone of pipes,
And men in kilts still carry on, just watched by boys on bikes.
They're just a faint reminder now of the many marching bands,
When those with flags and medals marched and Scarborough had some land.
Jan 7th, 2014

Saturday, April 26, 2014

LESS THAN HALF CANADIANS VOTE ... APRIL 26TH, 2014

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LESS THAN HALF CANADIANS VOTE ….  APRIL 26TH, 2014
BY
JAMES BREDIN

Less than half Canadians even bother to vote ever,
They are too busy doing other stuff and being quite clever,
No need to identify themselves as they walk away,
And in five years time; do it again on the next election day.


So we need compulsory voting for all over eighteen,
Though the special-interest party groups may scream,
Also referendums and political recall for those elected
Because our system can give us morons selected.


We don't have anyone with the guts to change the Constitution,
They refuse to recognize that this may be our only solution,
Can't have medically assisted death because of Supreme Court
And no elected Senate allowed as a very last resort.


APRIL 26TH, 2014

Friday, April 25, 2014

FORTHCOMING SENATE CHANGES ... APRIL 25TH, 2014

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FORTHCOMING SENATE CHANGES  … APRIL 25TH, 2014
BY
JAMES BREDIN

Abolish the appointed Canadian Senate completely,
But special interest groups will not allow this done discretely,
Our Supreme Court says that the provinces have to be involved,
We have to rewrite the Constitution, to get this problem solved.


We need binding referendums and political recall,
We need compulsory Canadian voting above all,
We need to know all forthcoming set election dates,
All these issues need to be discussed in open debates.


While elite media moguls print stories about other stuff,
Never rock the boat they think and that should be enough,
As they constantly tell Canadians that all things are great,
Therefore there is no need for a Constitutional debate.

APRIL 25TH, 2014




Wednesday, April 23, 2014

CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES ... APRIL 23RD, 2014

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CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES  … APRIL 23RD, 2014
BY
JAMES BREDIN

The date of the next election is in the government closet,
You can't find this out even if you make a large deposit,
It's not written in the Charter or Constitution so we don't know,
So you can just think about the Ice Storm and all that heavy snow.


Its like medically assisted death -- they will not allow change,
Our Supreme Court said it can't happen so it can't be arranged,
And those ideas you had about Constitutional change won't go,
Like they told Sue Rodriguez so we should already know.


But there should be a way somewhere somehow to bring it about,
So we don't need to go all they way to Ottawa and shout,
Can we find someone to rewrite Pierre Trudeau's Constitution?
That's referendums, recall, compulsory voting and less confusion.

APRIL 23RD, 2014



Tuesday, April 22, 2014

DEMOCRACY DOWN ... APRIL 22ND, 2014

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DEMOCRACY DOWN … APRIL 22ND, 2014
BY
JAMES BREDIN

We have to wait till the next election but we don't know the date,
Our politicians won't let us know and it will not come up for debate,
In fact they would prefer to cancel elections completely,
And to do all these Constitutional changes discretely.

This kind of talk is frequently and quietly swept under the rug,
Those who question this type of talk, will get a political shrug,
So no binding referendums or recall for you or me,
Democracy is almost banned even if you don't agree.

And you don't even have to vote if you don't feel like it.
And there's nothing they can do which they will never admit,
So shut up, sit down and there's no need to even think,
If you know a loud mouth; just tell him, to go see a shrink.

APRIL 22ND, 2014




Monday, April 21, 2014

THE BRIDLE PATH ... APR 21ST, 2014

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The Bridle Path

by

James Bredin

The Bridle Path is a fine posh place of big mansion houses,
Where rich folk from Switzerland sometimes stash their spouses.
The lawns are low and weeds don’t grow and the driveways long and curved,
And license plates from New York State can sometimes be observed.

But folk are few, don’t give reviews and the place is so sedate,
But lenses watch the garden gates and hedges hide the real estate,
But if you’re blessed to be a guest you’ll see the tennis courts,
And the girls in white, all sunshine bright, running at their sports.

It was in this fine place that I first perceived Pontius de la Clair,
A gardener and a servant man and a little in despair,
As he stood on a ladder, he seemed quite sadder and clipped the cedar hedge,
And told me about Switzerland and their house on a mountain ledge.

"I should have an electric clippers and a fancy sit-down mower.
"And a long-barreled leaf blower and a sheltered snow thrower.
"We travel the world wherever we like, to Zurich or Madrid,
"I’ve driven the Rolls with all that chrome to his every buyout bid.

I didn’t tell Pontius then, because it took me time to see,
And I didn’t want to pain his pride -- we were both bourgeoisie,
He was a servant and a spectacle, part of the deluxe display
He was a lackey just like me, something serious to convey.



