Jack Layton, the leader of the opposition party - the NDP - in our country, announced yesterday, that he has to step down for a period of time to fight a new cancer. He has beaten prostate cancer in the last couple of years but now is sick again. This morning, just now, I watched him address the public and make his announcement. He is gaunt, frail and his voice - his usual booming confident and cheerful voice is reedy and thin. To those of us who have been so optimistic to have this man and this party take the opposition in the last election, this is devastating news. He says he'll be back in September, when the house resumes sitting and I hope he is right. We need him as our positive junk-yard dog, battling the bland force of mindlessness that is Stephen Harper. It is bad enough that his beige-ness got a majority in the last election but please don't let there be nobody to fight for common decency, social justice and our ailing health-care system!
I'm simply gob-smacked and needed to share this with you, my dear readers.
What makes a hero? To me it isn't the image of a brawny fellow on a horse leading the charge - it is now a thin, tired and sick man who still implores us to be the party of optimism, hope and love.
8 comments:
Jan, I'm sorry!
A hero is someone who will do the right thing no matter what.
I had exactly the same reaction when I heard the news. I've always liked Jack Layton - although have you noticed his profile is somewhat like Lenin's? This has always amused me on several levels.
So sad. I hope he recovers and you DO get him back. Cancer is horrible.
Beautifully said.
OH NO! I love Jack Layton. And I'm SO not a fan of Harper.
I wish Layton well...
Hope he's recovered by that time.
A hero? Is ethical, acts with integrity and is true to his or her deeply held values.
That crappy blandness is rife here too. We desperately need someone with a bit of moral fibre and backbone.
Doesn't sound good for the bloke, but I sincerely hope it's better than it appears.
Sue
Jan - Thanks so much for this reminder of what real courage is.
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