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Thursday, March 23, 2006
The thing to do
Like most of you probably were, I was glued to my TV last night watching coverage of the sinking of the Queen of the North, a ship my family and I travelled on in 1985 along the exact same Prince Rupert-Port Hardy route that she was sailing on the night she went down.
For the most part, the coverage was as good as could be expected, although I was surprised that, in this day of cell-phone cameras, more footage or pictures didn't exist of the late-night mayhem. Global seems to have obtained the best image, one of the stern of the ferry half submerged in the water.
The only real clunker of the night came from the CBC's usually solid Terry Milewski, who said in a stand-up: "Of course, the people of Hartley Bay could have simply rolled over and gone back to sleep when they heard the mayday call, but nobody here even seems to have considered that. Instead, just about everyone who had a boat used it immediately."
I can understand what Milewski was getting at here -- trying to play up the self-sacrifice of the good folk of Hartley Bay. But it is inconceivable -- absolutely inconceivable -- that anyone in a such a coastal community would, upon hearing a mayday, roll over and go back to sleep. If their automatic response really did surprise Milewski -- well, that says more about him than it does about the men and women of Hartley Bay.
Posted by Terry O'Neill on March 23, 2006 in Current Affairs | Permalink
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Comments
what you naive moron are jealous it was not the people of Alberta coming to the rescue
Those people did a good thing and they do deserve to be praised for it.
Posted by: Perfect speller | 2006-03-23 11:38:54 AM
Ralph likely would not get out of bed for anyone for he would be too drunk
Posted by: yeah | 2006-03-23 11:41:33 AM
..Queen of the North, a ship my family and I travelled on in 1985 along the exact same Prince Rupert-Port Hardy route that she was sailing on the night she went down.
stop showing off, bragging you make us sick
next you want to tell us all about your pink panties too.
Posted by: Jermiah | 2006-03-23 11:43:33 AM
To Perfect Speller: I am a British Columbian. I was not attempting to take anything away from the people of Hartley Bay.
To Jermiah: For a resident of British Columbia, Canada's Pacific province, to acknowledge that he has sailed on a ferry is hardly showing off or bragging. There's nothing exception about it.
Posted by: Terry O'Neill | 2006-03-23 11:55:39 AM
Perfect speller(small s) is the Preacher Troll.
Posted by: Speller | 2006-03-23 11:58:10 AM
Actually, Terry, everyone but you and me on this thread is the Preacher.
Posted by: Speller | 2006-03-23 11:59:24 AM
Mr. Milewski is the same "journalist" who was giving tips to the protesters in the pepper-spray inquiry. It's scandalous that he is still employed as such.
His comments were - as you pointed out - over the top.
Posted by: Gord Tulk | 2006-03-23 12:01:31 PM
Hey, Speller
Sure, playing "Spot the Preacher" is easy now but wait until he finds out about the shift key on his keyboard. Of course there is STILL that unmistakable version of grammar.......
Posted by: Rob R | 2006-03-23 12:17:34 PM
Terry,
Thanks for the observation. I'm a former mariner and a former maritimer and I can tell you that the actions of the folks from Hartley Bay were exactly what one would expect. Milewski comments were like nails on a chalkboard to me. I'm not taking anything away from them by saying that - they did get up in the middle of the night and launch their craft into the darkness while a gale was blowing. That takes a great deal of courage. But that's what maritimers do. It's part of the culture. When the SwissAir jet crashed off the NS coast a few years back the locals did the same thing.
It seems as if Terry M was SURPRISED that they responded as they did. As you note, that says more about Terry than about the Hartley Bay folks. I guess he doesn't realize that there still are some "tough and ready" people in the world - people who are willing to put themselves at risk for someone else.
Thank God for those people.
Posted by: MCinVan | 2006-03-23 12:58:42 PM
Actually, what would surprise a CBC socialist drone is the concept of people willing to do something for someone in dire need without being paid by the government for doing it.
Posted by: calgarian | 2006-03-23 1:40:36 PM
For hours (half a day, really) after the wreck, CTV kept saying it had happened 'off the Queen Charlotte islands' two straights, two large islands, many mountains and a hundred kilometers of ocean away.
Do they not have maps in CTV headquarters?
Posted by: JM | 2006-03-23 3:18:54 PM
You have nailed the truth Calgarian.