Thursday, April 17, 2014

A FINAL FAREWELL FOR JIM FLAHERTY ... APRIL 17TH, 2014

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A FINAL FAREWELL FOR JIM FLAHERTY  …APRIL 17TH, 2014
BY
JAMES BREDIN

St James Anglican Cathedral was crowded to the doors yesterday,
At the funeral of Irishman politician Jim Flaherty they prayed,
Great man, well liked, Canadian Financial Minister for all,
Political friends and enemies all there packed wall to wall.

The mounties in red carried the flag draped coffin up the aisle,
With lots of pomp and ceremony in a religious style,
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said one last final farewell,
While Jim's wife and three sons told how the family had excelled.

And the archbishop said prayers dressed in bright priestly vestment clothes,
One sad but precious holy day in Toronto as everyone knows,
Jim Flaherty is no doubt in heaven with the other good guys,
But  its still terribly sad when a man as good as Jim Flaherty dies.

APRIL 17TH, 2014

Monday, April 14, 2014

NO CHANGES PLEASE ... APRIL 14TH, 2014

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NO CHANGES PLEASE  … APRIL 14TH, 2014
BY
JAMES BREDIN

Referendums and recall cannot be mentioned in high places,
In our appointed Senate, our Commons or even right in our faces,
Because almost everything is perfect or didn’t you know?
Maybe it’s time we talked to or emailed friendly Justin Trudeau.



Because Justin’s father wrote our Charter of Rights many years ago,
But maybe Justin is not interested in this political stuff though,
But we need him or someone like him, to recognize our distress,
Because we need changes at that high-up Ottawa address.



The established elites know what constitutional recall could do,
That and referendums are never mentioned though known to a few,
Because party politics rule and need not adapt to change,
So why should recall and referendums be so strange?

April 14th, 2014

Sunday, April 13, 2014

FORBIDDEN CONSTITUTION ... APRIL 13TH, 2014

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FORBIDDEN CONSTITUTION   ...April 13th, 2014
BY
JAMES BREDIN

We can't have a new Constitution because that's the rule,
Our politicians and Senate appointees don't want one for sure,
Because referendums and recall could interfere with their lives,
So this is never mentioned and their political careers survive.

And our appointees can stay in the Senate till they're seventy five,
That's so far ahead, we don't know and you may not be alive,
A new Constitution is like a religious sacrilege to them,
While they pompously stand and announce but condemn.


We have Trudeau's Charter of Rights and what more do we need?
But we don't have referendums or recall and on that we're agreed,
As far as they are concerned; these ideas should never be mentioned,
Can't even discuss it at the next political convention.

APRIL 13TH, 2014

Friday, April 11, 2014

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT? ... APR 11TH, 2014

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Tommy Douglas


WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?
By
James Bredin

We had two or three Senate scandals but they’re already forgotten,
They say that the appointment-for-life system is not rotten,
And our appointed senate aristocrats deserve more respect,
But we don’t know why or who they are so what do they expect?




Not a very democratic system and apparently it can’t be changed,
Unless someone writes a new constitution but how can this be arranged?
Could Trudeau write a new one -- an improvement on his father’s Charter
And in his forthcoming political career; this would be a great starter.




We need referendums, recall and compulsory voting for you and for me,
Plebiscites about first-past-the-post elections to be improved and agreed,
Propositions allowed so ordinary people can have input in high places,
So party politics does not rule the roost right in our faces.

Apr 11th, 2014

Thursday, April 10, 2014

A NEW CANADIAN CONSTITUTION ... APR 10TH, 2014

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A NEW CANADIAN CONSTITUTION …..Apr 10th, 2014
BY
JAMES BREDIN

I've come to the conclusion that we need a new Constitution,
To improve or counteract some of our imbedded institutions,
We need frequent referendums and political recall,
Compulsory voting for Canadian adults or we could stall.


Of course these ideas will be immediately shut down,
Quietly secretly by political henchmen all around,
They want things to stay exactly the way they are right now,
It's their election changes because anything else they wont allow. 


Ideas such as these can't be mentioned during an election,
They say that the establishment doesn't want this selection,
Therefore these notions will be quietly swept under the rug,
And will not be allowed and will only get a political shrug.


APRIL 10TH, 2014

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

OUR NEW CONSTITUTION ... APR 9TH, 2014

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OUR NEW CONSTITUTION … APR 9TH, 2014
BY
JAMES BREDIN

We have appointed senators but few of us know their names,
Large number up there until they're seventy five -- making claims,
Some fooled with the numbers till someone important found out,
Caused several scandals and put the whole appointed place in doubt.

But we have no referendums or even political recall,
Though it looks like some of these appointees were having a ball,
Many of them will still be there long after you are dead,
They have their own rules and regulations but this can't be said.



