To the Lions and Beyond

This is a photo of the Lions and Howe Sound from Mount Strachan on Cypress. The easiest way to get there is by way of the Sky chair during ski season. Off season you can hike or snowshoe up.

This is a view of the East Lion from Mount Strachan. That famous fog can engulff you with little notice while on these peaks. Wise to bring a compass so it is. Yesterday I climbed the Lions themselves.

That was a hard hike. There’s no way I’d do it in winter. As it was, crossing the steep snow patches on the last quarter of the climb before the top of the ridge was somewhat hazardous.

Lion's Bay from the Lions. That's basically how far you climb.

I’m the kind of guy that likes to get out of the car, power up a few ridges on snowshoes and enjoy the view from some massive peaks. Hollyburn Ridge, Dam Mountain, Ptarmigan Ridge to name a few. The Lions is longer and harder and somewhat more hazardous at the top with many steep areas where one could fall to their death. Yet this climb didn’t diminish my respect for the Lions at all. It only increased it. Now I’ll just respect them from a far with a deeper reverence.

CAW Raid on TWU

Witnesses report that some of the fallen Bruce Bell storm troopers are pushing for a CAW Raid on TWU. That is clearly the epitome of stupidity. Bruce Bell was an idiot and Buzz Hargrove is a liar.

Let’s take a look at the facts. Bruce Bell was not reelected. He knew he would not win an election against George Doubt so he ran a clone in his place and ran for Vice President himself. Both failed miserably.

The few obscure remaining storm troopers preached the we must merge mantra until each of their subsequent electoral defeats. Why would a growing telecommunications industry merge with a shrinking auto industry? It defies reason.

The CAW used to have a reputation for being a strong proactive Union but Buzz Hargrove has stained the CAW and their reputation within the labour movement. The blind devotion to Hargrove’s stupidity was clearly cultlike. Nevertheless, some CAW activists withstood the threats and intimidation from the brain dead storm troopers and spoke out for reason amidst Buzz Hargrove’s world of insanity.

The CAW screwed the TWU completely and utterly and it was because of their blind devotion to Hargrove. Before I go head to head with Buzz Hargrove's lawyers, I will cite his recent raiding video he made for the last TWU convention as evidence and will dissect two of the false statements he made in it which clearly proves that me calling him a liar is not slander, it is the truth. Unparliamentary perhaps but not unlawful because truth crushed to the earth will rise again so it will as no lie can live forever.

Before I dive into the video’s transcripts I will cite two fundamental lies Buzz Hargrove made in his video. Buzz Hargrove claimed that he was not responsible for influencing Bruce Bell to betray his members. Buzz Hargrove also slandered the true people’s champion, Lila Hacket. That was low and cheap but to be expected from what we have seen of Buzz Hargrove’s Method of Operation.

The TWU were on Strike/Lock out. The tyrant Darren Entwistle wanted to break the contract that saw the company make record profits and saw him make huge increases to his massive salary. The Board of Directors gave him that mandate under the dirty hands of Brian Canfiled to implement off shore call centres and export Canadian jobs overseas at a time of record profits to satisfy the demands of greed.

Darren Entwislte lied and said the off shore call centres would not affect the employees' job security in Canada. The closure of the Calgary call centre is evidence he lied.

Bruce Bell said Job Security was the Hill to Die on and that no one goes back until we all go back. Then Buzz Hargrove came into the picture and fed Bruce Bell the poison kool aid. He convinced Bruce Bell to cave in on Job security and off shore call centres. The members revolted and voted no despite bussing in of scabs for the vote. Then they restalked the deck and had a scab mail in ballot where members in rural areas did not get a ballot while scabs got one at work and were bussed in to vote in person. Those who lived in rural areas that were not scabs did not get a ballot and did not get the chance to vote. Period.

In Buzz Hargrove’s dirty raiding video last Convention he blamed this all on Bruce Bell. Nevertheless, I saw CAW members pushing the yes vote on the TWU picketline. I was absolutely shocked at the absurd betrayal. Yet for Buzz Hargrove to claim that he and his storm troopers did not push the yes vote is an absolute bold face lie. I saw them myself. For him to feed Bruce Bell the poison kool aid then send his storm troopers in to blame Bruce Bell and ask why do you still have him as president trying to promote CAW leadership in his stead was a dirty deed done dirt cheap.

For Buzz Hargrove to slander Lila Hacket after all she did in saving the TWU was yet another dirty deed done dirt cheap and has stained the credibility of the CAW forever.

Yes the CAW lent the TWU money during their dispute but other Unions did as well and that loan has been paid in full. That is called trade Union support not capitalistic opportunism to force a merger and get their greedy little mitts on the TWU Pension surplus.

Buzz Hargrove was directly involved in the TWU sell out and for him to deny that and Blame Bruce Bell is a bold face lie and for him to slander Lila Hacket the true workers hero is so low it won him the snake in the grass award two times running.

Mind you after the Magna dues grab and the Windsor disaster, I don’t think the CAW will be able to fool anyone in Canada anymore… much. Me thinks they’re better off sticking to McDonald’s and Wal-Mart while the Bus Drivers are better off on their own.

For the CAW to redeem themselves in the eyes of the Labour Movement they are gonna have to elect someone who is not a Buzz Hargrove clone and most certainly not on the same card. Mr. Hargrove needs a dishonourable discharge for the CAW to survive. Cheers.

A New Dawn Breaks

As I previously mentioned, I’m consolidating domains and am giving up CUPW New Vision. I’m not a member of CUPW any more and it’s time to move on. There was however, certainly more traffic on that site from the TWU than CUPW. I met many strong activists in the TWU struggle and will retain those fond memories as I press forward in life.

Although there’s been the Darren Entwistle struggle and the Moya Greene struggle, all in all I lead a pretty small and insignificant life just like anyone else. We all have strengths and weaknesses and we all have talents. My talent seems to be an ability to piss people off and my hobby seems to be fighting with lawyers for free speech. So far so good. Knock on wood.