Master and Commander: The Far Side Of The World

Your humble scribe, like much of the country, has been following the plight of Canadian nationals stranded in Lebanon, and our governments efforts to see them safely home. Prime Minister Stephen Harper even flew evacuees home on his government jet, an act of airborne altruism more commonly perpetrated by celebrity action heroes like John Travolta or Harrison Ford.

So, with 80-odd people safely evacuated by that daring young man in his flying machine, the plan remains to get the rest out by ship - and it's not going particularly well, especially when compared to other countries' efforts. I can't help but think back to our old PM, Paul Martin and his once-beloved Canada Steamship Lines. Wouldn't it have been something to watch the Right Honourable Commodore on the quarterdeck of one of his former ships, Liberian flags of convenience snapping briskly in the wind behind him, pulling himself away from his vengeful quest for the white whale Moby Chretien and coming to the rescue of his fellow citizens?

Shiver me timbers.