Government.

By the People.

Of the People.

For the People.

My Credentials

My Background

Politics: the issues

• a. Social Policy

• b. Fair Business Practices

• c. Fair Wages

• d. Crime

• e. The Family

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My Credentials

I'm a magna cum laude arts/business -- 5-time -- university graduate. I often had to work full-time while attending University full-time.
(By the way, I spent my first 13 years in a French-Canadian working-class lumber camp at Nassau Lake, just 30 miles west of Hearst and 10 miles past the dirt road that takes you up to the Cree reserve of Calstock just off the TransCanada Highway in Northern Ontario. Then, you turn left onto the gravel road that takes you to the peninsula surrounded by Nassau Lake. And that's where I lived for 13 years. Neat, eh?)

I spent nine years in the Senate of Canada on Parliament Hill : first as Senate Page, rose to the rank of Chief Page, and then moved on to being Senate messenger all the while studying full-time at the University of Ottawa. The highlight of my messenger career was organizing all four Senate vaults: each was used as a dumping storage area. No one previously had been able to do it: I did. Where's my medal? :-)

Sooo, national politics is something I was able to observe firsthand. It's no small wonder that when it comes to national politics I have a jaundiced eye, but it is an eye that can see a bit between the lines.

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My Background

My grandfather, Henry Selin (pronounced: say'lean), ( who was commonly referred to in French as "vieux bonhomme Seline", an endearing French expression that translates "good Old Man Selin") came from Sweden in his teenage years just after World War I.

While one brother became a school janitor in Sault Ste. Marie and his other brother became a highway-grader in Geralton (another place on the TransCanada highway in North-Western Ontario up by Lake Nipigon), he transformed his family farm into an 18-hole golf course in the Sault (i.e. Sault Ste. Marie - just across from Sault, Michigan).

He sold it to become a jobber (a lumberjack cutting lumber on a contractual basis) 30 miles west of Hearst off the TransCanada Highway: Nassau Lake.

He also earned a lot of money building bridges across the fastest flowing rivers in Northern Ontario for the Railroad. As a result he was able to set himself up in the timber business, a business that by the early 1960s was technologically 10 years ahead of its time.

His success truly represents the North American Dream that has drawn many peoples from different shores to North America where the streets were believed to be paved with gold.

Then again, many a poor Irishman thought the same of England. (Aye, I have only a wee bit of Irish in me, but it comes out everyone once and awhile : you see, it just gets the best of me.)

My Dad was vice-president of his Dad's company, Henry Selin Forest Products. In 1965 my Dad had a fatal car accident on November 13th.

Unfortuanely for us, his insurance policy had expired on the 12th and his new one was due to kick-in on November 15th. He left my Mom with seven children: and she with only a grade eight education had to do the best she could.

Sooo I learned about tragedy and adversity young.

1. Honestly, we do have to follow the Scandinavian lead in providing a fair social system so people do not needlessly despair and turn to drugs and crime and where everyone is automatically entitled to 6-weeks holidays. (Here, everyone gets three weeks -- thanks to Hitler who gave it to the Germans -- and calls in sick for another three weeks in the year.) Did you know that the Swedes can even refuse work if it is thought to be psychologically damaging? That's an eye opener, isn't it?

The Russian President, Boris Yeltsin, said that Russia will use Sweden as its model.

Why can't we do the same in North America? Just thing of the productivity gains!

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b. Fair Business Practices

1. Overworking people, extending working hours wantonly, and not paying people "fair wages" is slavery whether it be in the high-tech sector or anywhere else.

You pay peanuts!

And what do you get ?

Yep, monkeys, the beer guzzling kind.

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c. Fair Wages

1. The minimum wage should be doubled if not tripled. This would have the economic benefit of putting more money back into the economy to create more economic wealth, of increasing consumer confidence which would lead conceivably greater consumer spending, and of reducing unemployment and crime that goes with unemployment and the breaking down of the social fabric. In turn, this would allow for quite possibly greater cultural expression which helps to fuel tourism.

I believe one of the major reasons for the economic decline in the Pacific rim is due in large part to "slave" wages" and "slave" conditions that limits unduly productivity.

1. Crime is often the result of hopelessness and misfortune. It's perpetrators are largely victimes of society and should NOT be victimized time and again in a Soviet-style mega-prison environment.

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2. The prison, judicial system, and correctional services cannot be allowed to become cancerous industries feeding off the travails of the less fortunate in society.

