Stupid Statements (part IV)

Here are some more of the stupid statements people say.

Art Lamache, the former chief of staff of the Canadian privacy commissioner was charged with fraud while breaking the rules while in office. He didn’t take the stand at his trial but he did have someone appear as his only witness. The witness was a Catholic priest, Peter Schonenbach who said in part; “He’s a man who finds ways to use the rules so that they’re at the best advantage. He is an exemplary community leader…” If his leadership was that exemplary, then why did he break the rules and help his boss commit fraud against the government of Canada?

Presidential hopeful, John McCain while making a speech, said to a rally of 35,000 supporters in Pennsylvania. “You know, I think you may have noticed that Senator Obama's supporters have been saying some pretty nasty things about western Pennsylvania lately. And you know, I couldn't agree with them more.” Are they that bad? In a rally on June 3, 2008, he said; "We should be able to deliver bottled hot water to dehydrated babies. It’s not a good thing to give hot water to babies to drink." In a rally in Lehigh, Pennsylvania, he said, “Across the country, this is an agenda I have set for my fellow prisoners.” He meant to say, ‘citizens’ This is the man who wanted to be the president of the United States. He should join Toastmasters and learn the art of public speaking.

Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska, his running mate isn’t any better. A Quebec comedy duo notorious for prank calls to celebrities and heads of state had tricked Sarah Palin less than a week before the election, convincing the Republican vice-presidential nominee that she was actually speaking with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Here is part of the telephone conversation that took place between one of the pranksters and Sarah Palin. The prankster said, “Some people said in the last days and I thought that was mean, that you weren't experienced enough in foreign relations and you know that's completely false. That's the thing that I said to my great friend, the Prime Minister of Canada, Stef Carse."(Carse is a singer. It is Stephen Harper who is the prime minister) She replied, “Well, he's doing fine, too, and yeah, when you come into a position underestimated it gives you an opportunity to prove the pundits and the critics wrong. You work that much harder.” It didn’t dawn on her that something was wrong when she was told about Stef Carse being the prime minister of Canada. Then the prankster said, “I was wondering because you are so next to him, one of my good friends, the Prime Minister of Quebec, Mr. Richard Z. Sirois. Have you met him recently? Did he come to one of your rallies?” (Jean Charest is the current premier of Quebec.) She replied, “I haven't seen him at one of the rallies, but it's been great working with the Canadian officials.” She would hardly see Richard Z. Sirois at her rallies since the man is a radio host and comedian in Quebec. This is the woman who some day hopes to be the president of the United States.

In June 1963, John F. Kennedy stood at the Berlin Wall and said for all the world to hear, "Ich bin ein Berliner," which means, “I am a Berliner.” The German word, ‘Berliner’ is ‘cream bun’.

André Jean was about to leave his apartment and head down to his car in the high-rise's parking garage on the morning of November 27, 2008 when the alarms went off and everyone started scrambling outside. He followed and soon saw an extraordinary sight: there was a giant hole where the main level of the garage had collapsed onto cars below, and there sat his green Chrysler Sebring, teetering on the precipice. Then, someone was screaming that a man was still inside a car underneath the rubble. That man, a 36-year-old delivery driver, would later be pronounced dead. Building residents, including Jean, are stunned but also angry because they say CAP REIT, the Toronto-based company that owns the complex – ironically called Joie de Vivre (the joy of living) – did not maintain the garage. Numerous residents said there were huge cracks in the concrete, major leaks and holes left unfixed. Many people told the administrators and they were told, “Don't worry. There's no danger.” In a statement, CAP REIT – the Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust, one of Canada's biggest renters of apartments – said, “We are committed to providing safe and secure accommodation throughout its portfolio of apartments, townhouses and land-lease communities."

Japan's former air force chief of staff Gen. Toshio Tamogami was summoned before the Japanese Diet (parliament) to answer the allegations leveled against him. He had previously made the following public statement. “Japan was not an aggressor. Pearl Harbor was an American trap and Japan's brutal occupation of other Asian countries – which by some accounts claimed 20 million lives – wasn't really all that bad.” Japanese soldiers raped, mutilated and murdered millions of victims over much of Asia during the Second World War and even prior to the war. Needless to say, the general was sacked.

In 2006, Nicholas Crowdis attacked Michael Serba in a laneway in Toronto with a brick. Serba fell and Crowdis proceeded to kick and stomp on Serba's head. A videotape captured the initial blow and the horrific sounds of the kicking and stomping. The brutal attack dislocated Serba's jawbone from the rest of his skull. Serba died as a direct result of the assault. Crowdis testified at his trial and I quote; “I didn't mean to kill Serba.” Imagine that. A vicious attack with a brick and violently stomping on someone's head can actually cause death.

To run for office, you have to be a good speaker otherwise no one will listen to you. Caroline Kennedy, (51) the daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy while running for office of senator (which she is not qualified to do) spoke like she is a little girl. In a 30-minute interview with a local NY TV station, she used the "you know" 168 times. Her inability to express herself is obvious. Here is an example of two of her sentences. "I'm really coming into this as somebody who isn't, you know, part of the system, who obviously, you know, stands for the values of, you know, the Democratic Party." This next one is a beauty. "Andrew is, you know, highly qualified for this job. He's doing a, you know, a great job as attorney general, and we've spoken throughout this process. You know, I think, you know, we're sort of, uh, sharing some of this experience. And um, as I've said, he was a friend, a family member, and um so, and uh obviously, he's, you know, he's also had an impressive career in public office." One time she used the ‘you know’ phrase four times in one sentence. These utterances, “you know… um… so… oh…” are used when someone is attempting to find the right words to continue the sentence. It means that they can’t get their mind in gear while speaking to someone. I think I have, you know, got my point, you know, across to my readers, you know.

Later, I will give you some more of these stupid statements.