We need a new constitution but our politicians don't have the guts,
Though this is not democracy and shows we are slightly nuts,
Someone should stand up and say that they will write this new Constitution,
Though others say we should all be in a mental institution.

APRIL 9TH, 2014

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

THE WAY THINGS ARE ... APR 8TH, 2014

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THE WAY THINGS ARE……  APR 8TH, 2014
BY
JAMES BREDIN

THOSE OPPOSED TO DEATH-WITH-DIGNITY, NOW RULE THE OTTAWA ROOST,
WHILE THOSE OF US WHO WANT MEDICALLY-ASSISTED-DEATH, FEEL REDUCED,
THEY HAVE HAD OUR APPOINTED SUPREME COURT ON THEIR SIDE FOR YEARS,
MAYBE THEY THINK  THAT THEY WILL NEVER DIE SO THEY HAVE NO FEARS.

WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO CHANGE THE LAWS OF THIS GREAT LAND?
SWITZERLAND AND FIVE US STATES HAVE IT AND THEY THINK ITS GRAND,
WITHOUT REFERENDUMS AND RECALL; WE LACK A LOT OF POWER,
SELDOM OR NEVER  MENTIONED BY POLITICIANS OF THE HOUR..

WHILE ELITE MEDIA MOGULS PRINT STORIES ABOUT OTHER STUFF,
NEVER ROCK THE BOAT THEY THINK AND THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH,
THEY CONSTANTLY TELL CANADIANS THAT ALL THINGS ARE GREAT,
THEREFORE THERE IS NO NEED FOR A DEATH-WITH-DIGNITY DEBATE.




APR 8TH, 2014

Sunday, April 6, 2014

JAILS FOR PROFIT ... APR 6TH, 2014

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JAILS FOR PROFIT
BY
James Bredin

If the Americans can have jails for profit, why can't we?
Is there any way we could get our politicians to agree?
Because it is extremely expensive to keep a man in jail,
And there must be a cheaper way to do it in great detail.




Why do we call them correctional facilities instead of jails
Is it our early release system, the good food or our easy bails?
Is there something we need to know to improve our organization?
The huge expense, the overcrowding without an explanation.




Why is this subject so shunned by our comfortable politicians?
Unfortunately we have Trudeau’s Charter and soft conditions,
Without referendums or recall so nothing will be done,
Can’t have jails for profit and no questions please, so they won.

APR 6TH, 2014

Friday, April 4, 2014

COULD I GET AN APPOINTMENT? APR 4TH, 2014

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COULD I GET AN APPOINTMENT? … APR 4TH, 2014
BY
JAMES BREDIN

Being a political appointee is about who you know,
And it helps if you are very rich and have lots of dough,
And you can stay there on those red chairs until you are seventy five,
No one knows what you do there except that you stay alive.


I'd like a Senate appointment but I have no connections,
Who or where can I go to get the proper directions?
And I'm over seventy five so maybe they think I'm too old,
And they don't like death-with-dignity, so I'm out in the cold.


And we don't have referendums or recall which they don't want,
But I could pretend that I'm one of them and nonchalant,
I could try not to cause a scandal but that may not be enough,
Could I bring my laptop or would that be considered too rough?


APR 4TH, 2014

Thursday, April 3, 2014

MEDICALLY ASSISTED DEATH ... APR 3RD, 2014

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Today at 7:40 PM
MEDICALLY ASSISTED DEATH … APR 3RD, 2014
BY
JAMES BREDIN

Medically assisted death is banned by our elite Supreme Court,
Not listed in Pierre Trudeau's Charter so there is no support,
When they refused Sue Rodriguez her death with dignity,
And the establishment thought it was all done brilliantly.


Without referendums or recall, Canadians are in stress,
And those who were dying in pain think it's is a real mess,
This is not a subject that is discussed by politicians,
They are strict party types and obey their conditions.


Even media moguls seldom mention this subject in their papers,
Do they think that this might upset the neighbours?
So the subject is half hidden, though four US states have it now,
Should we ask our appointed Supreme Court to please allow?

APR 2ND, 2014


Tuesday, April 1, 2014

WE NEED REFERENDUMS AND RECALL ... APRIL 1ST, 2014

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WE NEED REFERENDUMS AND RECALL … APRIL 1ST, 2014
BY
JAMES BREDIN

Sometimes my mind is caught in memories of sixty years  ago,
Back to the time when we were paid very little dough,
When sitting on the subway was considered very elite,
When few had cars and no one heard of a computer tweet.



Then we got a Charter with no referendums or recall,
While Senate appointees continued to have a red room ball,
And we the people kept completely and quietly in the dark,
A Charter of Rights with no referendums and recall to bark.



Need binding referendums and DWD like the Swiss,
Unfortunately appointed politicians don’t give a piss,
But they pretend and sometimes make an announcement,
Information they got from one of their party elite councils.

April 1st, 2014