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3. Compassion and understanding with the possibility of quick rehabilitation should be the desired goal when sentencing someone and not punishment per se. The scandinavian approach and ideally the "Native North American" approach of reconciling both parties in a comunal setting over a period of time could be a very profitable healing approach.

In the movie, "Kindergartin Cop", Scharzeneger beats up an abusive father and the principal asks if that felt good. Justifiable violence? There is no such thing.

The unjustifiable beating of Rodney King by a group of policemen captured on video tape testifies to such criminal behavior by policemen whom the judiciary likes to believe are the "good guys".

Let's not forget that Christianity started with the repeated jailing of the apostles. According to Christian theology no one is guilt free: we are all guilty to some degree. No one can cast the first stone.

On the one hand, the jailhouse serves as a reminder to Christians of their spiritual condition prior to baptism and on the other the unfair treatment of humanity. Cervantes begins the story of Don Quixote while incarcerated in jail. In a metaphorical sense all humanity is in jail and can only be let out by finding the key. And that key is to show mercy to his fellow human being like Don Quixote. Mercy overlooks how things are but acts in terms of how things should be. Mercy forgives and allows for a new beginning like the story of Noah and the Ark.

The rainbow is a reminder that God is merciful and so we must be too.

Today we know the benefits of long term incarceration are nil, so why give long sentences?

Long term incarceration only wastes money and creates a lot of resentment and fear in a System that is there to serve and not to terrify. No one merits leading a life of dread of the in-house brand of terror that oftern exists behind bars where often men are pitted against men and liars run the show.

Where there is an abuse of institutional power in the prison system that institutionalizes violence of inmates, "truth" is sacrifice. The question then becomes: Who can have confidence in such a dehumanizing, demeaning, and boorish system?

People who are incarcerated need help, not brutality and repeated admissions of guilt as a reminder of their circumstance.

Christians are reminded by the New Testament that they have a moral obligation and responsibility to reach out to those incarcerated who are like us in humanity if they expect Christ to reach out to them.

Not just "criminals", we all have to learn to be repentent to some extent if are are to have an "educated, enlightened conscience". Who cannot enter a confessional thinking they're innocent?

At Easter time we are presented the image of three men on crosses: one is an innocent Jew, one is a repentent criminal, and one couldn't care less having lost his youthful belief in a fair world. But yet, though all three are supposedly equally guilty criminals, the contrast in their attitude suggests this is not true.

Society has been unjust again in the sentencing of these three and in sentencing in general as many an innocent man has been found guilty because he looked guilty or had a "guilty profile" and was "processed" as if he were.

We have only to think of how our own Native North American population (not to mention the working poor) has been almost systematically found guilty in Court because they were not adequately defended for whatever reason allowing the prosecution to blindly have its way and by so doing the Court inevitable becomes a kangaroo court of sorts.

No criminal, no human being, deserves to be abused at anytime. Any abuse is an offence against not only the inherent dignity of the person, but also legitimately constitues a crime against all of humanity.

The System gets fat by amply feeding on large numbers of unsuspecting victims which allows the System to justify its call for greater allocation of public resources to fight crime and therefore expand and become more prominent in Society than it ought to be: Therefore Society unwittingly is obliged to spend more money for more judges, more police persons, more megaprisons, more cruisers, more ammo ... more ... more ... more and so the System grows like a cancer, and the resentment by Society towards it grows too.

Who wins? Society? Or the unproductive incarceration system? Does the system give the so-called criminal a chance to reform himselve in order to have a better life by creating a win-win situation for the person and society? The answer is apparently no, not as things stand in North America.

Quite frankly, prisons are a waste of manpower, a resource that is not being utilized for the benefit of the person incarcerated and society. That need not be the case and that is what is sad about abusive prison system.

The underlying premises of the criminal code need to be tested and adjusted to the realities of a productive results-oriented society of today. There can be no criminal reform without the complete revamping of the criminal code. We cannot and must not fail in this area of social reform if we are to have a healthy, sane society that is sincerely adverse to all forms of violence.

7. It is a sad fact that innocent people are often obliged to plead guilty to get some sort of leniency from the System.

Is this "really" fair? Of course not.

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8. Ensuring that a person is quickly reintegrated back into society is more important than wasting all sorts of resouces in determining his "degree" of guilt and "forcing" an inquisitional style admission of guilt.

