Segacs’s World I Know

Washington, DC, ten days before one of the most hotly-contested presidential elections in decades, is not a pretty sight. In fact, it’s downright scary.

Everywhere I turned were political messages. The restaurants, the coffee shops… it was just inescapable. While walking down the street, the same woman asked me three times if I wanted to “help elect John Kerry”. Each time I smiled at her and said, “sorry, I’m Canadian”. By the third time I just said “still Canadian” and kept walking. She didn’t miss a beat.

Being Canadian in Washington ten days before the election is kind of like being the only sober person in a room full of drunks. By being a step or two outside the action, you can afford a sense of perspective that most people don’t have. Maybe that’s why it’s so obvious to me how bad things truly are.

The truly frightening thing to see is how people are confusing political opinion with personality. These days, you don’t just “vote” Republican or Democrat, you are a Republican or a Democrat – in a much more literal sense than ever before. People assume that if you’re on the opposing side, you’re lower than pond scum, definitely not worth speaking to or even the time of day. Everyone assumes the people they’re speaking to are on “their” side, and that their favourite pastime is to bash the other side. It frustrates them to no end when you choose not to play along.

I can’t help but wonder what will happen the day after the election. I’ve never seen people so divided. But somebody’s going to be elected, and the half of the people who didn’t vote for him will be very disappointed. Will the country be able to reunite and get over this election and move on? I wonder how long the wounds will take to heal.

A message to my American friends, if you’re reading: I realize that, despite the impact that this election may have on us as your neighbours and on the rest of the world, it’s really your election and your decision. I don’t think we have any business butting in. I realize passions are running high and you probably think that catastrophe will strike if your side loses. But please, please don’t lose sight of what’s important. Whether Bush wins, or Kerry wins, life will go on.

I’m just glad to be back home, where I can watch the rest of this boxing match from the sidelines.

This brings a whole new meaning to “road rage”:

An incensed Iranian motorist doused his car in petrol and set it ablaze with a match after picking up a parking ticket, media reported Wednesday.

The ISNA student news agency posted photographs of the charred shell of the car on its Web site and quoted witnesses describing the driver’s frantic but fruitless pleas to the parking attendant not to issue a ticket.

“Extremely angry, he took a jerrycan of petrol out of the boot and set fire to his car,” ISNA quoted a witness in poor south Tehran as saying.

I’m not too sure what he’d hoped to accomplish with that one. I wonder if he still has to pay the ticket?

Friday, the loonie closed at a 12-year high of over 81 cents. Might be a good time for a cross-border shopping trip…

I will be away on business tomorrow so there won’t be any blogging till the weekend.

One of the arrested suspects in the April firebombing of Talmud Torah elementary has been released due to “insufficient evidence”:

Simon Zogheib, 19, was arrested in connection with the library fire at the United Talmud Torahs School.

One of his lawyers, Serge Segal, said the Crown decided not to proceed with the charges because of a lack of evidence.

It’s always hard to tell what to think in these cases. The media is banned from elaborating much, because two other suspects are still in custody awaiting trial. And of course, it’s impossible to know whether Zogheib is really innocent or just legally “not guilty”. Without the facts, it’s impossible for any of us to make a judgment.

I will say this, though: if the police and legal system are incapable of bringing the true perpetrators of this crime – whoever they may be – to justice, it will be a real shame… and a real failing of the system. There is an obligation to crack down on this kind of despicable hate crime against innocent children, to prevent it from recurring.

If you’re a blue-collar union member, apparently a 5-day workweek is an “unacceptable working condition”:

The blue-collar union maintains the binding contract, reached Oct. 4, falls short of union demands. It has the support of its 5,000 members, who voted unanimously on Sunday to reject the contract.

The Federation of Labour’s Henri Massé said the contract creates unacceptable work conditions, including eliminating the four-day workweek.

“The situation is very serious and the blue collars won’t accept the situation,” Massé said Monday. “Now we ask the mayor to discuss but after that, we’ll have to see.”

The union agreed to binding arbitration, but now it doesn’t like the result and wants to appeal. Why does this not surprise me? The unions in Quebec have more power than pretty much anywhere else in North America. Union members get fat paycheques, lots of benefits, and short hours. Heaven forbid the poor babies should have to work 5 days a week like the rest of us!

Even Quebec law, however, probably won’t cave to the union’s demands this time around. It’s about time that they grow up and join the real world.

(Hat tip: Jonathan).

No, I don’t have baseball fever. Hell, I don’t even get the games on TV. But in the absence of hockey, baseball is much more of a topic of conversation than it usually is at this time of year.

Anyway, it’s hard for the enthusiasm that many of my friends have for the Red Sox’s comeback drive not to rub off a little. Tonight’s game was a real nail-biter, or so I’m told (thanks for the MSN play-by-play, Tom) that ended in 4-2 victory for Boston and forced a game 7.

I don’t have any particular allegiance one way or the other, but hey, what the hell, go Sox!

Somehow, that doesn’t have the same ring to it as “go Habs”, but what can you do?

Well, 24 hours later and I’m more or less up and running. The Internet’s working, and so is the network between the computers to transfer files. I’ve managed to reinstall most of my software, though there are some annoyances like Quicken not allowing reinstallation from the same CD (they’ll let you reregister but you have to phone them between 9 and 5 on a weekday… which is oh-so-convenient for us working folk, you can’t imagine). And it will probably take me a while until all my settings are back the way I like them. But so far so good.

Blogging will be light for a few days, while I attempt to set up my new computer.

So far, I’ve managed to connect to the Internet, but I’ve been incapable of connecting it to the old one to transfer files. I also haven’t managed to reinstall Microsoft Office, because I have an upgrade and not a new install CD. Plus, there’s something screwy with the screen resolution. Also, ever notice how every new computer comes loaded with tons of useless promotional software? I’ve spent half the evening just cleaning that up.

Times like these, I wish I were more technically… ept (is that a word?) or whatever the opposite of inept is.

At any rate, blogging will be back soon once I figure out how to set up the system.