Pat Hampson

Jack, Jack, Jack! You should know better by now than to give me the chance to comment on anything. I have opinions on everything even the things I know nothing about!

Laws are for laughs; they are created and lie dormant until some one discovers that someone else is breaking them then they huff, puff and posture until they find something else to bitch about.

Hash man! You light it up on punctured tinfoil stretched across a glass of red wine and inhale through a hole on the other side. It makes you goofy! but I was young and easily led astray! Nowadays red wine and Hash is too expensive for Seniors so I drink beer or Scotch.

We have both gas and electric; we had a wood stove once but cutting down trees and splitting logs is a lot of work and burning wood pollutes the environment for everyone else who lives around you. Conserve the commodity and pay for what you use; remember the people huddled in the cold and don’t complain about the cost of being safe and comfortable.

Oil companies are owned by people who really don’t care about the welfare of those who use their product. It’s all about money, mansions and control; the government can’t or wont control the rich because supply and demand drives the economy; this is happening in Canada as I write this.

For the longest time I didn’t have a wife; I finally found one who could tolerate me. In reality many men are quite happy being single; they answer to no one but themselves regarding how they live. On the other hand there are many lonely men who long for a partner but have been ‘stung’ too many times to take another chance. It takes the correct mix of temperament and tolerance to achieve a balanced (sometimes) relationship.

Don’t talk about Free Trade; nothing is free in the marketplace except annoying shoppers.

I like going Stateside; when I see how screwed-up the US really is I feel really good about coming back to Canada where we still understand what freedom of speech means and you don’t get sued because your Butt hits some idiot who got into your space! True situation according to Global.

I bug my wife regularly. She exercises free speech and uses a tone which I find compelling and immediately stop my irritating activity.

I am not a big sports fan in general but some players are truly talented and a pleasure to watch. Some are brainless thugs. There are fans for everything physical including beating an opponent senseless; if there wasn’t support there would be no reason to exist and provide entertainment or incentive to compete and provide entertainment for every taste.

Some commercials make me want to vomit with their slop and sanctimonious messages. I really hate the Shaw commercial with the stupid cell phones. On the other hand there is the one with the bearded beach bum who has trekked the world to find the right place, he asks the attractive blonde next to him how long it took for her to find ‘this paradise’; she tells him 2 seconds; he wheezes with frustration and defeat. All cable suppliers are pretty much the same.

Most local media do a good job; sometimes they get it right and sometimes not. The Penticton Herald got it wrong with me when they stopped door to door delivery. I asked why the paper was now delivered at the bottom of the driveway unwrapped and in the rain and was told that the delivery person did not want to bring it up to the door. I had to ask for it to be wrapped in plastic so it didn’t fall apart into my cereal, then I gave up getting dressed to get the paper. They didn’t seem to mind the cancellation.

I’ll pass on the internet news question, a neighbor a few blocks from me might consider it a conflict of interest.

There are so many really good people in this and other communities who do incredible work and are truly dedicated and are rarely if ever recognized. I believe it is unfair to single out one person to be knighted because, like a squeaky wheel which gets the grease’, many could receive recognition based on popular opinion as to what they appear to be doing rather than meaningful achievements. Having said that I would support a well advertised and properly administered nomination process administered by impartial adjudicators from another jurisdiction.

I used to smoke like a chimney, I had the proverbial nicotine finger tips. I feel sympathy for those who need to smoke and want to quit; those who smoke in public bother me from the health perspective and those who smoke in areas where the smoke can accumulate bug the hell out of me. Now, there is nothing worse or more sanctimonious than a ‘converted’ smoker so I’ll say no more.

Morningstar, its a nice quiet street with friendly people and wild life. Why?

You’ve covered a lot of territory Jack, I can’t think of any clever questions after answering all yours.

Happy New Year