As we argue on twitter with all our strong opinions, on Remembrance Day, I'd like to acknowledge one of the least noticed aspects of military service. When any man or woman agrees to serve they set aside their opinions, whatever they are, and accept higher authority. #cdnpoli 1/5
Almost everyone agrees we need some kind of military. We may disagree in extreme terms on how it's to be used. But unless you believe passive resistance will somehow solve everything in a world where others are not passive, we need to use force at least sometimes. #cdnpoli 2/5
Having a functional military at all, to supply the option of force when needed, depends on the willing service of those who accept civilian authority wherever it leads. They don't know in advance the orders they'll follow or even who will give them. That's amazing. #cdnpoli 3/5
Our democratic society depends on those service members who have agreed to subject themselves to the will of the majority and our elected government. They simply trust it will lead them well. This extreme act of faith places, on us all, an equal obligation. #cdnpoli 4/5
We remember and pay respect to the sacrifices of wartime. But even in peace, the remarkable service of everyone in uniform should be recognized. They do what so many of us struggle with. They trust in the fundamental goodness and fairness of their fellow Canadians. #cdnpoli 5/5

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More from @JeffRybak

12 Nov
This pandemic is a chance to consider the delivery of healthcare in Canada, as it has become both more difficult and more urgent to access care. Erin O'Toole is on record favoring expansion of private options. I'd like to share some recent personal experiences. #cdnpoli 1/13
My right knee is messed up. I don't really know why, but it swells easily and I can't walk long distances. My doctor ordered x-rays and ultrasounds I got locally very quickly. That worked great. Now I need an MRI and I'm totally stalled. No idea when I'll get one. #cdnpoli 2/13
Someone pointed me at a private option where I could pay my way in. The loophole is that an employer can pay for the service if required, but I'm self-employed so arguably I could order one for my most critical employee - me. Gotta be honest, I thought about it. #cdnpoli 3/13
Read 13 tweets
11 Nov
I argue far more with self-righteous lefties on twitter than anyone else. Some think I'm giving right-wingers a pass, but truthfully they just aren't worth my energy. Despite my centrism, I don't have enough common ground with the right to hope we'll ever find agreement. 1/10
I sometimes see commonalities between the extreme right and left. What I'm seeing now is a common tendency to give up and invite the great reset. Is there a difference between the religious right yearning for Rapture and the hard left for wholesale revolution? I'm not sure. 2/10
I know I don't want to stop trying to make what we have work somehow. Work better, hell yes. For everyone, but most of all for those who have the least. I know the ongoing unfairness in our society is hard to swallow. But look at how far we've come. It's worth saving. 3/10
Read 10 tweets
9 Nov
Here's my current take on Covid in Ontario. I was at one time pleased with Ford's leadership during this pandemic. Hasn't been true for a while. It's still nice he isn't a full-on anti-masker or science-doubter, but he isn't doing a good job of this and I know that. #onpoli 1/6
I'd love to beat up Ford more with this pandemic and score political points off it, as some are. Because I just don't like Ford, or his politics otherwise. But much as I'm unhappy with his leadership right now, I also don't think that's really the problem. We are. #onpoli 2/6
You can yell at a coach for calling the wrong plays, but if the players just don't have the stuff to win you're really just debating how you want to lose. And yes, you can try to embarrass yourself as little as possible. I guess that's all we're aiming at now. #onpoli 3/6
Read 6 tweets
5 Nov
I believe very strongly we need to start tolerating one another more, making space for one another, working hard to bridge the divide. It's a theme I've been on about for a while. And I get push-back - often very indignant and heated. Sometimes outright accusatory. #cdnpoli 1/16
A point I keep trying to make, with varying degrees of success, is no matter how much other people may bug you, even disgust you, they're simply not going to disappear tomorrow. So we need to live together. It's not a question of if, it's only a question of how. #cdnpoli 2/16
The response I've never understood is the purist one. I refuse to live with X. I make no allowance for Y. How dare you (turning the question back on me) even imply we should tolerate Z. That's offensive. They are wrong and we are right. It's simple. No compromises. #cdnpoli 3/16
Read 16 tweets
3 Nov
One of the most disturbing things I've seen lately, in American but also Canadian political discourse, is the suggestion that any amount of civility or acceptance of the other side represents appeasement and betrayal. I cannot emphasize how wrong and scary this is. #cdnpoli 1/14
Coming mainly from the left, the logic runs as follows. They have unacceptable ideas and values. Their values are an attack on me. Accepting them at all means accepting their views, and condoning the threat to me. Nothing less than total condemnation is enough. #cdnpoli 2/14
The main problem with this attitude is that it conflates accepting the idea with accepting the person. To call an idea unacceptable is very reasonable. To call a person unacceptable is problematic. After you've refused to accept all these people, what next? #cdnpoli 3/14
Read 14 tweets
28 Oct
Sam Oosterhoff is a Conservative MPP in Ontario. He's 23 now, was first elected at 19. He's done some questionable things lately and is much in the news. People have asked if it's fair to say it's because he's young, or just because he's an evangelical conservative. #onpoli 1/10
First, let me say it's entirely possible to be a thoughtful, conservative person of faith and occupy public office with dignity. I may not agree with a person like that, but we're all in Canadian society together and need to coexist. Government is how we do that. #onpoli 2/10
I do think it's ridiculous to elect a teenager to Parliament, whether a right-wing or a left-wing teen. Folks have said teens can show great leadership and potential. True. They're at the forefront of climate change issues, for one. But public office demands more. #onpoli 3/10
Read 10 tweets

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