RANT/RAVE (Week of July 15)

West End united
Dear fellow Vancouver citizens concerned about safety in the West End: Can we organize a rally to protest gay bashing in the West End please? Let’s get a rally going, a march down Davie Street. Because within the last month there have been two well-publicized, severe, physically injuring gay bashings, and within the year another two more added to that. So, four I can think of. These perpetrators are coming from outside the demographic of the West End — suburbs or other parts of B.C. ­— so can we please organize a rally to show unity and that no one’s going to accept this? Not heterosexuals, not gays, not lesbians. We have to pull together as a complete community in the West End because it’s not only gays at risk, it’s heterosexuals, too, because these thugs perceive that because we live in the West End, or how our personalities are, or how we dress, that we’re all targets.
Anonymous rantline caller

All revved up
Could those motorbikers who love tearing down West-End streets at maximum decibel levels at all hours of the night please explain the attraction of such activity? By waking up an entire neighbourhood with your powerful machines you seem to get your jollies, or might it be a compensation for lack of power in your lollies? Just wondering...
Anonymous

Renter rights
Frankly, Frank, [“You rent, you risk” June 24] you’re full of shit. And quite stupid, too. And maybe a little bitter. Without renters, owners of rental building wouldn’t be in business. It is a perfect example of a symbiotic relationship. It benefits both parties AND the community as a whole, since not every taxpayer in B.C. is willing or able to buy into the hyper-inflated housing market here. However, Gordon Campbell’s government upset that natural balance when they changed the laws that protect renters. They’re like you, Frank. They don’t like those low-life renters either. So they empowered companies who want all of the rights of owners, but none of the responsibilities of landlords, to treat their renters like squatters, not as partners in a legal contract. And when that happens, Frank, renters fight for their rights in the media, on the street, and in their rental homes. Anywhere they can. So get used to it, Frank, because although we live in a corporate dictatorship here in B.C., those goofy renters still think they live in a democracy.
Pat

Tax and spend
There is indeed a self-serving agenda driving British Columbia’s Liberal Premier Gordon Campbell’s outrageous spending spree. Thanks to the ‘Freedom of Information Act’ this B.C. taxpayer has discovered an unpublicized, heated competition between Mr. Campbell and ex-Canadian Governor General Adrienne Clarkson wherein both are vying for the coveted title of “Most Heroic Overspending of Tax Dollars by a Canadian Politician.” It’s true I tell you! No really, it is!
Peter

Hot dogs
What’s with retailers downtown in the heat? Put out a dog bowl! I walked my furry friend from the West End to Yaletown along Haro then Smithe and nothing! If you put out a bowl of water, that would mean a lot to us dog-friendly folks. Do us a favour! Look out for the furbabies!
Dogs Best Friend1

Dance revolution
A rant to the tweens who got offended when I pushed past to get near the stage at a Media Club gig. I should have realized it was “your spot?” Time to get into the real world. Since when was the dance pit reservable? Maybe instead of trying your hardest to push back [for] most of the gig, you would have been better off dancing to the music?
Kiwis dance at gigs

Park snark
Went to an event downtown last night which started at 7:30pm. I found a great spot to park on the street, but with one problem: All the meters have a 2-hour limit, until 10:00pm. They force you to go to a big parkade where the rate is ridiculously high. Good job all.
Andrew

Green is good
I just got back from a nice stroll on Granville Street, which has been blocked off from traffic. Then I turned on to Dunsmuir and its pleasant bike lane lined with plant boxes. Yes, yes, yes! Kudos to the city for reclaiming some of our streets from the relentless and dangerous assault of the vehicle. This is a great beginning. Let’s see more streets and lanes given over the pedestrians and bikes. Let’s continue to reward enjoyable green behaviors like walking and biking and let drivers fume in their self-made hells. Sorry drivers, but your time has passed and the city is starting to favour people instead of machines.
Mark

Pre-school pin-ups
Babies do not belong in bikinis.
StopBaringItAll