Posted by: jema54j | 2006-03-23 5:50:35 PM
The real story is: why did this vessel run aground? (CBC and Asper Press reported "it struck a rock") - there must have been a serious error in navigation, because the ship appears to have been off course. The waters where the ship sank are very well charted and obstructions, shoals and other hazards to navigation and free
passage thoroughly identified. Canadian inland waters are among the most effectively charted in the world, backed up by an excellent Coast Guard
Service. There is more to this story then meets the eye.
Posted by: Jack Macleod | 2006-03-24 4:28:45 AM
The Alberta ship is also running aground and who is coming to the King's rescue
I noticed they deleted the posts, messages they do not want others to read, this is called Westerm Standard hypocritcal democracy.
Posted by: ETT | 2006-03-25 10:09:27 AM
Fair warning to ticks and pests whith nothing to offer!
Posted by: PGP | 2006-03-25 10:33:34 AM
Fair warning to ticks and pests whith nothing to offer! the admission of huit and a false jsutification from a demon god nwo too.
Many Canadian news media persons and MPs ddo not agree with your invasion of pricacy, undemocractic racists, redneck sells. Fair warning to you as well.
I clearly had supported the Western Standard right of printing the cartoons under their right of free speech. But now I personally find out that their Internet site deliberately not only promotes hatred towards Canada, specially easterners but in an unfair and undemocratic process it deletes the unfavorable messages, towards Alberta too.. . This is both hypocritical and unacceptable on their parts. "
Posted by: Real | 2006-03-25 10:59:40 AM
" Western Standard's invasion of other people's computer is an illegal invasion of one's personal privacy. - Comcast High-Speed Internet Acceptable Use Policy http://www.comcast.net/terms/use.jsp .. we will "access any other person's computer or computer system, software, or data without their knowledge and consent; breach the security of another user; or attempt to circumvent the user authentication or security of any host, network, or account. This includes, but is not limited to, accessing data not intended for you, logging into or making use of a server or account you are not expressly authorized to access, or probing the security of other hosts, networks, or accounts; "
Scary scary stuff and still illegal. You need the written consent of noth parties to do this by law too.
Posted by: Pierre | 2006-03-25 11:01:20 AM
"It is clear as crystal that by most of the hateful, spiteful statements made here, the supposedly wealthy Alberta is a racist's, redneck's place. And it is still the same rural, untamed persons, the cowboys who lead the Canadian image of Alberta as the redneck capital of North America. An Alberta that still needs to buy people, foreigners, wetbacks to come to Alberta to mainly generate more money for the select few still. Generating more money for the select few is a main Albertan priority of it's governments. Thus Albertans and their Government using the pretentious term loosely are more than content to let social underclasses come in. Alberta's enemies are not those outside it's borders nut the enemy that is far stronger and more destructive than many outsiders realize. Alberta has many Racists who practise both a race-based and a non raced based hatred for any persons not born and raised in Alberta. Racism isalso believing that there are different races of people in Alberta and that one one particular race in Alberta is inherently superior. Too many Albertans feel compelled to protect these backward living rednecks and why? If I think all Torontonians are superior to all Montrealers, does that not make me also a discriminatory racist? Even the regionalist are racists too. These soley white redneck Albertans are still racists by any reasonable facts. When things turn bad next it is always these foreigners, or the minorities in Alberta who are constantly on the reciving end of redneck crap and are the persons that have been made to feel like aliens in the province that they also contribute to day in and day out. These Rednecks are the persons who ave no qualms to hypocritically tell everyone else they are lazy, tax-siphoning bastards that should not have come to Alberta. A racists and a false superiority mentality, attitudes are the dirty underside of the Albertan juggernaut. "
Posted by: Clear | 2006-03-25 11:04:34 AM
" Eventually, Alberta will experience a recession, a VERY troubling sense of foreboding, something that scares these rednecks beyond shitless hence their strong declarations of self-reliance yet no tangible evidence of such a thing.. Apparently thus Alberta is an abmonination and is not longer a Bible belt, God's country and God will smite all Alberta one day again. Albertans should now be really concerned with who will be there for them when the chips are down. Albertas has got to do some serious soul-searching. But it has to have a soul firstly which it visibly ain't got yet. As we all can tell if we want too. For too many Albertans still do bring out the dark underside of Alberta and show it to the rest of Canada.
