cancelling the "Globe"

I may have to cancel my subscription to the "Globe." I haven't even read the article accompanying it, but the huge photograph of our prime minister with his usual frozen smile, leaning in to share a giggle with the Queen, is so nauseating that I had to turn it face down in order to be able to eat breakfast.

And the headline: "Queen praises Canada's character and values." "A caring home for its own, a sanctuary for others," she says. This caring home, this sanctuary where only a few days ago, citizens were boxed in by police and kept immobile in a thunderstorm for hours, others chased by cops on horses or beaten, hundreds taken to cages in an improvised prison facility, kept overnight with little food or water, and then released without charge. Sanctuary?

A big photo like that - I guess the "Globe" wants Harper to have his majority. And if that happens, the crackdown events of the G20 will look like a picnic. Our country has already changed so immeasurably under these guys; the Queen is talking about another time, a completely different place. But so many voters, I fear, just accept what they see. They see a smiley face, yes, albeit a strangely cold, emotionless one, but smiley nonetheless, chatting with the Queen, standing beside Obama, and think things look pretty good. Our country is sliding down a precipice, and the "Globe," pandering to those who want to wear rose-coloured glasses, has done us no favours.

Otherwise - what a heavenly Canada Day weekend. The weather could not be better - sunny and mild with a breeze, even a hint of chill in the evenings. My Canadian flag is flying by the front door. I used to love this country with my whole being; now I'm filled with fear about where we're headed. My neighbour Craig, who worked non-stop for months trying to get Bob Rae elected head of the Liberals at the last convention and returned crushed and disillusioned, says that what we have to do is to focus locally - turn our attention away from the country and toward the neighbourhood, where we can actually make a difference.

Okay, focus on the neighbourhood. I just called the "Globe" and cancelled my subscription. Now I live in even more of a liberal bubble than before and can eat breakfast in peace. Love it.