Cornwall ON – So it looks like I’ll be shooting a documentary here in the area over the next year. It’s going to be a political odyssey. I’ve been asked to run for office, and the official announcement should be coming out in June with specific details.
I’ve done a lot of thinking and discussed it with a lot of people that I truly respect. It’s amazing the advice you get; good sound advice; even when the person isn’t of the same political position of you. It shows the integrity that some people have more than others. I’ve also seen some people pull back from me since those discussions, which is very sad as I’ve been very supportive of some of them since the paper started back in February of 2009.
Being a filmmaker has always been my love, and I’m going to try and turn this adventure into something that asks questions about how we as a society deal with political questions that impact not only our daily lives, but the future of our city, province, country, and at the end of the day the world.
So smile Cornwall! You’re on camera! You too in Ottawa and the area!
And while I have your attention if I were elected your MP here in SD&SG my expenses would be open to the public and posted on my website quarterly. I think a MP should truly work for the citizens of a riding, and you should never hide anything from your employer. It’s a shame to think that MP’s need the Auditor General to bring this issue to the forefront. I’m surprised that MP’s are not voluntarily bringing their expense reports out to the public because judging from what I’ve been reading that’s what you, the public want.
I remember chatting with our Mayor, Bob Kilger, and he told me that one of the most difficult positions a politician could be in is when he has to choose between his loyalty to his party and his constituents.
It should be a very interesting Fall. I’ll be updating you on this and there will be a separate website for my political run and the documentary. If you wish to participate in the process feel free to email me at canvid@hotmail.com
Thanks,
Jamie Gilcig – Editor – The Cornwall Free News
Good Luck Jamie … and we will be able to see to day to day activites of a newbie politician.
Congratulatiuons Jamie, I will vote for you, regardless of party, if you promise to represent your constituents and not the party. Again, congratulations!
Thank you Stan, and to all of you who have emailed me at canvid@hotmail.com this morning. It’s much appreciated, and it’s been encouragement to the many of you I’ve talked about issues with that has encouraged me to run for public office.
When will you be stepping down from Cornwall Free News?
Hah, you finally came out of the political closet. It’s about time. You didn’t mention which party banner you will be under…..but I won’t out you.
Hey Kristie,
He can’t step down – he’s the best editor I’ve ever met.
Good on you, Jamie. Stan has it right: constituents before party.
Aha! So that’s why you’ve been so pro Green Party lately!
Now Rodney if you count stories I’ve had more for the NDP in the last little while than any other party…..
You may be right, I’m not counting… I’ve just noticred an uptick in your Green Party support lately….
You have my support Jamie. All the best to you. 🙂
Good luck Jamie
Here is a truly important point tidbit of history to consider. Any information you receive from the likes of Bob Kilger should be discarded with out hesitation. Remember both his personal life and his political life was riddled with loyalty issues. He even states it in part to you as shown “I remember chatting with our Mayor, Bob Kilger, and he told me that one of the most difficult positions a politician could be in is when he has to choose between his loyalty to his party and his constituents.”
If you cannot pick a side and be honest about it, Then perhaps you are no better then Kilger and would be an outstanding politician but a poor excuse for a human being.
S’mee I completely agree with our Mayor’s statement, and can assure you when elected 100% of my loyalty will be with those that put me there.
Jamie – Will you be 100% loyal only to those that voted for you or will you represent everyone in the riding?
Hi Jerry, when elected I would like any representative should be there for every single citizen, not just those that voted for me.
Jerry, that doesn’t mean you can now go and vote for someone else….
Even Pastafarians?
Especially Pastafarians…..
Who are Pastafarians? I had to know??? I am sure I am not the only one. As a favour to us all, here gors. This is a cut and paste from the Pastafarian bible found in the Urban Dictionary. They seem to like to sell mugs, t-shirts and magnets.
The great and allmighty atheist religion which teaches how the world was created by the flying spaghetti monster who happened to be drunk which thus explains why bad things happen. the Pastafarians follow the church of the flying spaghetti monster and when they go to heaven they will enjoy a beer volcano and a stripper factory, however in hell the beer is stale and the strippers have VD! In Pastafarian terms agnostics are known as spagnostics and all prayers must end with RAmen. September 19th is the national talk like a pirate day and the religions founder Bobby Henderson has published a “Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster”.
And I say diversity is what makes Canada, Ontario, SD&SG, and Cornwall great 🙂
Jamie take care with who you make your allegiances with and do not commit to all the voters, remember the old adage “You can please some of the people some of the time “
I have no doubt Bob is correct in his statement, but when and where do you draw the line?