And how is Alberta going to attract people from other countries, other parts of Canada if they know they don't have a chance to be accepted? By telling them more lies. Alberta is a mouse trap, luring in the unsuspecting.
Where as in Eastern Canada Michaele Jean is a perfect example where a black woman from Haiti with all her citizenships, cultures, language, past it did not prevent her to now rise to greatness, inspiring many others through the diversity of her existence, for in contrast to Alberta the rest Canada is a much better place than Alberta today. I too have been been shocked at some of the anti-immigrant , anti canadian sludge I've seen on to many conservative blogs and how much hatred they are carrying around. They are not only racists, terrorists nuts but they are criminals who should be jailed now.
I am a great Canadian although the rest of you Albertans appear to have forgotten what that means. It is us Canadians who should stop the train and let you bad Albertans get off. All you jerks who deliberately derail the train just to be selfishly heard too. There are many good Canadians picking shrapnel out of their skin because of what you stinking manure, gas producers wrongfuly have done here too. Canada is better off without you.The rest of what you say is meaningless still too. Damned Ablertan rednecks." Get rid of them.
Posted by: Sad | 2006-03-25 11:07:35 AM
..Actually, what would surprise a CBC socialist drone is the concept of people willing to do something for someone in dire need without being paid by the government for doing it.
Concern about also having more money and not people is consistent with the Albertan rednecks idealistic approach so this is all hypocritcal
Posted by: Yes | 2006-03-25 11:11:01 AM
For a resident of British Columbia, Canada's Pacific province, to acknowledge that he has sailed on a ferry is hardly showing off or bragging. There's nothing exception about it.
saving one's life is never exceptional?
but getting richer in Alberta is?
and continue to lie to yourself about the real motives for your posts.
Posted by: Cartoon | 2006-03-25 11:14:15 AM
Many many people in Canada npw rightfully do not go along with Conservatives, who are really no different from the Liberals it seems now again, especially persons from Ontario and Qubecers and that is what makes the Albertan renecks unjustly mad.
In Canada we all have still do a right of free speech even if not here. I too can tell the truth to many others. I do believe that Public exposure and prosecution of the guilty serves everyone's best interest.
And I do shout abuses loud from every street corner I can. I do it 7 days a week for years and make it a full time event too. I also mail out thousands of letters a week to the right parties for their further actions, to news editors as well, and note this to pastors now included.
I have been writing before the Reform party was formed. I helped to make sure Kim Campbell rightfully lost her elections and may other federal cabinet ministers now too. I had predicted in writing beforehand that Brian Mulroney party not only lose the federal election but that party would cease to exist in Canada federal politics. I wrote and told the conservative rebuilders too everyone what the false professing, self serving persons Preston Manning and Stockwell Day that they would never make it to the PM's chair too. I was right here too.
In Canada even the news media it does not anymore support the bad Guys, losers once they are exposed, you bad Conservatives included and helps now to kills these wounded perverts.
for the Bad people not punished do wrongfully continue their wrongs. Reality
Posted by: Canada | 2006-03-25 11:34:11 AM
Alberta has no major manufacturing base and why?
What experience can you get coming of a farm?
Truths many rednecks also can't deal with.
Many Albertans maybe alcoholics but not workaholics.
My own experience in supervising many technical personnel in many of Canada's major provinces was that if you gave work to an English person raised in Canada, especially in Alberta, he or she would take it, and sit on, mostly do nothing and complain next even that you are giving him too much work.
My contrast experiences with many French Canadians was that they would complain that one as keeping the good work for oneself and denying them access to it, for the Quebecers often would demand more work, were twice as effective in quality and output as the raise in Canada Canadian.
One of the best firms in Canada is the Imperial Esso even in Alberta
Most major Consulting engineering firms in Canada are at least 85 percent non Canadian born persons, immigrants and are located in the east, where most of the work gets done.
Yet the rednecks sure can produce most of the manure and bad smelling gas in Alberta cause it does not take much real work. Or to raise Cattle for that matter.
Posted by: And | 2006-03-25 1:10:55 PM
The real story is: also is why did Klein and his bad PC party now undemocratically run aground?
Posted by: Jena | 2006-03-25 1:13:52 PM
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