David James Varnes

                 THE WHITE GOOSE PROBLEM YouTube URL:     https://youtu.be/PyeVKQNCH-Q    Every year, a huge migratory arctic white goose population departs from its Alaskan Aleutian Island summer nesting grounds during late October and early November, and follows the migratory bird flyway along the Pacific Coast to seek winter shelter in warmer roosts along the Oregon coast.    For years, many thousands of these geese made a stop-over at the ample marshlands of Richmond and Delta to feed and rest, before moving on to Oregon. In the last decade, thousands of these white geese have decided that Richmond is as far as they want to go.    This creates a problem for the City of Richmond from November until March every year. The geese love lawn grass. Thousands of geese will descend on schoolyards, public parks, greenways, and golf courses and wolf down all the young grass shoots, leaving behi...

                                                                                                                  October 03, 2018                                                                                      David Varnes                                   Canadian Citizen, B.C. Taxpayer, and Retiree                           ...

    Photo by Elliott Brown    Freedom is our most private precious privilege in a democracy. But know this - freedom is not free .    Our democracy was created by our ancestors, who took up political and military service to establish it, struggled constantly to perpetuate it and many died horribly in numerous wars defending it -- for us.    These defenses should not be forgotten. Our ancestor's sacrifice allow us to enjoy the many present freedoms we so often take for granted today.    Mandatory military participation by all citizens is a way of honoring that sacrifice. Military obligation would educate all citizens about the role for a military presence to defend our freedoms, and engender a respect for military service to ensure the continuity of our precious privilege of liberty.    So, allow me then, some very brief arguments...    Canada has a long and respected history, both as a defender of freedom...