I Actually Took the Weekend Off by Jamie Gilcig – Deep Thoughts Covered by February Snow

CFN – I accidentally took this weekend off.   I  really did.  It was odd.  It was kinda wonderful.  My critters were happy.  My girl friend was happy.   I was even kinda happy, or at least a bit rested.

I napped.  I watched Nashville on Netflix.   I chatted with some friends I hadn’t heard from in awhile.   I cooked.    I watched the February snow bury us without going out.

I answered some very tough questions too, and thought some deep and strange thoughts.

When you’re in combat or a highly stressful situation there are usually two paths people take.  They either stand up and shine or they crumble.    Sometimes they stand up first and crumble after.    Sometimes they crumble and dig up that inner courage to face what can seem unfaceable.  (that’s not a word is it?)

One of my discoveries or realizations this weekend was the utter contempt and lack of professionalism that some of our local politicians have for the public.

I deal with a lot of people, many for CFN, but many for other things I work on.  I work with people from all over the world.    I have yet to see the types of responses or lack therof I see from most of our elected officials and supposed community leaders here in Cornwall.

Now that’s a big brush, but sadly people follow other people’s leads sometimes instead of thinking for themselves.

Is it any wonder that we’re facing a huge tax hike and a pool of bad news?

About half of this council were part of the past council.   Bernadette Clement, Elaine MacDonald, David Murphy, Andre Rivette, and Maurice Dupelle.   Even Mayor O’Shaughnessy was on council, at least for a bit, and while he bleated about lies from former Mayor Kilger and staff I don’t recall him actually voicing out about a lot of issues other than Whistle blower Diane Shay.   (Who he has been silent about since winning)

By the end of this month you also may be reading about my ridiculous police charges being dropped.   For the odd CFN regular viewer that didn’t know I am facing a restraining order request by South Stormont Deputy Mayor Tammy Hart; a document that at no part says she was afraid or fearful, but complained that I took video of her during council meetings and had the temerity to send her emails.   My other case is of course the allegations that I made threatening phone calls to a someone that had a bad day in court and subsequently lost and had to pay their bill.

The common thing between both cases is the behavior of the crown attorneys involved which is probably why those connected to the alleged bribes offers to Andrew Olivier over the Sudbury by election will never be prosecuted.

The OPP may want to do something, but ultimately it’s the Crown the decides to move forward and as long as our justice system in Ontario is partisan based that won’t most likely not happen.     The Attorney General, Madeleine Meilleur is of course deeply a part of the Liberal machine, as is Premier Wynne and her breakfast buddy Councilor Bernadette Clement, and former Mayor Bob Kilger who was on the police board, which was chaired by his campaign manager Pat Finucan.

If you can imagine this, it’s been nearly eight months since a production order showed that I never made the calls.  Not a single one.    Charges were laid that I made calls from my phone at certain times and dates for specific duration’s.   Those calls were never made.   So why were the charges and conditions been stuck on me for a year, and today is the one year anniversary of that phone call from the Cornwall Police informing me that I would be charged for the first time in my 50 years.  It was done the night that we Celebrated our fifth anniversary of CFN at the Port Theater.    Coincidentally the Port is being refused the right to serve alcohol by the city now for about the same amount of time which reminds me of another client that didn’t get a permit until they pulled the ad from CFN as well.

Politics is a dirty game, but if our justice system fails us, as it clearly has here in Cornwall, what do we really have as a community?  Does that invite people to move here, or set up shop?  I know I’ve been asked about a half dozen times over the past year about businesses coming to Cornwall and starting up; bringing jobs and brains to our city.  I won’t print my advice at this time.

The biggest failure has been our community in not holding people accountable.  For allowing others to be bullied and brutalized and hiding with the hopes that it doesn’t happen to them too, or simply because they’re friends or families of the offending party.

So as CFN celebrates our 6th birthday today, in spite of certain politicians and “leaders” like Roy Perkins, Jim Brownell, Bernadette Clement, Bob Kilger, Denis Thibault, Rick Shaver, Gilles Latour, David Murphy, Brock Frost is issued a press release or two about it, and the handful of others including a hate group on facebook  attempt for us not to reach that milestone I think it’s time for all of us to decide what we really want for the future of our city, our home, and the place we should stand for.

Is it to be a closed shop that only allows newcomers in if they “know” their position or simply pay through the nose for the pleasure or if we’re to be a community that wants to grow and be inviting to new blood and new business?

In the meanwhile it’s back to work today.   There’s news to print.  There are stories to listen to and maybe even write about some of them.   There are people asking for help like those that did last week who simply wanted to be able to drink from a water bottle at a store that was built which the City gave corporate welfare to.

We all can do better and we must.

As I’ve written before.   CFN isn’t one guy sitting in his basement.  It’s our viewers, which if you are still reading you’re one of.

The only power we may have is you, and the community which choose to click on our pages, to the tune of 1,331,424 times in January (Human page views).

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