Sometimes stories for The Black Rod get loaded and ready to go, only to be sidetracked by server problems. Since timing is everything, unless the problem is solved quickly, the stories get dumped. But sometimes, we get lucky. And we can salvage one of those stories. Like today. Winnipeg columnist Dan Lett's latest screed against Donald Trump http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/twitter-changing-how-game-of-politics-is-played-410801865.html ended with this snippet of Lett wisdom: "There is so much fake news floating around the interweb that it is becoming more and more difficult to discern real, professionally produced news from that which seeks to debase and derail democratic exercises and institutions." We can't resist. Back in November we addressed another of Lett's hare-brained columns but he's now made what we wrote more relevant than ever: ----------------------- (originally written Nov. 20, 2016) Amazing. Simply amazing. With me
The origin of the Usher of the Black Rod goes back to early fourteenth century England . Today, with no royal duties to perform, the Usher knocks on the doors of the House of Commons with the Black Rod at the start of Parliament to summon the members. The rod is a symbol for the authority of debate in the upper house. We of The Black Rod adopted the symbol to knock some sense and the right questions into the heads of Legislators, pundits, and other opinion makers.