When Transport Training institute was to be built in Cornwall the federal politicians had decided to relocate in elsewhere. Lumley told Turner that if they didn’t build Transport Canada in Cornwall the party would loose the riding and or Lumley would either quit or jump the fence so to speak. Do you think Kilger has the man parts to commit to such an act? What has Kilger ever done since his time in politics? I have seen no growth, no change and really no form of leadership what so ever. He like Lauzon is nothing more then a puppet.
I have seen many situations where acting in the clients interests became a political issue and different approaches where carried based on verbiage not morals and or professional practices.
I can also tell you, to win an election in Cornwall you need massive support from back door politicians. Many of these guys believe they won on merit, *lol* not in the least. Reggie Woodward use to promote PC like no other His diner use to be an Icon of downtown Cornwall and The Progressive Conservative Party. Local politics were won by his ability, connections and polls, not speeches and lies these guys tell. There use to be a Deli poll on Pitt str. as well, the time Poirier was running for mayor. The table chatter had Phil elected long before anyone else knew. Kilger was also a topic of discussion in his final moments as MP.
It was all networking and promotions, very little had to do with the persons actual ability, I mean look at how it all turned out. Who since Lumley has ever done anything to promote Cornwall and create economic growth?
Diversity can be great but multiculturism is not helping Canada. These human rights boards for example.
s’mee partisan politics aside I’ve learned a lot from our Mayor. Sometimes, when you’re really good at something, it doesn’t show. I’ll use a baseball analogy. When I was young there was an outfielder by the name of Lonnie Smith. His nick name was skates and he made the wildest catches in the outfield not so much because he was good, but because he was making up for being out of position. Then you watch someone like Frank Mahovlich skate and it’s amazing and almost never seen or appreciated.
Every politician has pluses and minuses, and I’m sure I’ll be no different on that account, but sometimes you really have to watch someone up close to see how good or bad they do things.
I’ve only lived in Cornwall 6+ years, but I’ve heard about the past, and I’ve lived through Mayor Kilger’s run and had the opportunity to talk with him numerous times, and for me, speaking for myself, he has more polish and capability than I’ve seen of an awful lot of politicians that I’ve met. He’s also a consummate professional as opposed to say….our MP.
So sure you criticize Mr. Kilger, but just remember as you suggested that sometimes you get put into awfully sticky situations as a politician. Btw, it was Mr. Kilger who first told me about the Lumley situation and I have a powerful hunch that Mr. Kilger would follow suit if in the same situation.
So s’mee this should be an interesting election year; probably at the civic and federal level. Who are you going to vote for when it comes to council or otherwise?
Yes Jamie, you are certainly more plus than minus.
Jamie when you use terms like polish it brings to mind another old saying, No matter how you shine a pile of poop it is still a pile of poop.
You also are beginning to speak like a politician, need a bit more polish perhaps *l* (just kidding) Kilger was not pushed into anything as you seem to believe
“So sure you criticize Mr. Kilger, but just remember as you suggested that sometimes you get put into awfully sticky situations as a politician.”
Kilger chose to run for politics and was aware of these sticky situations especially as Mayor following in his time as MP. You do nothing but make an excuse for his incompetence by your statement. That shows the lack of truth, is it so he will keep speaking to The Cornwall Freenews?
Strike one perhaps
Kilger told you about Lumley, *l* he still looks up to success I guess. What Bob and most of these current councilors do not understand is that any idiot can pee on the floor, but it takes a real hero to poop on the ceiling. Do you see anyone capable of doing that in the current council or the possible future candidates? All I see are retired mill workers and bus drivers. None of whom were successful without a union, or someone else to think for them.
I am not sure who I will vote for, probably nobody this time If I could have a little time to publicly question the candidates it would help. In the last municipal election I called all the mayoral candidates and asked to speak with them regarding their credentials, a resume would have been nice. I mean they are essentially applying for a position. The only person that did not call me back was Bob Kilger, I met with all other Mayoral candidates.
Bob did not even return my call.
geez s’mee you sound like a tough voter. Good for you to holding any politician up to scrutiny. One of the pillars of my campaign and purpose is that I want people that don’t vote and who have departed the political sphere and thus turned their back on Democracy to consider coming back and becoming a part of the shaping of our world.
It’s so easy to complain to friends or on websites and quite another to get involved with the process and working towards solutions! I think that some people though forget that even politicians are human too with faults. I think that scares a lot of good people from running for office.
And using your analogy, yes, any politician is interviewing for a job, but then shouldn’t the relevant issues relate to that interview?
admin: if you want s’mee’s vote then you’d better start to learn how to poop on the ceiling!
Antipasta I’m not a real politician. I just play one in pixel land. I won’t be pandering for anyone’s vote. I’m going to share what I want to do and if enough people respond then I’ll be elected to office.
