I have really had it with Mr. Brown,
He’s causing me a permanent frown.
That person has not an ounce (or ml) of decency in his body. It has been said a few times that the person’s posturing annoys me but this is the final straw. He has Canada Post stick these badly printed, ignorantly written grey things in my post box all the time promoting his re-election. Most of the time, they are drivel and discarded. The last really stuck in my craw. He has overdone it.
This useless excuse for a Member of Parliament has the effrontery to use a seriously awful disease to promote himself. While many people question the ethics of an MP becoming involved directly in charity fundraising, this is the first time I have ever seen an MP make a career of it. Last week it was making chilli for the Alzheimer Society. Before that it was hockey for Royal Victoria Hospital. Can he not find Ottawa? The man has absolutely nothing to say for himself. It is obviously not modesty, though he does have much to be modest about.
But to use Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or, as American’s call it, Lou Gehrig’s disease) as something to use and discard as last week’s promotion, is despicable. How dare he? When taking over as president of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, 35 years ago, I was surprised to find that ALS and other motor neuron diseases came under the umbrella of the MS Society. In fact, one of our hard workers on the national board had a son with ALS. It was after extensive discussions with the medical experts that we realized that despite the shared value of basic research, upcoming trials that the MS Society was funding were not going to relate to motor neuron research needs.
Based on our studies, it was agreed by all concerned that ALS and the related motor neuron diseases needed to be addressed separately. This would bring more attention to the concerns about ALS and it would improve government direct funding into the specific needs of the different diseases. And that led to the founding of Canada’s ALS Society. The society had our full support to get going.
In many years of working with charities in Canada and around the world, we have always cheerfully used politicians of all stripes to gain publicity, understanding and funding support. The one thing you may be sure of is that we never, ever allowed a politician to use us! Mr. Brown’s actions are shameful.
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