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9. As a Christian gestaltist, I'm horrified at how easy it is for the System to systematically and repeatedly abuse anyone it pleases in its hands because of an "appearance" of guilt stemming in large part from the criminal charges themselves.

This unethical treatment of people is roundly condemned by the religious traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam where Man and Woman are seen to be created only a little less than the angels.

According to classical Christian thought Christ was gentle. He did not abuse anyone and we are to do as he did: not abuse.

Furthermore, Christians sincerely believe to abuse anyone is to abuse the very person of Christ himself as we learn from St. Paul's experience on the Road to Damascus. It is for that reason we are morally obligated to be our brother's keeper. (Somos todos hermanos. ¿Verdad?)

Besides, this thinking has been the guiding Spirit of American Democracy.

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10. Let 's therefore replace the old Criminal Code based on a vendictive puritanical spirit (common among the early colonies in North America) with one that emphasizes the need for forgiveness and comunal reciliation as is practiced by our Native American Peoples.

Besides, from the Christian perspective, life is always about getting and giving a second chance. How many times are we to forgive according to the Gospels? Can we expect a divine pardon if we ourselves are not willing to forgive? The notion of forgiveness constitutes the very essence and core of the only prayer Jesus taught personally, the "Our Father".

The movie, "Dead Man Walking" about the redemptive relationship of a nun and a death row guy is poignant. Did he have to die? Did he? An evil act is NEVER eradicated by the commission of another evil act in retaliation: Philosophy Course 101.

Logically, the death penalty is consequently morally wrong and therefore, unquestionably unjustifiable unconditionally.

The death penalty calls into question the whole spirit behind the existing criminal code and demonstrates the need for an amendment at least in the short-term before being replaced with something less doctrinaire and more viable for all stakeholders.

The death penalty is not simply pernicious, but also serves as a blatant indictment against the moral standards of a society founded upon a now outdated British judicial tradition.

Unconsciously, it also serves as a reminder of the horrors of concentration camp life where people were arbitrarily separated into groups that would either live or be disposed of in accordance to State law. As long as the death penalty and state sanctioned torture exist, humanity will continue to live on the edge Dante's inferno.

I suggest that as a founding principal of a new criminal code that after 10 years from the time a sentence has been purged, everyone should be given should be given automatic pardons.

Christians believe humanity must learn to forgive for God himself has forgiven humanity by allowing his only Son to be sacrificed for the redemption of everyone.

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11. Let's show our support and gratitude to our fireman, policemen, prison personnel, armed forces personnel, and the judiciary for making society work. They are truly heros who by the practice of their very honourable professions ensure the well-being of our society.

Let's thank and honour them whenever we get a chance. They are truly the real heros of today especially since they have to work in a system that is often far from fair and far from perfect. Yet, they strive to do their best.

Let's make their vocation easier by ensuring that the laws are fair and that everyone is treated fairly.

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12. Law and order should not be terrifying, but an open, honest, forgiving, brotherly, non-vindicative, and rehabilitative affair demonstrating an understanding of the human condition wherever the law needs to be applied.

The State exits to serve, not to terrify.

The apparition at Fatima in Portugal at the turn of this century was to remind humanity that sexuality is about having children. The Isalmic people to their great credit have big families which I personally believe constitutes the glory of Islam. (By the way, Fatima was the daughter of the muslim prophet Mohammed.)

About sexuality we should remember that the endomorphins constituting the sexual orgasm are the most potent natural drugs that make sexual contact between a husband and a wife an anticipated, eventful occasion whose inherent power renews the couple's commitment to remain together in order to maintain a triving family.

Unfortunately outside the confines of marriage, sex can be used to abuse, control, and create dependence often within a reward and punishment kind of scenario where one party finds himself or herself in a hostage-like situation: this is the unpalatable stuff pronography is made of.

This kind of "power" approach to life has no redeaming value as a healthy sexuality implies a total gift of self to another without reservation and conditions. Otherwise, sex becomes a tool of exploitation that is used to gain an advantage at someone else's expense.

Society now recognizes that having multiple sex partners leads to the postponement of marriage, promiscuity, and very high incident rate of marital infidelity giving rise to a proliferation of stiptease joints and sex-oriented holidays for greater neurotic self-indulging that creates a sense of lost of self not to mention becoming susceptible to various self-distructive forms of sexual addiction.

In short, the pleasure principal as a primary dynamic life style can mean down the road a greater lost of self esteem.

This fact serves as a reminder that the pursuit of sensual, carnal pleasure cannot be a healthy life style orientation.

