The I. A. Files

   

No, not the "X" Files, but something even worse - the "Idiot Alert" Files. Take heed, people. Read the following and then run screaming.

   Let's start with the OPP officers who had souvenirs made to mark the night of Sept. 6, 1995.
    I am usually to be found right up there at the front of the fans cheering for the police force. They willingly take on a job that doesn't include sufficient danger pay, in my opinion; but having said that, let me also add that in every group, including the police, there are to be found the idiots who tarnish the good name of every other group member. These officers are just such morons.
   The constabulary of whom we speak had mugs and T-shirts made to commemorate the police operation of the night that ended with the death of native activist Anthony Dudley George at the hands of an OPP sniper at Ipperwash Provincial Park. The articles were made within days of the event. The shirts bore the OPP insignia, the letters "ERT" and TRU" for the emergency response team and tactical response unit involved at Ipperwash, and a white feather. The mugs bore an arrow through an OPP crest.
   At a public inquiry into the death of George, former Ontario Solicitor General Robert Runciman said he was personally offended by the "macho stupidity" shown by the officers. It would not be impossible to determine the officers involved. Why isn't there any news about them being held accountable in some way?
   Native leaders are incensed at the total lack of sensitivity and respect shown, especially by use of the arrow and feather which they employ to symbolize fallen warriors. The symbols are just too specific for them to have been used without precise knowledge of their meaning. This points the finger squarely at the officers responsible as insensitive idiots.


   Let's move on now to the second example of idiocy unchecked.
   I recently took on the position of volunteer tutor for an adult dealing with literacy issues. We filled out the forms for a course from the Independent Learning Centre, here in Toronto. My student signed on the dotted line and paid the fee for the course and then we waited for the material to arrive. Tutor book, student book and several tapes arrived a couple of weeks later and we got started on the work. The package sent to us included instructions on how to make contact with a Learner Services Officer at a set time in the course framework. I tried the number given and got a message which told me to enter the last five digits of the number for the person I wished to reach. I tried every number on the forms we were sent. Every one brought the same results. The recorded voice returned, telling me the number was incorrect and advising me to try again. I went to snail-mail next and addressed a general plea for help
to-whom-it-may-concern, informing them of the problem with the phone number. I received an answering letter yesterday, saying the phone number we were given "has not been in service for several years". Duh.
   Does no-one check on this material before it is sent out to see that it is actually worth the fee they charge? They do not hesitate to set a price tag on their material. What price can the students set on the ineptitude of the idiot(s) at the Learning Centre responsible for this lesson on how to do things just right?

And the prize winner in today's list of idiots run amok --- the voters who elected Stephen Harper last night. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!