Saturday, June 27, 2009

Canada Day

Forethought, Planning, Rights, Privileges… These things are the subject.

Recently, the local transit board has come up with a decision to stop its customers from transporting liquor via the bus on July 1st, Canada Day. This has many of the usual suspects crying “Freedom-smashers!” “Our Rights!” “What’s NEXT?!”

Let’s first take the side of the transit people. They are simply concerned for the safety of the passengers and their drivers. The kind of people who would be “transporting” their own liquor on the first of July, would more than likely be the kind who might also consume said liquor prior to boarding, or even during the trip (as has been the case in past years). The safety of the rest of the passengers who do not need to be intoxicated to celebrate, or feel the need to carry booze to their stops is good enough for me to have this one day ban. BC Transit has already stated that the day’s schedule is to be modified to extend service for the evening, and has given ample notice as to this decision to stop alcohol transport for this one day!

If you need to have alcohol at your “place of celebration”, then transport it on June 30th! Simple! If you want to celebrate Canada in an inebriated state, then stay at home (for the homeless people who read this, please, just go to your nearest back-alley or bar). If you must be one of those who, shirtless, wear the flag as a “super-dude cape”, stagger through the crowds down by the Inner Harbour, whooping and drinking cheap hooch, from a paper bag… then I suggest that you take the day off early, and simply walk.

I have thought out my “Canada Day celebration” well in advance. I will be partaking in some adult beverages. But these will be purchased at my place of celebration. I probably will walk from my house (in Vic West) to James Bay, where the party will be. I’ve driven this before, but the return trip has taken so long that it is better to walk (faster, too!). If I wasn’t going to a party, then I would buy the booze that I need now!

To be fair, I should look at the side of “Rights and Freedoms”. Firstly, why should July 1st be any different from any other day? It shouldn’t, of course. If I was dependant on BC transit for my transportation, and I had recently gone shopping, who are they to search my property, and deny me passage? …I, uh… I can’t go on with this side of argument… Sorry! THEY HAVE EVERY RIGHT! Public transport is, and never will be part of the charter of rights and freedoms! If you are handicapped and require some way of getting your booze home, then you probably plan your life a little better than this! I am sure that If we had those arcane liquor laws that we had prior to Expo ’86 (remember?), when there were no bars, pubs or cabarets open on Sundays or Holidays, we wouldn’t be crying about this at all!

We have idiots, and we have rules. We have these rules because we have so many idiots! In modern countries throughout Europe and Asia, they celebrate with alcohol in public! Do they have fewer idiots than we do here? NO! Do they have problems with their drunken idiots? YES! Do their drunken idiots cause the downfalls of their society? No, they deal with them on a more personal level. For the most part, society shuns these idiots, or the idiots’ friends deal with them.

While in Japan, I witnessed a beautiful time of year, “Hana-mi” – the cherry blossom festival. At this time, groups of friends, co-workers and families would stake-out the best spots in the local city park. They lay out blankets, tarps cooking supplies and sometimes huge kegs of Sake! They gather with each other, sing, drink, eat and make merry! All while enjoying the blossoming of the trees! Is there rowdiness? Sometimes, but usually calmer heads rule and most have a wonderful time.

Festivities happen this way throughout many countries in Europe as well. Many involve booze! Are their societies dying off? NO! Are the rights of some being challenged? Maybe. But they somehow manage to live another day.

If the worry-warts and PC liberals who immediately start screaming when they feel violated would pause… And take the time to think why… Temporary rules like this “One day Ban on Transport”, probably would never happen in the first place. Take care of each other! If you know of someone who needs to have booze taken to a friend’s for the party that evening, then take the time that you spend screaming about “Violated Rights!”, and use it to deliver that six-pack of wine coolers the day before!

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