OcToBER
      25,
      2005
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
      '
     
     
      :
     
     
      j
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ne
     
     
      PEL
      Bteeeet
      Eee
      arse
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      CADRE
      @
      2
     
    
   
   
    
     
      But
      I
      digress...
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ray
      Keating
     
     
      Managing
      Editor
     
    

    
     
      I
      was
      experiencing
      some
     
     
      difficulty
      in
      coming
      up
      with
      a
      topic
      to
     
     
      write
      about
      in
      this
      week’s
      editorial.
     
     
      Nothing
      really
      seemed
      to
      interest
      me
     
     
      as
      I
      sat
      down
      to
      write
      it,
      and
      I
      could
     
     
      think
      of
      no
      particular
      “thorns
      in
      my
      side”
     
     
      so
      to
      speak.
      So,
      I
      decided
      to
      take
      a
     
     
      lesson
      from
      Ryans
      Rant
      and
      ramble
     
     
      on
      about
      a
      variety
      of
      issues
      in
      the
      hope
     
     
      that
      something
      would
      come
      to
      me
      as
      I
     
     
      went
      along.
     
    

    
     
      This
      issue
      of
      the
      paper
      marks
     
     
      the
      first
      this
      year
      to
      contain
      Letters
      to
     
     
      the
      Editor.
      In
      my
      mind,
      this
      is
      one
      of
     
     
      the
      biggest
      compliments
      readers
      can
      pay
     
     
      to
      any
      publication.
      When
      the
      letters
      are
     
     
      about
      content
      of
      a
      previous
      issue,
      it
     
     
      shows
      us
      that
      at
      least
      some
      of
      our
     
     
      readers
      are
      reading
      the
      paper
      closely
     
     
      enough
      to
      care
      about
      what
      was
      said...
     
     
      even
      if
      their
      feedback
      is
      negative.
      When
     
     
      the
      letters
      are
      about
      other
      issues
      on
     
     
      campus
      or
      around
      the
      world,
      it
     
     
      demonstrates
      that
      some
      of
      you
      are
     
     
      unaffected
      by
      the
      disease
      I
      mentioned
     
     
      in
      my
      last
      editorial:
      apathy.
      The
      great
     
     
      thing
      about
      living
      where
      we
      do
      is
      that
     
     
      we
      get
      to
      voice
      our
      opinions
      freely
      and
     
     
      without
      fear
      of
      retribution.
      Itmakes
      me
     
     
      truly
      happy
      to
      see
      people
      exercise
      this
     
     
      right.
     
    

    
     
      That
      brings
      me
      to
      another
      topic
     
     
      that
      actually
      did
      stick
      in
      my
      craw
      this
     
     
      week.
      On
      a
      daily
      basis,
      we
      at
      The
     
     
      Cadre
      get
      news
      releases
      from
      a
      host
     
     
      of
      organizations,
      including
      the
      Prime
     
     
      Minister’s
      Office
      (PMO).
      This
      past
     
     
      week
      we
      got
      two
      of
      these
      releases
      back
     
     
      to
      back.
      The
      first
      said:
      “Prime
     
     
      Minister
      Paul
      Martin
      will
      attend
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ceremony
      commemorating
      the
      35th
     
     
      anniversary
      of
      diplomatic
      relations
     
     
      between
      Canada
      and
      the
      People’s
     
     
      Republic
      of
      China
      on
      Wednesday,
     
     
      October
      19,
      2005
      on
      Parliament
     
     
      Hill.”
      Well,
      any
      of
      you
      who
      know
      me
     
     
      at
      all
      probably
      also
      know
      where
      I
      stand
     
     
      on
      our
      country’s
      relations
      with
      China,
     
     
      given
      China’s
      occupation
      of
      Tibet
      and
     
     
      their
      dismal
      record
      on
      human
      rights.
      All
     
     
      that
      aside,
      I
      was
      particularly
      struck
      by
     
     
      the
      next
      release
      from
      the
      PMO;
      it
      read:
     
     
      “Prime
      Minister
      Paul
      Martin
      will
     
     
      meet
      Louise
      Arbour,
      United
      Nations
     
     
      High
      Commissioner
      for
      Human
     
     
      Rights
      on
      Wednesday,
      October
      19,
     
     
      2005.”
     
    

    
     
      Huh?!?
      ...
      by
      themselves,
      no
     
     
      one
      might
      have
      taken
      notice
      of
      these
     
     
      two
      press
      releases,
      but
      together,
      they
     
     
      truly
      serve
      to
      point
      out
      that
      Paul
      Martin
     
     
      has
      his
      head
      firmly
      planted
      in
      his
      own
     
     
      nether
      region.
      How
      can
      he
      possibly
     
     
      meet
      with
      the
      United
      Nations
      about
     
     
      human
      rights
      and
      then,
      a
      scant
      two
     
     
      hours
      later,
      commemorate
      our
     
     
      relationship
      with
      this
      dictatorial
      regime
     
     
      that
      has
      murdered
      millions
      of
      innocents?
     
     
      What
      are
      the
      odds
      that
      next
      time
      he’s
     
     
      in
      Beijing
      with
      one
      of
      his
      “Team
      Canada
     
     
      Trade
      Missions”
      our
      illustrious
      PM
      will
     
     
      take
      the
      regime
      to
      task?
      Pretty
      slim
      I’d
     
     
      say.
      Then,
      as
      if
      to
      add
      insult
      to
      injury,
     
     
      the
      PM
      released
      a
      statement
      on
      Sunday
     
     
      singing
      the
      praises
      of
      the
      UN
      and
     
     
      Canada’s
      role
      in
      pursuing
      human
      rights
     
     
      around
      the
      globe.
      Talk
      about
      mixed
     
     
      messages.
      Give
      your
      head
      a
      shake
      Paul.
     
     
      If
      our
      Prime
      Minister
      were
      to
      ask
      my
     
     
      advice
      (and
      I
      think
      I'd
      be
      right
      behind
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Stephen
      Harper
      on
      his
      list
      of
      trusted
     
     
      advisors)
      I'd
      offer
      this
      little
      tidbit...
     
     
      stop
      playing
      both
      sides
      of
      the
      field.
     
     
      There
      comes
      a
      time
      when
      we
      need
      to
     
     
      do
      what’s
      right,
      even
      if
      it
      means
      taking
     
     
      one
      on
      the
      chin.
      Naturally
      we
      all
      want
     
     
      to
      improve
      our
      country’s
      finances
      and
     
     
      power
      position
      in
      the
      world
      community,
     
     
      but
      for
      us
      to
      jump
      into
      bed
      with
      China
     
     
      is
      no
      different
      than
      a
      kid
      hooking
      up
     
     
      with
      a
      gang...
      that
      kid
      likely
      gets
      some
     
     
      money
      and
      power
      out
      of
      the
      deal...
      but
     
     
      what
      is
      the
      real
      cost
      in
      the
      end?
      Paul
     
     
      Martin
      needs
      to
      remember
      that
      the
     
     
      definition
      of
      right
      and
      wrong
      remains
     
     
      the
      same
      regardless
      of
      the
      scale
      of
      the
     
     
      issue.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      if
      L.2
      million
     
     
      Canadians
      were
     
    
   
   
    
     
      murdered
     
    
   
   
    
     
      would
      the
      world
     
     
      community
      notice’?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Why
      don’t
      we
     
     
      notice
     
    
   
   
    
     
      12
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