A Great Decision!

Last week we heard of a young hockey player refusing to wear a team jersey because it has an image of an indigenous warrior featured on it.  I thought the image was very similar to that of an NHL hockey team.  People lined up on both sides of the argument.  A solution had to be found.

Images of warriors appear on many sports teams' uniforms.  They could be Spartan warriors, Roman warriors or in this case Native warriors.  I've always regarded these images as a tribute to the bravery and tenacity of these ancient warriors.  Most, especially the indigenous and Spartan warriors were faced with incredible odds against them as their lands were being invaded by foreign armies, yet they fought on gallantly.  Their bravery has been celebrated for years.

A solution has been found!  The hockey team in question has engaged the help of the Chief of a local First Nation to help them update the image on their jerseys.  Hopefully this process will include an education process which will address the sensitive issues of the image on their jersey.

Christmas in the Village a Huge Success!

I know I'm over a week late with this one, but I had to comment on a wonderful day on Saturday, December 3rd at Beiseker's annual Christmas in the Village!   I had to leave very early Sunday morning for my annual air show convention, and I'm not techno-savy enough to blog from another location!  Call that a new trick and I'm an old dog!

I and hundreds of others had a great day welcoming Christmas to Beiseker!  First up was a visit to our Christmas Market at the Community Centre!  (A shout out to Les and Susie Spurgeon and their helpers for organizing this event)  It was crowded and business appeared to be brisk!  The Beiseker Fire Department was there accepting donations to our Food Bank and our Christmas Hampers.

Next it was off to the hockey game of the decade as the old-timers squared off against a women's team.  It was a close,  hard fought game with the ladies eventually eking out a 4-2 victory over the strong men's team!   I'm not a hockey player but in my opinion I thought the men spent too much time getting down close to the ice surface to check its temperature.  That extra dedication may have cost them the game!

After a spectacular fireworks display, we had a short parade down Main Street!  I walked the parade route this year and handed out candies and Christmas wishes to as many as I could.  I was pleased at the turnout.  The weather was good, and the Christmas spirit was alive and well in the Village!

Here's another shout out to Michelle Boyer, Gail Peckham and all their many helpers for making our Christmas in Beiseker just that much more special.  Merry Christmas!

Best Wishes, Mr. Harper

I was sorry to hear that former Prime Minister Stephen Harper resigned his seat in the House of Commons, yesterday.  He has represented the good folks in Calgary Heritage very well for a number of years. 

And as prime minister he represented all Canadians very well, too.  I believe that Stephen Harper was one of Canada's most influential leaders of the last century and the first part of this one!  His legacy will be vast and varied.  For one, he was instrumental in patching up a fractured federal conservative landscape and leading the new Conservative Party on to make it once again a strong part of Canadian federal politics.   His work in international affairs, free trade, and finance was landmark!

His defeat in the last federal election hit him hard personally.  I wish he would have stayed on as leader and stick-handled a few rounds with our new Prime Minister.  I would have loved to see that.

It was said once that Harper loved humanity, it was just the people he hated.  I sincerely doubt there was any truth to that at all!  I think throughout his tenure as our Prime Minister, he remained a very private and shy man.  We got glimpses of his personal side when we heard him play piano and sing, or when he talked about his total love of hockey, but they were only glimpses.  But it was very obvious to me and many others that his focus was always on a love and respect for his family, his nation and Canadians!

Mr. Harper will be entering into the consulting world with his new company; Harper and Associates.  I know he will succeed there, too.

So to Stephen Harper, a huge thank you from this proud Canadian.  I wish you well in all your future endeavors.  And I am thankful you were able to lead the federal government of the greatest country on Earth.