Last night GC and I went to the so-called all-candidates meeting for the Ottawa West-Nepean provincial by-election. It’s GC’s riding, and he wanted to better acquaint himself with the issues and the candidates before deciding who to vote for.
Two of the mainstream candidates – the Liberal and the Conservative – didn’t even bother showing up to make a case for themselves, despite the fact that this was to be the election’s ONLY public all-candidates meeting. They’re begging for votes, yet they snub the voters.
I believe GC crossed them both off his list.
So who does that leave? The NDP candidate (Pam FitzGerald), the Green candidate, Mark MacKenzie, and the lunatic fringe candidate, John Turmel.
John Turmel. This guy has been running for office as long as I can remember. He’s in the Guinness Book of World Records for having run – unsuccessfully – in 72 elections. He rants and raves about poker, interest-free loans, bartering and marijuana. He’s opinionated, theatrical, big and belligerent, and he waves his arms and hollers his opinions. I kept thinking he was going to accidentally smack Mark Mackenzie, who had the misfortune to be seated next to him, with one of his flailing arms, and at one point he did elbow him in the head. Everybody else tolerates John Turmel, but the photographers seem to love him because he’s such a spectacle.
I wonder if anybody ever invites him to dinner parties. Imagine a dinner party with John Turmel, Lowell Green, Marvin Glass, Don Cherry and Big Bud? (If you’re not from Ottawa, you might not recognize some of these names – what they share in common is that they’re all overly opinionated men who entertain no possibility in their own minds that they might occasionally be wrong. They also all believe in the power of volume to prove a point.)
Anyway, I believe the some-candidates meeting helped GC narrow down his list. He’s still got a couple of days to make his final decision.
I thought Turmel had taken his election and gambling show to southern Ontario.
Does he still wear the LETS (Or was it Turmel the Engineer) Hard hat?
Thanks for this report. I just got back and was wondering how things on the election front were moving along. Very interesting. Makes my choise for a vote easier too.
Of course, I mean “choice”, that s is too close to the c!
Zoom, you have just supplied me with my new ‘vison of hell’.
zoom: “So who does that leave? The NDP candidate (Pam FitzGerald), the Green candidate, Mark MacKenzie, and the lunatic fringe candidate, John Turmel.”
Jct: I’m always amazed how people can throw insults around without being able to cite one thing to back it up.
zoom: “This guy has been running for office as long as I can remember. He’s in the Guinness Book of World Records for having run – unsuccessfully – in 72 elections.”
Jct: 73 elections contested, 71 elections lost, probably 72 tomorrow, 1 Guelph byelection aborted upon calling general election so 2 different records, elections constested and elections lost.
zoom: “He rants and raves about poker, interest-free loans, bartering and marijuana.”
Jct: Yes, I spoke about those topics, though “rants and raves” is an opinion that again, I’d bet $10 right now zoom can’t back up with one rant or rave that didn’t make sense. Not one. Imagine him beating the Great Canadian Gambler out a bet he can put on his trophy wall. Just back up one thing that he witnessed that made it a rant or a rave.
zoom: “He’s opinionated, theatrical, big and belligerent, and he waves his arms and hollers his opinions. I kept thinking he was going to accidentally smack Mark Mackenzie, who had the misfortune to be seated next to him, with one of his flailing arms, and at one point he did elbow him in the head.”
Jct: Sure you don’t have to like my style, but we’re more interested in what you have show about my substance.
zoom: “Everybody else tolerates John Turmel, but the photographers seem to love him because he’s such a spectacle.
Jct: I found it odd too that they took hundreds of shots over the first half hour. I was wondering if they knew something I didn’t know. But notice that no picture of me was used. That’s the odd part. Why all the pictures they weren’t going to use? Probably trying to catch a bad one!
zoom: “I wonder if anybody ever invites him to dinner parties. Imagine a dinner party with John Turmel, Lowell Green, Marvin Glass, Don Cherry and Big Bud? (If you’re not from Ottawa, you might not recognize some of these names – what they share in common is that they’re all overly opinionated men who entertain no possibility in their own minds that they might occasionally be wrong. They also all believe in the power of volume to prove a point.)
zoom: Excuse me but none of them would put their money where their mouth was like I would. None of them can point to being invited to address the United Nations Millennium Assembly nor to gettting their UNILETS Millennium Declaration adopted. Despite being the world’s greatest loser against stacked political decks (I was excluded from the candidates’ Rogers 1 hour debate and given 3 minutes at the end with no chance to show up my opponents, the real reason Bob and Beth didn’t show after seeing my protest sign outside Rogers for having accepted my share of the time), my interest-free LETS timebank currency software has spread around the world. What have the others achieved?
