Bye, Jack.

I kind of liked Jack Layton, at far as liking a politician goes.  I gave him nicknames.  I do that.  SILVER JACK!  Also sometimes SMILIN' JACK or even SMUG JACK. Or just, THE MOUSTACHE.

I said things like, "You can trust a guy who picks a style of facial hair and sticks with it for decades."

And, "A man who keeps a moustache even when it's out of fashion is a guy who is not afraid of commitment."


My in-lawrs are big NDP people.  They're New Democrat Party all the way.  I haven't talked to them since Jack's passing on Monday.  I don't belong to any party.  I often have a very hard time taking the whole thing seriously. I'm the kind of slacker who just wants to go ride my horses and wish everybody would get along.  I don't like to think about the uneasy relationship between farmers and government.  But I vote.  Even if I'm reduced to simply voting for the person with the least amount of bullcrap, or the one who smiles the most (while appearing genuine about it) I  always vote.

In my lifetime, there have been two national leaders who had a standout personality (whether or not it was likeable).  They were both from Quebec and were both real flamboyant characters. Personality or not, I didn't expect Jack to become Prime Minister.  Being from Quebec might not have been enough.   I think he was too much of a s*** disturber and rebel.  Maybe even too honest.  He 'fessed up to things rather than verbally backpedal, and what kind of politician does that?  He was leading the underdog NDP.  Besides, how many world leaders have worn successful facial hair?  That would have been pretty cool, I think.

I won't get into details.  There are news websites where you can read all about it.  Everybody remarks on how tragic it is that he took his party to their biggest triumph in history, after beating cancer and campaigning on a broken hip, and died 16 weeks later, from another kind of cancer, one that didn't care who wins what.

But, the one good thing about his death is that he had time to write his last words.