MADD's Difficult Road

MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) are leading the push to stop drunk driving.  They are joined by police services and authorities across the country to convince those who drink to "take a cab or phone a BFF" instead of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.  Here in Alberta we've all been stopped by a Check Stop as the authorities try to get drunk drivers off the road.

I think you'd be hard pressed to find any sober person who would say it's OK to drive while drunk!  The problem is, that reason and logic go out the window when those same folks have a few drinks!  How often have you heard, "Oh, I'm OK to drive" when you suspect the opposite is true?  Trying to convince those who have been drinking not to drive is the huge task presenting itself to MADD!

The campaign has been quite successful in reducing the number of drunk drivers on our roads but we still get many reports of vehicle accidents where drivers had a high blood-alcohol level.  A recent incident during the Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans brings the problem front and center once again.

I don't have a solution outright to this problem.  Maybe breathalyzers at exits to bars might help.  Maybe we could encourage the wider use of those devices fixed to a car's ignition switch which disables the vehicle it the proposed driver blows a specific blood alcohol level. Maybe a larger campaign to encourage people to declare a designated driver or leave the car at home if you plan to drink would help.

Whatever the answer, I applaud MADD for their work and wish them even more success in their fight against drunk drivers.  Their message is an important one and we need everyone to heed it!

Shocking Death of Mylan Hicks

I have to admit I'm having trouble understanding one of the events of this past weekend in Calgary.  A young man, a Calgary Stampeders football player was shot (yes I said shot) at a nightclub in that city!  Mylan Hicks, a 23-year-old American was killed early Sunday morning while celebrating a recent win by the team.

The part I'm having trouble with is; "Why would anyone bring a loaded gun to a nightclub?"  I'm certainly not a lawyer, but to me that sounds like premeditation!  If you bring a gun to a nightclub your intention is obvious: you plan to harm someone!

According to the paper this morning, the Calgary Police have plenty of witnesses.  I hope they catch those responsible, and soon!

My condolences to Mr. Hicks' family and to his teammates.

Misdirected Anger at Canadian Muslims

Across this country and across the world, a few misdirected people are attacking Muslim places of worship and indeed Muslims themselves, blaming them for the atrocities in Paris last Friday.  As I have mentioned before, only a very, very few people claiming to be Muslims are involved in these terrorist attacks.  Almost all Muslims are not a threat to anyone!

Someone scrawled "Muslims Go Home" on an apartment wall in Toronto.  I dare say the folks living in that apartment building WERE home!  Most were probably Canadian citizens.  There are even reports of attacks on Sikh and Hindu temples, the attackers mistaking them for Mosques.  One mosque in Peterborough was the target of arson.

You cannot say, "if one is, then all are."  I say don't punish Canadian Muslims for the atrocities of a few radicals.

During World Wars I and II, Japanese, Chinese, Ukrainian, Romanian, Austrian, Hungarian, and German Canadians were attacked without reason.  The Canadian Government even carried out some of these attacks against Canadians!  Ukrainian, German and Japanese Canadians found themselves persecuted and imprisoned at various times during those two conflicts. 

We now realise that these were loyal Canadians.  Canadians have spent the last sixty years apologizing to, and compensating victims of those events.  I thought we had learned the errors of the ways of our forefathers.  Apparently not!

Now, will we have to do that again?   If you do not study and understand history, you are doomed to repeat it!

Unsolved Murder of James Schleppe

The James Schleppe I knew was a very gentle person.  I met him (actually, I trained him) in the late 1960s when he was hired to work at the Alberta Liquor Control Board (ALCB) store in the North Hill Shopping Centre in Calgary.

As we worked cleaning and stocking the shelves, he would tell us stories of his home town of Beiseker.  We heard about the Berreths, the Hagels and the Schmaltzes.  We heard about Beiseker School.  We heard about St. Mary's Church and everything else in his home town.  He was a very devout Christian and wanted to help as many folks as he could, even back then.

His love of Beiseker came forward again later when he became president of the Beiseker Historical Society, which was instrumental in producing Beiseker's history book, Beiseker's Golden Heritage, published in 1977.   When I'd moved to Beiseker in the early 1970s, we would occasionally bump into him around town, as he often came out to visit his family. 

On September 28, 1991, James' body was found along the Trans-Canada Highway in west Calgary, near 101 Street NW.  At first it was thought that he was the victim of a hit-and-run accident, but later we heard he had been beaten.  The trail went cold and no one was ever charged with his death.  James' death was deemed an unsolved murder.

Now the Calgary Police Service are revisiting this and other "cold case" murders since the 1970s.  I am hoping that new evidence examination techniques and the publication of his photo in the newspaper might finally lead to closure in his murder. 

If you have any information about James' death, please contact the Calgary Police Service at 403-266-1234, or Calgary Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Pedestrian Bridge Vandalism

As part of our drainage channel upgrades, we are rebuilding the three bridges connecting the East and West sides of Beiseker.  We are starting with the two at the north end of the drainage channel. 

With the high volume of water moving down that drainage channel, it became necessary to raise those pedestrian bridges and strengthen their foundation footings.   Preparations were started on Monday, with the installation of concrete footings for the two bridges.

Unfortunately, after the work was completed yesterday morning, some unidentified people damaged some of the footings before the concrete was completely cured.  They will have to be excavated out of there, and redone before work can continue!  This extra work will cause a delay in the construction of the bridges and take more funds from our already meagre project budget. 

Those responsible for the vandalism need to understand that their actions jeopardized the completion of the project this fall.   I would like to know who they are!

 If you know anything about the damage done to the pedestrian bridge footings behind the Dynagra complex, please phone the Village Office (403-947-3774), the Beiseker RCMP (403-947-3496), or the Calgary-area Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. 

Bermuda Shorts Day Tragedy

photo by Global News Calgary

As a graduate of the University of Calgary, I remember Bermuda Shorts Day.  It is officially the last day of scheduled classes.  Students dress in shorts and  tropical attire (even if the weather is brutal) and have a little fun, letting off some steam before hitting the books to prepare for final exams.  It is a time of excitement and anticipation.

I fear those fond memories of Bermuda Shorts Day have been altered forever with the tragic stabbings in the Brentwood neighbourhood this past Tuesday.  I am having trouble understanding why a young student would attack five of his colleagues, for no reason clear at this time.  Five lives have ended so tragically and a sixth life has been changed so completely!  Why?  We may never know completely. 

My thoughts and prayers go to those six families who are dealing with this surreal and tragic incident the best they can.  May you take some measure of comfort from the many who have expressed their grief and sadness over the past days.

Disappointed

I was most disappointed when I went out to start up my old truck for this year's work.  I keep my old truck for spring and summer work.  It sits behind my house waiting for the warm weather.  This year when I went out to start it I found someone had siphoned the gas from its tank, slashed two of my tires and cracked my windshield!  The tires are not repairable!  I will have to pay a good portion of my small truck budget to buy new ones!

I don't know who or why someone would decide to damage my old truck.  I reported it to the authorities but there is very little they can do now. 
If you find damage to your property or to public property please report it to the police (403-947-3496) or at least call Crime Stoppers at 1-877-222-8477!  We must get a curb on this senseless property damage in Beiseker!