Reb: “I thought Turmel had taken his election and gambling show to southern Ontario.”
Jct: Yes, I now live 6 minutes from the Brantford Poker Casino and my election show is only restricted to Brantford for municipal elections, to Ontario for provincial, and to Canada for national. I was in the federal Hochelaga a few months before Ottawa West-Nepean, Toronto Centre provincial byelections.
Reb: “Does he still wear the LETS (Or was it Turmel the Engineer) Hard hat?”
Jct: Same political uniform: LETS software diskette button, Royal Flush tie and white hard-hat. So, keep in mind that zoom heard me offer him an interest-free paypal-like account from the Bank of Canada’s computer payable in cash or time at work but he wasn’t interested, he’d rather everyone stay broke. Is the judgement of a man who isn’t interested in an interest-free Bank of Canada account on what is rantind and raving to be taken seriously?
Please see the definition of a lunatic fringe candidate. Having sat through most of that meeting myself, I think you were spot on with that description Zoom.
Jct: The I offer you $10 to put your money where your mouth is unlike zoom who could not back up his comment. Flash the cash, bye bye trash. I’ve got it all on tape and I’ll be publishing whatever incident or statement you think backs you up. Put up or shut up.
Mr. Turmel, I don’t need to argue with you because you’re making my point for me.
Jct: As long as everybody knows you backed down, who cares what implications you think you feel. You couldn’t back up what you, you backed down before my bet, go ahead, try another insult and I’ll laugh at your loud-mouth for backing down again and again.
Your communication skills are all about volume rather than clarity, so I’m not even sure I understand what you’re saying. Frankly, you do your causes a disservice by promoting them so rudely.
Today is election day. I’m sure you have more important things to do than acting like an ass on a knitting blog.
Scary as it is, I sometimes find myself agreeing with some of the things Green spits out. As for Cherry, he’s perfectly fine–as long as he sticks to things he actually has a clue about rather than shilling for whoever’s gonna pay him for the privelege of showing his face on TV.
I can’t wrap my head around any of the provincial candidates for any of the parties. If I lived in that riding I probably wouldn’t vote just for the simple fact voting for any of the mainstream ones would make me sick, and JCT would make me consider having myself committed.
Zoom: “Your communication skills are all about volume rather than clarity, so I’m not even sure I understand what you’re saying. Frankly, you do your causes a disservice by promoting them so rudely. Today is election day. I’m sure you have more important things to do than acting like an ass on a knitting blog.”
Jct: At least you’re aware you were given no information upon which to base your conclusions. That explains all.
James: “JCT would make me consider having myself committed.”
Jct: Good conclusion for anyone not bright enough to accept and interest-free loan.
Hey Zoom don’t tell Turmel but there is a Municipal election coming up in the fall
um ‘jct’ last time we met in person you were running for mayor and you invited me to call you a liar when I pointed out that you failed to leave the debate after promising to do so. I believe the other people getting on the bus with you were quite happy to also point out your failure to follow through on the promised action.
Congratulations, JCT. You just explained why you didn’t stand a chance in Thursday’s election better than anyone else on this blog could have. And I didn’t even have to get into a debate with you.
reb: “you failed to leave the debate after promising to do so.”
Jct: You have a screw loose if you think I ever promised to leave a debate. I consider attending, since I don’t spend money, my sole duty as a candidate (and answer questionaires).
James: “Congratulations, JCT. You just explained why you didn’t stand a chance in Thursday’s election better than anyone else on this blog could have. And I didn’t even have to get into a debate with you.”
Jct: Wow, you’re so subtle no one knows what you said.
skylark: “Please see the definition of a lunatic fringe candidate. Having sat through most of that meeting myself, I think you were spot on with that description Zoom.”
Jct: And we’ll let history decide if the guy who was trying to offer you an interest-free credit card is the lunatic or the guy who didn’t vote for it. Har har har. They didn’t vote for interest-free loans. Too bad I can’t wish them to remain debt slaves as long as they wish but I have to free everyone if I want to free myself. So the dolts who don’t know what they turned down get saved from our exponential debts with the rest of us.