Which form of democracy do you speak of Jamie, as a political system democracy is the purest for of socialism that exists? We may vote for whom we believe is our best representative but in the end it is all driven by economics thus a Socialist government. At that time people like Bob cannot determine what is in his best interest to stand for, the people paying him or duration of his tenure as a MP. There is no democracy.
Marx and Lennon shared the same vision for people and it stands true today in Canada, keep people hungry and ignorant and you can make them believe and do what ever is necessary. We always want more based on marketing and we are never kept abreast to any decisions until they are all but law.
As for relevant issues, here is a couple of questions for you.
Will you work to incorporate a municipal 5 year plan in your time as politician? When do you see the plan completed?
Will you promote economic growth in the city which would aid in changing the existing mind set of local businesses? Will you make Cornwall more then a haven for mindless jobs?
Currently the city of Cornwall has more people in its employ and equipment available then it did 25 years ago. The population has not changed and the processes for completing work have improved. Will you eliminate unnecessary services and staff?
Will you work with other commentates and form an alliance to combat the provincial and federal neglect and expenditures often felt by communities like Cornwall.
Are you capable of gaining the monies owed by Robert H Saunders Generating station in the same manner as our good friends in Akwesasne and Massena?
Should you answer yes to any questions, I ask you in what time line.
The reasons I do not get involved politics is I need commitment. Commitment scares people. There is always the oh I’ll try my best and for that I refert o Sean Connery from the movie “ The Rock” Losers always whine about trying their best winners go home with the prom queen
S’mee I’m not sure Mr Lenin had quite everything worked out. I am a human being. I am fallible. I do have good intentions, and some interesting skill sets to offer.
If the constituents decide to elect me to office I can state categorically that my clear focus will be on serving them and not hanging out with the back room crowd and king makers.
Other than that I can’t say too much until things are official and of course this whole experience will the focus of the documentary I’ll be shooting about Politics and my political journey.
Once things are cemented officially I’d be happy to try and answer more of your questions in detail.
Some of mankind’s worst atrocities were committed with the idea of good intentions.
Remember the questions as they have already been asked. Answer them once the foundation is set. I will be watching the Cornwall freenews
Back the train up s’mee, you’ve gone off the tracks. Your take on Marx is way off, and your take on Lenin is slightly skewed. If you had said Lenin and Stalin I could have let it slide. Marx was an idea man, and his idea was equality for all through the elimination of slave wages as driven by capitalism. Lenin took the idea, and set up the so called Socialist system of the Soviet Union. While it was somewhat based on true Marxism, it was never what Marx had in mind. Now when you talk about “keeping people hungry and ignorant” you’re talking about Stalin. He was a bad man, and even further away from Marxism than Lenin was.
Read Animal Farm if you don’t have time to learn the actual story of the Russian Revolution. Old Major (who represents a combination of Marx and Lenin) dies before Napolean (Stalin) really takes control of the farm, much like Marx and Lenin were eliminated before the atrocities started. By the way, contrary to poular belief, Orwell was a socialist and fought with the Anarchists in the Spanish Revolution.
OK, now for admin: As i read it, your aim is to restore faith in democracy in those of us who have stopped showing up at the polls. Good luck. We live in a society where politicians and their parties are just puppets for the real leaders of our country: big business. We are not a democracy, we are a capitalist democracy. And those are two concepts that don’t get along. Capital is what runs this land, and the majority of us don’t have capital. When you can fix that, you can have my vote.
One last point. I do vote municipally, since they do not have a party to answer to and they are directly responsible to their community.
Rodney one of the biggest dangers facing the planet today is in Democratic countries where people feel their votes are powerless and useless. I don’t believe that for a second. I’m also not naive 🙂
Btw, nice explanation and use of one of my favorite authors. My favorite Orwell book is Down and Out in Paris and London.
It will take generations, if even possible, to getting people used to the idea that their votes count. We’ve been socially engineered to believe that our votes don’t matter. I kinda find it akin to Animal Farm just without slogans or people realizing that it’s been done.
Like any journey though it has to start with one step. I’m taking one of my steps here in Cornwall Ontario after being encouraged by an awful lot of people. If there are enough similar minded people in this area then maybe, just maybe, we can create some positive change that maybe, just maybe, may encourage positive change in other places.
Rodney,
Marx is in one of the main idealists behind the communist manifesto. This idealist society is its own demise. It has also been re-written to suit an interpretation of what Marx and Engels were actually attempting, which is Pure Communism.
The Communist Manifesto addresses the nature of the new working class which Marx calls the proletariat. He reviews its implications for the advancement of society, including the abolition of property and family. This section also stresses a kind of Utopia that can only be brought about by violence and conflict with the working class wresting power from the bourgeoisie (the owners of the means of production). This conflict is projected also to bring about the end of nation-states and, ultimately, all forms of government, resulting in a worker’s paradise.
