I have enough Drama in my life right now, and I don't really need to add any fuel to the fire

Greetings friends ... I have been a little on the busy side lately, and not able to write as often as I'd like to on the Conservative Thoughts blog.  I just recently had a conversation the other day however, and thought that it would be worthwhile sharing it with you.

I sent out an email blast last week, about stops that BC Conservative Party leadership candidate Dan Brooks would be making.  This is that conversation, which may strike a cord with you -- I know it will with some.

This is an exciting time for our party, as we move forward to a new and brighter future.

Part of that of course is the current campaign now underway to elect the next leader of OUR party.

I am pleased to let you know that BC Conservative Party leadership candidate Dan Brooks will be making stops in ___ xyz city ___ on ___ November 123 ___.

I am contacting you today to see if you will be able to get together and meet with Dan ... and ask any questions you may have about him and the future of the BC Conservative Party.

Thank you for your time and consideration, and I looking forward to hearing from you  ... alan

Here is an edited version of the response I received back:

Alan,

I don't think I will be attending. I have enough Drama in my life right now, and I don't really need to add any fuel to the fire.  

Thank-you for the invite, and please keep me updated with Party news.

I wish you and Dan all the best in rebuilding the Party.

Regards,

Scott __ abc ___

Well I let that discourage me for a bit, but then I said to myself, 'He hasn't said he's given up on the party ... only that he's had enough of all the turmoil'.  So, I decided to take a chance (maybe a risk), and send a reply back:

Thanks Scott ... I appreciate your follow-up, and the sincerity of your comments about the party.

I do not say this with any disrespect ... it is just an observation that I think 'may' be close to hitting the mark.  I think perhaps you are likely like some others in the party; demoralized and discouraged, and wondering, "Do I really want to do this again?"

I feel comfortable in making this observation because it is a place I too have been.

Until this years AGM, I was a Regional Director with the Party for three years.  I got to experience first hand the cancer that was creating a storm of dissent within the party; it was not a place, or a time, that I would wish on anyone. Despite that I (and others) hung in because we believed there must be a true conservative voice in BC -- not a watered down version represented by Christy Clark and the BC Liberals.

I also volunteered as the campaign manager for our Kamloops South Thompson candidate in the May general election.  There were too few of us on our team, but those we had, put in a huge effort to do the work of many -- again because we believed there had to be a true conservative option for people to vote for. Sadly the damage done by the dissidents in our party, had eroded the support we had been gaining, and as you know, we elected no members to the legislature in May.

At that point my discouragement was pretty much complete, and I was close to throwing in the towel.  Then Dan Brooks stepped forward and said he was seeking to lead the BC Conservatives. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone want to do that?"

I had the opportunity to meet and speak with him on several occasions, and every time I did, I heard him speak with power and passion about conservatism ... I heard him speak bout empowering the grassroots ... and making sure that BC Conservatives never again go through the kind of infighting that took place last year.

Personally, I would like to do more than keep you 'updated with Party news' ... and while I appreciate that you wish Dan 'all the best in rebuilding the Party' ... we need all hands on deck for that to happen.

I ask for you to give one hour of your time, and see if Dan makes you a believer that we can indeed create a party that the people of BC can support, starting first of all by governing ourselves in a way that can give others the confidence they'll need to come on board with us.

Its one hour of your time ... but I can't think of a better way to spend it.  You'll see and hear first hand from Dan -- get your own impression of him -- and see for yourself the passion that he has to make our province a better place for all British Columbians.

Thank you for letting me share a few of my thoughts with you ... and I hope you'll join Dan in ___ xyz city ... alan

Okay, so maybe I took a little risk in sending that, but again, I thought it was worth it, and apparently it was because Scott did send an email back to me:

Those four things stand out to me, as having clear direction … a vision so to speak … of what government should do, and the role it should play in our society

I woke up on Sunday evening with the word “Vision” going through my mind.  Of course it was attached to something that is often on my mind, which is politics.  I believe that in BC we have suffered from a lack of elected officials, and leaders, that have had a real sense of vision on what our province can be for us, and the future it can hold for our children and grandchildren.

But first … what does the word ‘vision’ actually mean?  Here are just a few descriptions:

• a thought, concept, or object formed by the imagination
• the act or power of imagination
• mode of seeing or conceiving
• unusual discernment or foresight (a person of vision)

Each of the three main political parties in BC has a vision of how they would govern – and if you are interested you can see what they have to say by visiting their websites.  The one that has resonated for me has been the direction, and vision, presented by the BC Conservative Party.

The first four guiding principles of the BC Conservative Party say it will be guided by the following principles:

1. A belief in clearly defined public policies and programs that are affordable and effective and for which delivery is accountable to all the people of British Columbia.
2. A belief in managing the government to the highest standards of integrity and transparency and British Columbians are entitled to full knowledge of services rendered and their costs.
3. A belief in the rights and responsibilities of all British Columbians and that Governments at all levels are responsible to serve and respect all individuals and their families, including freedom from unnecessary laws and regulations and excessive government.
4. A belief that Members of the Legislative Assembly are primarily responsible to represent the interests of their Constituents.

Those four things stand out to me, as having clear direction … a vision so to speak … of what government should do, and the role it should play in our society.

CRIME. What’s the cause, what’s the solution?

Growing up as a kid in the 1960’s certainly allowed for a lot more freedom than it does today.  Mind you I grew up in the Cariboo, and not the city of Vancouver where I was born.  Even in Vancouver though at that time we still had the freedom of a couple of blocks from home before there would be trouble.  Today’s saying of, “I want to be able to see you when I look out”, still had not been born.

In Williams Lake where my parents moved when I was ten, we had the run of the entire community for miles.  Down to the creek below McKenzie Avenue that ran out of the lake … into the woods next to the old grassy strip that had been the airport to built forts … across the highway to hike up Fox Mountain (really not much more than a hill) … and biking down to the lake for a day of swimming.

There was a lot more freedom in those days – and I guess safety as well.  I don’t recall hearing about cases like Robert Pickton … the bullying and murder of young teens like Reena Virk in 1997 … child pornography on the internet (mind you there was no internet back then) … and about teachers like Robert Noyes who prayed on young children.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying those kind of things didn’t happen.  Even in the Cariboo we had the still unsolved murder of 16 year old Colleen McMillan.  She had last been seen hitch-hiking near Lac La Hache in August of 1974 – a month later her body was found.  What I am saying however is that I don’t believe cases like the ones mentioned above happened to anywhere near the same degree as they do now. 

And so what is the cause – and what is the solution?