Let's remember that the greatest things in life are free including being free from the often overbearing and unsatisfying demands of carnality. The greatest things in life are ofter the fruits of the spirit the inhabits humanity: fratenal love, joy, song, dance, art, poetry, literature, learning, ...

Humanity has a carnal existence and a creative existence from which s/he can derive real joy and self affirmation. To limit oneself to only a satisfying carnal existence is to miss out on a lot of things that make the human spirit within vibrate.

A purely carnal existence only allows for a reductionist form of existence that is existentially hollow leaving the individual incapacitated to transform him/herself and one's ambient surroundings.

Such a life style is a form of self-inflicted impotency due to an over preoccupation with self.

Humanity is called to much greater things than to simply carnal satisfaction: humanity is called to find its true identity, to know itself. This comes about by humans working and deliberating together for the greater good of all and not just oneself -- as is the case when pursuing an all consuming carnal existence.

In Catholicism one is repeatedly reminded that the Holy Family was a place of great love and respect, but there was no sex: the Blessed Virgin Mary remained virgin and upon her death her uncorrupted body due to her immaculate birth and subsequent unswerving fidelity was assumed into Heaven as a consacrated virgin.

Really, it's true: no one dies from sexual abstinance and celibacy which is considered the healthy norm in the religions of the orient for those not married.

European literature indicates that a truly macho man was morally obligated to marry a woman once he had awakened her sexual passion. (It was expected of him by society: it was part of the macho code.)

For contemporary society to encourage this incessant courting activity involving sexual contact in a continually repetitive fashion is to make believe that its members are entitled to forever expect a week of Sundays.It also has the effect of creating a rut by keeping the individual from going forward to the next step: one of real commitment, marriage, and of having a family , and grandchildren.

Interestingly, the men on the Greek islands would marry quite early and quite willingly, but with the onslaught of tourism those men have been postponing marriage to the great consternation of the whole community.

To pursue a continual state of mindless youthfulness (i.e. the great bod, no head ordeal with nothing to say) leads no wwhere.

Thank God post-modernism is about getting involved and contributing to society putting aside 500 years of self-interest and indulgent self-preoccupation, the fetish of moderism.

The time has come for the individual to be interested in the people around him/herself and acknowledge them as being equally important.

Post-modernism is about tearing down the Berlin wall of self and reaching out, something the Net allows all of us to do.

Honestly, do we really start to live before the age of 40? Mother Teresa started on the path she's now famous for only after the age of 40. Many,many people took their first steps to fame after 40. So why all this fetish with youth?

Post-modernism is about moving forward and beyond self to the the mature howdy-doody, neighbourly level of maturity.

In the 60s we were looking for ourselves. Now after the fall of the Berlin Wall in mid-November 1989 and with the explosion of the NET at the very same time, guess what?

We've found ourselves: we may not know where we are in the great scheme of things, but we know who we are: people who want and need neighbours.

So let's share who we are, our stories, our life experiences, our hopes, and what we like about life and people. Let's see the good in everyone and everyting. Children do it all the time.

No, everything is not a rip-off: life is good.

Everyone can be a hero.

Often so-called "bad guys" just quit believing they could be a hero and become a vilain by default.

There is greatness in the eyes of every person of both sexes especially the Moms and Dads of the World.

Do we alway have to be right? Do we have to know it all? Do we have to do it all? Heck, no. We would not need neighbours. We would be forever "loners".

Interestingly, monotheistic belief regarding paradise is that it is a communal living arrangement.

Remember Father Abraham welcomed strangers who turned out to be angels and these angels made it possible for him to obtain something he had always wanted: an heir, a continuation of himself.

The scriptural message is that he or she who blesses another by welcoming him/ her will be forever bless.

Hence, his warm and hospitable welcome earned him a son, Isaac, and a grandson, Jacob from whom the Messiah was to come and save the world. The message is generosity breathes life.

Hence, by welcoming one's neighbour the person ensures his/her own posterity and that of humanity.

So let TODAY BE (as Mr. Rogers so fondly says to the girls and boys out in TV Land) "a beautiful day in the Neighbourhood."

Why? Because you are you, someone special like no other, and because it is a beautiful day in the Neighbourhood.

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GOD BLESS

AMERICA

THE BEAUTIFUL.

Nuestra señora de Guadalupe,

ruega por nosotros,

los Americanos.

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Updated: February 22, 1999

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