The Communist Manifesto is a declaration of the intentions of a communist organization. Yet it has proved to be much more than this. It has also served as a brief and concise explanation of the ideas that form the foundation of communist and socialist ideology.
“Working Men of All Countries, Unite!”, a famous quote which is in part what was the drive by the unions that began in France under solidarity.
It would have been the demise of social structure in order to eliminate the Bourgeois. Same thing was tried at Woodstock.
It all amounts to the same as Lennin and Stalin, keep people igorent and hungry and their hearts will follow
So Jamie wants to run for office sometime in the near future. Then everything imaginable hit the fan. We heard about Bob Kilger, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Lumley, shine a pile of poop, Reggie Woodward, Guy Lauzon, Lonnie Smith, Frank Mahavolich, democracy, socialists, Marx, Lenin. Engels, Stalin, Animal Farm, Russian Revolution, Orwell, Anarchists in the Spanish Revolution, Capitalists, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Communist Manifesto, bourgeoisie, Woodstock. What do any of these things have to do with Jamie running for office? Absolutely Nothing!!! It’s just drivel.
I say we all vote for Jamie, once and for all, and lets move on!
Stan, Jamie has got a conversation going. Is that such a bad thing— especially in the current hyper-partisan climate? My two cents to add to your list: wasn’t it Winston Churchill who said “Better jaw, jaw, than war, war”? Translation for us in our sound-byte world: we’d get on so much better if we spent more time talking and listening to one another, sharing news and debating ideas…always with respect for the views of others—precisely what is so woefully lacking in our current Parliament.
To Stan – Thanks for your excellent summary list. Jamie has causd us to think deep thoughts about our world. Perhaps Jamie is the new Obama. Go Jamie.
That PJR is the whole focus of my upcoming campaign. Let’s talk about the issues and get more people involved with making our environment a better place. To me that’s not such a bad idea.
I agree somewhat with Stan. We got a little off topic, but I couldn’t let Smee get away with his misrepresentation of historical events and figures…and then he went and did it again. Anyhow, your position is part of the reason I don’t vote. Jamie hasn’t even announced which party he represents, or what his platform is going to be and you are already campaigning for him. To many people vote in ignorance, making their mind up based on personality rather than political position.
Now briefly back to Smee: If an architect designs a home, and the builder does not follow the blue prints, is the architect responsible if the buiding collapses? Clearly not. Marx and Engels wrote the manifesto in 1848, as young men barely in their 20’s. It was over 50 years before before Lenin took power in the Russian Civil War, and installed the Leninist version of Marxism, which led eventually to the Stalinist version of Leninist-Marxism. PS, you really confused me with the Woodstock bit: what does the bird from Charlie Brown have to do with any of this? Was he a Pinko? (If you wish to continue this debate, maybe we should move over to the “burning yaks” section”)
Now back to admin: One of the biggest dangers in so called democratic countries is the illusion that your vote does count. It took generations to create a system of manipulation and mind control to create the high level of apathy and acquiesence we know today. This was no accident. Our entire education and entertainment system is based on keeping the ignorant masses ignorant. I do appreciate your optimism, and wish you all the luck in your journey.
My favourite Orwell: The short story/essay, “Shooting an Elephant”
Rodney I would agree and disagree with you on a point. Yes, social engineering is alive and well in our world, but a vote still is a powerful thing. For example Medicare in Canada as we know it is under the gun. I think the Harper government would love nothing more than to turn it all over to the provinces.
If that happens, and I believe it can as of 2014 then our health care system as we know it is over. With Nafta implications we essentially would be doomed to private health care.
So yes, each and every vote is important. Yes, there are far too many people that prefer that people don’t vote, but “your vote” still has power.
The problem is finding places you feel comfortable using it whether it be at the Federal, Provincial, or Municipal level.
“Shooting an Elephant”–good choice, Rodney. Heartbreakingly brilliant indictment of imperialism. I would add Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language” as a classic must-read for all posters and aspiring writers.
As to getting off topic, surely no bad thing when this leads to broadening perspectives and framing the original topic in the Big Picture. (Contrast the Harperite habit of trivializing or cutting off attempts to get a conversation going on the big picture, such as on climate change, poverty, abiding by the Geneva Conventions, the reality of declining crime rates, and generally Canada in the world.)
Sorry Rod
I was under the impression you fully understood what the intent of the manifesto was all about.
Woodstock you know no boundaries no responsibilities and free love. Same simplified concept as Communism.
Jamie
I thought the province was responsible for the financial aspect of health care.
The government assures the quality of care through federal standards.
Canada’s Provincially based Medicare systems are supposidly cost-effective partly because of their administrative simplicity.