Spectators at the blog competition

There were spectators at my blog competition with Warren Kinsella last summer. But I only noticed those pundits who made it known through their writings that they were watching the competition.

Among them, the most consistent one was Pat MacAdam, a columnist for Ottawa Sun. At the time of writing my report last fall, however, I did not think it was relevant enough to include his writings in it.

According to his August 15, 2004 column, MacAdam was "once dubbed Brian Mulroney's 'personal terrorist' and 'hit man'".

Mr. MacAdam cheered me on while I was blogging with Warren Kinsella.

1. On August 10, about three weeks into my blog competition with Warren Kinsella, I published an excerpt of my report about a harassing phone call I received. In MacAdam's August 15 column, he wrote about an incident where politicians were involved in making prank phone calls, and, in effect, gave my story credibility.
2. I am not sure if he wrote on August 22 as I do not have the record.
3. Warren Kinsella soon noticed Pat MacAdam's "nostalgic acts".
   

"August 23, 2004 - Charlie, Lorne and me saw Stiff Little Fingers last night at Lee's. What a disappointment! The guy who wrote something as life-altering (to me, anyway) 'Alternative Ulster' pausing in the middle of 'Suspect Device,' the greatest political song in the history of the world, to introduce the band, like a Vegas nostalgia act?! God, it was awful.

We can't easily remain revolutionaries when we're in our fifties with kids and mortgages, of course, but it would have been nice to see at least some acknowledgement of what once was. Am I wrong?"
(Kinsella)

However, MacAdam continued his "nostalgic acts" by recalling many of his early experience with Brian Mulroney in his next two columns on August 29 and September 5. And Kinsella had the following blog entry.

"September 4, 2004 - Twenty years!

Twenty years ago today, I said goodbye to my Ottawa friends - many of them working at polling stations - and flew back to start law school, the next day, at the University of Calgary. My Dad picked me up at the airport, and we listened to CBC Radio in the car as John Turner conceded defeat. "The people are always right," he said, and in that, he was telling the truth.

Brian Mulroney won a huge majority, and I started classes the next day. Twenty years ago!

Did I just make a few of you feel old?"
(Kinsella)

1. On September 7 and 8, I blogged about some of the police bullying incidents I experienced. In his September 12 column, Riders on the storm, Pat MacAdam recounts his experience traveling in a storm when police pointed guns at him. The title has a metaphorical meaning of the political storm surrounding the first minister's conference on health care, as also picked up by Pierre Bourque in his news site.
2. On September 19, he recalls racial problems in sports. A very positive article on racism.
3. After the first minister's conference, I was quite depressed. MacAdam's next columns were quite up-lifting of spirit to read. His September 26 column was about The Sixties revolution and his October 3 column was about native soldiers at war. I guess that was exactly what I need -- some fighting spirit.
4. On October 7, I started a 48-hour hunger strike at Simon Fraser University and I blogged quite a lot - and good ones, I might add - during those two days. It's my way of fighting back. On October 10, MacAdam started his column with "A phoenix can rise from the ashes -- time and time again."

I could go on with a couple of more. But you got the idea. However, it never occurred to me that I should take advantage of Pat MacAdam. I knew that Kinsella and MacAdam belong to different political parties. I just did not want to get into partisan politics.

My story is about racism and bigotry. And I am confident that my facts and logic along would convince journalists to make my story public. That's why for the two times I came to Ottawa - once on October 19 and once on November 23 - I did not even try to contact Mr. MacAdam immediately. In fact, I only got his phone number and called him for the first time on December 22, 2004. And we did not end up meeting with each other until March 17, 2005.

And that would be the story behind Gomery inquiry. But it was a "conspiracy" mostly conjured up in Kinsella's mind anyways. He knew that all along when he influenced MSM media to make sure nobody would report my story and in the end I would have to go to MacAdam for help.

(Sorry, I am too tired to finish it today.)