With former Enron executives now at the helm of BC Hydro, is it any surprise that most of Vancouver Island was without power for a couple of hours on an otherwise calm, stormless Thanksgiving Sunday?
It's like artificially inflating gas prices through the summer, only to lower them just prior to the election. Never forget those 'Conservatives' are not the red tories of days gone by ..... the Conservative party died after Brian Mulroney used it to shove NAFTA down our throats, and it was rebuilt by the ultra-right. Who knows what their pre-election tactics might involve as they quest for ultimate power over us all.
In fact, speculations are that Thanksgiving Sunday's two hour (0r thereabouts) blackout was either another trick to scare people into the arms of the enemy, or it was the revenge of reincarnated turkeys who've finally had enough of the annual slaughter. Wonder what they've got cooked up for Christmas?
Actually, the real reason for the blackout was Chris, whose great manly task this Thanksgiving was to select the appropriate dimmer setting in the dining room. (It's amazing the men-folk survive all the stress of these holidays, considering the many tasks they traditionally undertake). Chris was in the midst of this onerous task, cautiously turning the dimmer switch to find the most perfect light setting, when the power cut. His immediate response was to convince us that this action alone had tripped the fuse. When we were later huddled around the radio, still obviously shaken from the two hours of dusk spent eating luke-warm but fully cooked tofurky dinner, listening to the tales of wisdom and woe emanating from those other of Vancouver Island's survivors, we wondered if we ought to call in and let CFAX listeners know that the secret to Vancouver Island's electric power is contained in the dimmer switch in Marion's dining room?!??
But how could we tell our story of ultimate power after listening to the horrendous tales from our island neighbours? There was the woman sitting in her car in the garage because her Metchosin house was getting cold, and a subsequent caller reminding us never to start the engine unless the garage door is open .... the guy with his hand up the turkey and the burn he suffered as a result of not being able to see into the oven .... the store clerk forced to use the old mechanical visa machine (and maybe the abacus as well) .... the outraged woman insisting on billing BC Hydro for the melted ice cream in her freezer .... what's she supposed to do, build a bon-fire in the living room??!!!!
The Great Blackout of '08 conjured memories of the Great Storm of '96, and CFAX was at the ready, cancelling their previously scheduled programming and prepared to accept their established role as Radio Saviours, guiding us through the turmoil.
Good luck voting tomorrow - don't let your fear guide you.
