Love is Just a Four Letter Word

Love is Just a Four Letter Word

Ain't them the words to an old Joan Baez song? I think so. I looked it up on the internet and found the lyrics to be dark indeed. In typical Baez style, it hits you right between the eyes. Not a very flatterin' commentary on the condition. It's more or less derogatory; somewheres between love an' hate.

Well hate is just a four-letter word too. And it seems to be more and more prevalent these days. But it's disguised under the banner o' bein' right or righteous rather than bein' hateful. It don't matter what ya call it, hate is still hate. An' haters love to hate. They are so grounded in their beliefs that anyone opposing them is either a bully or an idiot. They don't even realize their own hatred, never mind acknowledge it. Their intransigence is mind bogglin'. Things like compromise or discussion don't even show up on their radar. There was a guy the other day who disagreed with my opinion an' he called me moronic. He wondered how anybody could be friends with such a moron. Well I suppose when yer feet are set in stone, it's hard to pull 'em out.

Another example is the NDP national conference in Edmonton last weekend. Holy Crackers! That was some surprise. I think everybody was just as shocked as Tom Mulcair. But I thought he was gracious enough to say he'd stay until a new leader is elected, which to me means he's willin' to put up with more abuse from the party he's led for the past while. Either that or he needs the paycheque. Of course all the haters in Alberta are cheerin' away at a blow to the NDP. But here's the kicker. Rachel Notley, Alberta's NDP premier flew in the face of that NDP Leap Manifesto, defending the pipelines and the oil business like no other politician has done before. This is a premier who gets things done; witness the job creation equaling fifty percent of the nation's record. I'm willin' to bet she'll put enough heat on the rest o' the country to get her (Alberta's) product to market. An' it won't be outa hate neither. It'll be outa negotiation an' compromise. That's how love works.

By the time Albertans realize that listenin', engagin' in constructive dialogue, openness and transparency (similar to Prime Minister Trudeau) gets things done, they'll be writin' her eulogy. At least that's how it seems to me from up here on the top shelf.

Just sayin'.