A Princely Dilemma

To begin my rant: I have never been a “fan” of Prince Andrew. But this recent media frenzy for sleaze, and the mob mentality stirred by it is sickening. If I am not fond of the Prince, then I am far less fond of the media induced "guilty until proven innocent" craze.

Over the years, I have been friends with people whom I learned later had been involved in some seedy, or even illegal activity. Should I apologize for my friendship? I won’t.

Indeed, do we cast people aside, simply because they have fallen? Not in the world I want to be part of. Our friendship may be tempered; it may even come to an end, but why the need to apologize. Why the need to turn our backs on them.

And even accepting the possibility that the Prince is lying about his lack of involvement with certain young women, I have difficulty with the accusations.

First of all, it is difficult to accept that the Prince would have known that these very mature looking women were underage at the time. They certainly do not appear to me from photographs I have seen of them at the time, to have been teenagers, innocent or otherwise.

And what if they were. Our age restrictions are purely arbitrary. They vary from place to place, from culture to culture, even from circumstance to circumstance, and from time to time. Yes, it would have been illegal. But would it have been, if it were true, immoral or repugnant? I don’t think so. These young women, more than likely, knew exactly what they were doing. They were not naïve virgins. They were gold diggers, not victims.

And I cannot believe that any young woman was forced to have sex with the Prince. If they did so, I suggest that they did so willingly, and for whatever motive. Come on! A good looking, relatively young British Naval Officer, and a Prince to boot! Many young woman, and probably many young men, would have jumped at the opportunity. 

So I have problems with the allegations. I have problems with the sleazy media reporting. I have problems with the reaction of the vocal and indignant public.

Further, if it is true that the Prince has, or had at the time, a medical condition that made it impossible for him to sweat, then there are credibility issues with the accusers. 

We love to idolize the rich and famous. We love it even more when we can see them fall. Then, I say, pity our society.

The Western Cry for Separation

Regarding the call by westerners for separation from Canada, a western whiner has written that in addition to an early winter that has hit the farmers, they have also been affected by a“…[H]uge carbon  tax bills on the drying which is one more hit on the farmer, on top of China not taking product, India putting huge tariffs on pulse crops and railways shipping oil instead of grain because of the pipeline issue. Overall result out here is anger like I have never seen it …  The separatist movement out here is very real and I personally have written to our Premier and the Premier of Alberta asking for a referendum.”

And who is responsible in part for the weather crisis? Not the Federal government. I suggest it is people like those who oppose the carbon tax and support big oil that turn their back and bury their heads in the (oil) sand. And who worked very hard and in favour of the pipeline despite widespread opposition. It wasn’t the Federal government that nixed it. It was the people and the courts. The Federal government is not in control of what China or India or the USA does. It is not in control of world oil prices.

And who is responsible for the squandering of the huge Alberta oil reserve fund that was socked away during the boom days of irresponsible oil production? Not the federal government. Who is responsible for lulling its people into believing one can have a responsible society without paying taxes. Not the federal government. Who is it that simply shipped its raw oil out of the country at low prices, denying thousands work in what could have been a rich oil refinery industry, if it had had the wisdom to create one. Not the federal government. Who failed to diversify their economies, something that is in the provincial domain of power? 

Take responsibility for yourselves western Canada. Stop thinking you exist in a vacuum. The only vacuum is in your heads!