<small>Gee, Al…hardly a crisis...you should be writing headlines about eastern Canada for the Globe and Mail...why not mention murders and rapes as crisis in mid-size Ontario towns? Ch`town needs to bring in laptops for their cruisers...modern,effective policing requires it.

Tiny...?</small>

Get over it. When egging makes the news is it tiny times. Why is your font so small?

<p><img src="images/2004c/wayne.bmp" align="left"><br clear="left">

When I moved to PEI I was told by a co-worker also from NS that I was not to tell jokes about Islanders, that they did not get it. Your observations are proof of that innate lack of the ability to laugh at one's self that is so characteristic. It is news about egging, for God's sake. <p>Jealous - good Lord. If there is one knee-jerk spud island comeback that is more worthless than the rest it is the untested but gotta be true "heaven on earth crap." I am quite content that I do not live in the dangerous crime zone that is PEI - drunk driving, domestic violence, jailed lawyers. Wake up.<p>I am not off to see how small a div tag can make font.<p><i>Later</i>: oh, I forgot to add illegal booze soaked bootleggery, poaching black market and sticky finger management class. Look up breach of trust law and you find PEI inordinately represented.<p><i>Later Later</i>: very small indeed. Pretty much tiny.

My post has been censored by fiddling with my font...shame, shame, shame.

Your comment about Islanders seems to say to me you and your friend paint with a wide brush, something I know you condemn in others. Did your NS friend find in you a sympathetic ear because you were from his area, and felt you could "Understand" his attitude" towards a place that really does not appreciate "Farewell to Nova Scotia" played over and over and over again?

"drunk driving, domestic violence, jailed lawyers" are not exclusive to PEI, as I am sure you are aware. People from all over vary in their ability to laugh at themselves, and it can be found, from time to time in all, and none. Again, I am sure you know this, as well. It just seems to me, your focus is on that which you find in an area of the world you have left behind. It is none of my business, but I wonder, did something precipitate such consistant venom? I guess you could make this comment so small nobody would know it was there....

Flip-flipping - shame. What was a haven from the world's woes is all of a sudden the same as anywhere. No venom at all from me - just fact. There is a filing cabinet of cases backing each category which are culturally ignored by your people, your media in favour of the "sunny days" party line. I merely speak the truth as is my wont, my life. But for your admission of being no different (make sure they don't find out back home) your font shall remain writ large. [I thought the use of an image file for the last tiny-fication was sheer brilliance].

By the way, the Bluenoser was a boss who was warning me that I could be compromising my job. Part of what precipitated departure only. Lovely neighbours, troubled culture. Locals will never see it as those that do just leave.

I forgot to mention a habitually unconstitutional government trodding on the rights and life of individuals.<p><i>Later</i>: it really isn't venom. It is just such great fun baiting Islanders. It's like telling a friend that their plain, slightly bitter little sister who is a jerk at parties is plain and slightly bitter and is a jerk at parties . They get all uppity and say things like "hey man, that's my sister you are talking about". You say yes but she is plain and slightly bitter and is a jerk at parties. At first you do it to be a good friend but after long enough you get a kick out of it, let other mutual pals know and make your pal life miserable just a bit. One day they realize that she <i>is</i> plain and slightly bitter and is a jerk at parties. Then the joke is over.

Wayne's somewhat irritated reply echoes my own initial reaction to Al's comments. Sort of a "awe, common Al, now you are getting boring" followed by raised hackles of defensiveness. Then I realized two things:

1. Al's comments about PEI ARE getting boring.

2. I instinctively fell into the Islander's habit of thinking, "yeah, but not as bad as .....fill in the name.

While I find Al's comments a bore, I also find them to be accurate, small minded and petty. Only the accurate adjective applies to the guy I know so I will leave it to others to judge if the comments are just a well cast line. It (they) do annoy me, but I have already bitten enough hooks.

The story was about evesdropping on shortwave, not egging. The evesdropping had potential to escalate into something more serious. Garrity was showing his concern. Alan completely missed the point of the story, and chose to use the opportunity to poke fun at something he aquaints to a different culture, and in a failed attempt to back up his claim, throws facts that apply to everywhere, at the Province. Trying to educate in my response, I did throw the example or two (factually correct ones, I may add) that illustrates such behaviour is not unique to PEI, but alas, it has had no effect. It was no "not as bad as" crap. And, yes. It was somewhat irritated. I am still irritated, as a matter of fact. A good walk spoiled today will no doubt, return my bright, rosey constitution.

And, as far as Kerrying, my points were to illustrate that PEI was the same as the rest of the world in many respects, but better in most.

Vote for me!

