Whoo hoo! It's a Wing-Ding!

What a GREAT 3rd o' March!

Canada's off and running! We're "centre stage" in world affairs. We've got the iconic 'mayor' on US TeeVee and the Oscars are over in another blaze of glory for expat Canucks in sunnyside.

Big-Mouth Johnny Baird is back from his exposee in Ukraine and champing at the bit to 'disinvite' Putin from anything. After shaking hands with the non-entity who's been appointed maximum leader by somebody, and 'expressing' something from recently-released crook,  Julia Tymoshenko,  Baird has it all fingered-out.

The Russians have no business standing in the way of the victorious Ukrainian freedom fighters. (Mind you had anything looking like Ukrainian freedom fighters showed up, say, in suburban Montreal, as indeed' they did, not much more than a year ago, Johnny would have been taking 'the vapours' and calling for mass arrests, to go with the tasering, teargassing and 'riot control'. He did, actually.

But they were 'ungrateful' students protesting tuition hikes. They never armed themselves to start killing police squaddies, like the Ukrainians did. Instead of calling for civil order and fairness for all, John has decided he knows what's best for Ukrainians, including the sizable population that suddenly found itself living in somebody else's country when the Soviet Union fractured. Until now they, and obviously some 'real' Ukrainians, have been electing governments of  'their own choice' - most of which borrowed the country into a crisis.

But those who leaned east, instead of west, have become THE problem. Historically Ukraine has been 'autonomous' for a very brief period in the 20's and again, when associated as an SSR, with Russia. What parts of it were 'westernized' were  'provinces'  of  Poland and Austria in former times. But Baird thinks that Russia doesn't 'belong', although almost 40 percent of the Ukrainian population - Russians - do. They've just lost their voice to the 'real' Ukrainians, who, they fear, have an (legitimate?) ax to grind against Russia, and Russians. Like the Russian enclaves of gallant little Georgia, Mother Russia is offering them a self-determination denied by the 'free' west.

 If Johnny understands Quebec, he should understand Ukraine. In the same manner of thinking he should help the Quebecois declare independence. But that's somehow 'different' because this is Canada and we don't repress anybody - but rioting students.

Sadly, what Baird, and other 'great minds' before him, have done, is take Canada out of the middle ground. We are no longer able to talk to both sides. That hasn't made us better, or smarter  .. in fact it has cost a lot of needless death and suffering. If we're not careful it could happen again  and  even be much worse.

Canada needs Baird as much as we need Bob Ford.

The only substantial differences are that Ford admits to being a doper, a drunk and he doesn't  like gays. But he's getting the kind of press - in the absence of none - that Baird could only dream about. Toronto's disgrace is trotting his fat fanny out on American talk shows this week. Apparently somebody invited him to the Oscars -  and, (not being totally stupid, OK?)  he accepted. He did a 'mistaken walk-out' on the Kimmel Show last night, but is to be featured along, with a Muppet, tonight. Kevin Spacey passed a comment about him 'puking' all over the green room and so 'ramped-up' the interest in what 'ennertainment' is in store for this evening. No doubt his 'Onner' won't  let us down, eh?

I don't think Canada did  particularly well at last night's Oscars but it wasn't for want of a good time. The week-end papers reported on the 'pre-oscar' party for Canucks, featuring the grand old man of Canadian involvement in Hollywood - Mr. Norman Jewison. The tradition, dates back to the days of the government-funded - 'good-times' of special 'artistic' envoy to H'wood - her excellence, Kim Campbell. It gives Canadians a chance to dress-up in designer duds and tuxes, to meet, greet and schmooze with Canadians from all parts of the GWN, now-resident green card-holders and living in California. I would imagine that the Oscars might have been more fun had the Canadians had the good sense to lose a little more at the Olympics.