Rant - Prisons October 2012

According to the CBC the Government of Canada  - that is our government in case anyone has forgotten- has decided to cancel the contracts of all part time chaplains who work in the Federal prison system. It turns out that that also means that all of chaplains who are not of the Christian faith will lose their jobs.
"The minister strongly supports the freedom of religion for all Canadians, including prisoners,” the email states. “However, the government … is not in the business of picking and choosing which religions will be given preferential status through government funding…..” http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/10/04/bc-non-christian-prison-chaplains-cancelled.html retrieved October 10, 2012.

On a whole bunch of levels this decision, if not downright silly, at the very least, reflects a lack of foresight and consistency in policy. It is of course ethnocentric and very likely racist.

If one assumes that part of the function of prison is to ensure that when the individual leaves that institution they are less likely to reoffend, then surely we should do all that we can to facilitate that hoped-for result. While I personally chose not to utilize the support of a recognized religion, I can easily understand why for some people it is useful tool to look at their life and to make some life changes. To deprive anyone of the option of investigating a personal relationship with the Great Spirit (or whatever you call him/her) is just silly and I suspect against someone’s Charter rights. So we are saving a million dollars. Really? How much will it cost if just one person re-offends and get re-incarcerated?

It does not feel like an accident that there will be only Christian chaplains left in the prison system.  In spite of the apparent political correctness of the above quote – the minister is not supporting freedom of religion – in fact he is doing the exact opposite. He is saying that if you are not a Christian then you cannot talk to a spiritual advisor of your own faith. Most of us have a choice. If we don’t like or feel a connection to a particular faith we can walk down the street and enter the next church, temple synagogue or mosque. If you are in prison that choice is no longer available. Pity.

On the Road Again 2012 - the Train trip

The genesis of the following was generated on the train from Sudbury Station to Winnipeg.

"sitting in a railroad station, got a ticket for my destination..................." It is always a strange start to the day and to the trip to sit in the Sudbury Junction train station with my pack, watching the sky get lighter and lighter with the rising of the sun.  Unlike other times I have taken this train, I did not have to wait very long in the train station or rather the train was not as late as it has been in the past. The train was only 40 minutes late this year so it felt as if things were starting off well. It was also far busier than normal at the station. There was a crew of six young people and two adults who had slept in the train yard overnight and were now packing up their gear along with four canoes and carrying it all to the train tracks. There were as well 7-8 men along with their tools and some drywall mud  heading to some construction job.

I really need to thank my daughter who gets up so early in the morning and sees me off....never once saying how nervous she is about my chosen means of travel.

When I got on the train, I was surprised how full it was. There were far more children than normal- some of whom were being a bit cranky, which is not surprising considering that they had been on the train for 7-8 hours already. One wonders if they would cry even louder if they knew how much longer they would be on the train. But I didn't care. I was on my way. It felt good. In 24 hours I would be on the road. 

Almost as soon as we got started we stopped for a break at Capriola which is only a little bit down the track. I guess it is a scheduled stop but the last few times we were so late that the train just skipped it.

What a busy train...almost at every possible stop people got on. At one point I think I was the only person left who has a seat to themselves. There are some advantages to having a beard.  I think it scares people away. There were a pile of kids on the train running up and down the aisles. They  played well and it was quite pleasant to hear their voices. This train car was a Northerner's car. It was the one that people got on who were making shorter trips, whereas those who were going straight through to Edmonton or Vancouver were in the next car down.  A number of the folks in my car seemed to know either each other or at the least have connections with each other. It was quite enjoyable to listen to them chat to each other. As we passed through a burnt out area I over heard one of  mothers telling her children about the forest fire that started right here.... I would not have realize that the Timins fire went through this area. I  was quite content to sit there, read and listen to music -gently eavesdropping on other people's conversations.

What a difference it made to be on time.  By the time it was 12 noon the train had already stopped twice for long enough periods to have people get out. On my previous trips, we have been limited to one stop every 24 hour. We had all of this extra time in spite of the fact that we stopped twice to let off large groups including 6-7 workmen and the 8 canoeists. Both groups got off in the middle of nowhere. The workmen were met by someone with a pickup truck for their tools and one could see small houses through the trees. The canoeists got off in the thick bush. As the train pulled away, some of the young people were starting to look for the path leading, I assume, down to a lake or a river. I couldn't see either. The seemed to be so focused and clear as to what they needed to do. I am sure that they had a great adventure

For much of the trip there are endless of miles of almost no view at all as the train drifts (there is sometimes almost no sense of speed as the trees are so close to the train) through an almost endless green tunnel, then all of a sudden there is an explosion of light as the trees give way to an extraordinary jewel of a lake. It is easy to see why people fall in love with the near north. There are large sections of nothing to see and then amazing beauty.

Most of us got out for the half hour break at Hornpayne. It is the place where the train crews switch and garbage is taken out and new supplies are carried in. It is also the place where passengers run up to the corner store to stock up on drinks and snacks. I am sure that the small store makes much of its  annual profits on the passenger trains that stop here. It was surprisingly hot outside. After the air conditioned comfort of the train, the humidity was a shock. None-the-less it was nice to get out and walk about.

As the day moved into the late afternoon and then into the evening more people got off the train than got on. By the time we were all settling down for the night even couples are sitting in their own seats. Hopefully we will all get a good night's rest.

Shortley after this point I broke my tablet......