Craig and Wayne - that is my point but also look around you at the pettiness that you challenge when it is politics, a falsehood when cultural. Further, I only write this claptrap when the "Island lashout" is used, in this case the escalation "why not mention murders and rapes as crisis in mid-size Ontario towns" as if PEI does not have such things when in fact it is a real but socially hidden problem. CBC PEI and the Charlottetown police seem to roll lights flashing over house egging but not bootlegging. The listening to the public broadcast bands used by police (not shortwave) is not an issue. Done everywhere. [<i>Later</i>: Just to be very clear it is entirely legal and not "eavesdropping".] CBC PEI also does not report drunk drivings unless they are by people for somewhere else. Not worth commenting about? Live in your false-front Oz if you will but if you think that you can make change - as you seem to be interested in with your support of Jean - without dealing with facts, you are kidding yourselves and worth joking about. Be bored, then, and watch nothing change.

"Done everywhere"
Not done in Moncton, because we have laptops to exchange info. The radios used by the public to listen in are commonly referred to as shortwave, and they cannot be used to monitor police activity.

...cannot be used to monitor police activity <i>in Moncton.</i>
I do agree with your idea, however, about not changing a thing about PEI. First sensible thing you said this morning.

Further, I only write this claptrap when the "Island lashout" is used, in this case when those who live in glass houses, start throwing stones.

Nope. Shortwave is above the am band 1700 km or so to 30 Mhz. Police band that legal scanners are up by FM, are public to listen to and you can buy a rig to do so anywhere. They are not midifiable for celluar listening but are perfectly legal for listening: here is a Canadian shop that sells them. If the media or police in PEI are giving the impression that the freedom to listen to public broadcast bands is not legal, you may want to refer to other practices in relation to local freedoms to inform yourself of why that is.

I sense you guys are grudging and irritated rather than bored so I will not give up trying to help you understand yourselves. It is my quest and you make it worthwhile. By the way, I thought that line of mine about the little sister was great - I actually was referring to an actual pal's actual sister.

"...in this case when those who live in glass houses, start throwing stones."<p>It was eggs, Wayne, just eggs.

..I can only deal with one challenge at a time..Bootleggers - still trying to figure out what the big deal is - other than they are illegal. I wish there was one close to me. Oh wait, there is. Nice spot. Good people. Nice patrons. Not doing anyone any harm.

..in Chtown, the cops are working on the BL issue - but in a very island way, are letting the BL's wind down in an orderly fashion. Seems quite civilized to me.

Enbrace crime. Call me Ezikiel.

It all boils down to;
1)Police are having a harder job protecting us from the criminal element because more and more lawyers are working harder and harder to keep the bad guys on the street.
2) Island lawyers are doing time, because the Island is better at catching and convicting them.
3)While it is not illegal to listen to Police activity on the airways, it is prudent to do a better job at making it impossible to do so, like laptops.
4) agree it is a good idea to publicize drunk driver convictions, I have not seen it done any differently in papers "from away".

Fore

I poorly wrote the piece you are reacting to about legal matters and scanners....What I meant was, with the laptop system, shortwave can no longer be used to monitor police activity...because it will not work. Maybe I am starting to really talk like Kerry after all.

- Nope<br>- yup (definitely but there is an extraordinary sticky fingers in legal/management problem - go look it up. Even the head of the PEI police association stole from the association)<br>- yup (I have have actually been on a computer aided dispatch deal and they are quite neato but expensive so that a town of 35,000 does not have one is not extraordinary.)<br> - nope. (Papers most places name names, alcohol readings and don't select by who your grandfather was. US local TV news across the border is brutal with a who was charged today list before the ads kinda like community calendar.)

The police system I am used to will has the computer aided dispatch but also radio. It is, however, digital and likely able to be scrambled.

Just to keep this all on one place, something not just like everywhere else according to Will Pate.

Add <a href="http://pei.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=pe_sierra20041001" target="blank">this</a> to your little collection! Another example of uniqueness and being better then the rest!

And my little walk in the Fall foilage did little to refresh my constitution!

Anybody know how to stick your tongue out with a keyboard????

I was thinking of sticking something else out. NoNONo Al, a finger!

I glad you chose to ruin your day with me. Remember, this was all about egging.

Does this work for sticking your tongue out? :^~

Actually, a four-iron did much more damage.
I like the illustration...and will remember it.

As an example, here is what the Watertown Times will do to you if you get picked up by the cops:<blockquote class="smalltext">

<b>Deputies accuse man of trespassing at tavern</b><p>
Times Staff Reports<br>
First published: Saturday, October 2, 2004<p>

Richard M Tuper, 43, of 987 Oak Point Road, Brier Hill, was charged at 1:34 a.m. Friday by Jefferson County sheriff's deputies with trespass. Police said they responded to a complaint of an unwanted person at the Sportsman bar, 25592 Route 12. They asked him to leave the parking lot there, but he allegedly refused.</blockquote>They do everything but name your mother and put her telephone in the paper.

dammit al, are you talking about my sister?

...again...