LET THE REBELLION BEGIN...

 As in protesting Governments' recent shut-downs and closures.

With the great number of Omicron Viruses, the Experts are besides themselves with new suggestions on how to tighten things down even more than they currently are.

These 'Experts',  as I pointed out in a recent Blog have yet to be right and with their recent fearful announcements they are keeping to true form.

Parents expecting to send their kids back to school on Monday here in Ontario were told just yesterday that this will be delayed until Wednesday.  Some notice.

But worse than that - the reason given is to ensure Schools have the time to install air filtration.  First off - 2 days extra time will not accomplish this and Secondly, they won't work even when installed due to the high contagion of this new variant.  It will only amount to a colossal waste of money and will only give parents and their kids a false sense of protection. 

In Quebec, it is even worse.  New Year's Eve Partiers were given but 1 day's notice that there will be no partying even in their own homes.  I'd tell the could Premier (President?) of Quebec what he can do with His directive.  Worse - restaurants are to be shuttered - food to be wasted and another nail in the coffin of private enterprise.  Talk about Scrooge even he wasn't that mean. 

When the Experts look at the growing numbers with horror on their faces...they are doing so from the wrong end of the looking glass.  Granted, Omicron is more contagious but it is far less severe...so less severe that it actually is of benefit for those of us who have received their prescribed vaccines.  I cannot wait to catch it. 

Every hour it seems another business reports it is being crippled by lack of staff who have to isolate due to the sniffles.  It cannot go on like this...Air Lines need to operate, Police need to Police, Firemen fight fires, Nurses / Doctors need to keep Hospitals open and Home Support Workers need to help the frail and elderly..  Simply stated we are shooting ourselves in the foot - both feet actually and have the Experts to blame for it. 

You know that I am the last Person to call for a Rebellion but as for the Nonsense taking place before our very eyes - I say ...To The Ramparts.  Are you with me?

As I See It...

'K.D. Bell' 

GUNS AND ROSES

 WELL MAYBE NO ROSES BUT LOTS OF GUNS....

TAKE OUR CITY OF OTTAWA FOR EXAMPLE:

With 2021 ending, our Police Department reports over 80 incidents of shootings in our fair city this year...A New Record. 

Granted, American City Chicago has that many shootings each and every weekend but for us here in Canada our number is sobering for us.   B.T.W., Chicago is not even America's worst example when shootings per capita are taken into account.

The number 80 above came out earlier this month and since then there have been several more. So our record year continues to grow to its bitter end. 

It used to be the weapon of choice was the Knife and before that... one's bare fists... but guns and gangs have progressed more latterly even here in our more friendly and safer environment.  

But that said, and as noted, this trend is increasing and most certainly will continue to get worse.  We are not a Safe as we once were. 

Which brings me to our recent Federal Election where our Esteemed Prime Minister continually mocked the Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition - Erin O'Toole for being soft on long gun owners such as Farmers, Hunters and Target Shooters. You knew, I knew and yes Justin knew full well that the real problem for the rising trend in gun crimes was and is gangs illegally smuggling hand-guns in from our neighbour to the South.  

But our Progressive Electorate turned a blind eye and voted the cad back into power. 

The handgun issue though is one area where I do agree with the Progressives in their effort to ban them. I have never owned a handgun nor do I have any wish to do so.  I have owned various rifles from time to time most recently when we owned a hobby farm on the outskirts of this city.  I was glad to dispose of them when we moved back into the city.  Fact is...I do not like guns but as a hobby farmer I understood why farmers have need for them and I can understand why they are in safe hands with both hunters and target shooters too.

But handguns are a much different 'kettle of fish'.  Simply stated, they exist solely to kill people.

So until the United States out right bans them...they are going to be an ongoing problem for our Police too.  But this of course will not happen - even in your younger lifetimes - since the 'Right To Bear Arms' is embedded in America's Constitution ...in fact it is its Second Amendment.  So there is little we can do on this side of the border to effectively stop the flow.  In this it mirrors our War Against Drugs ...also coming to us via the USA, a war which we lost over 50 years ago. 

Ironically, when criticizing O'Toole, Trudeau promised to get tough on guns and gangs post Election.  So how has this worked out? 

In the brief period that our Parliament was allowed to resume, His Government introduced legislation to reduce sentences for serious gun crime including weapons trafficking and importing.  This includes getting rid of mandatory minimum sentences even for those convicted multiple times of gun offences.

Boy that will certainly put a dent in this vicious activity...NOT.

Trudeau takes us all for Fools and so far he has gotten away with it and there is no indication that that will change anytime soon.

As I See It...

'K.D. Galagher'

And Another Infamous Bill...This One Federal...

Bill C-4 an Act to Criminalize Conversion Therapy was passed into law at the close of  the Canadian Parliament this December where both the House of Commons and the Senate unanimously voted in its favour. 

This was the Liberal Government's 3rd attempt (third time lucky) to bring this obnoxious piece of legislation into being. 

At this point, it is helpful to point out that despite what our Governors say, there are two sides to the Conversion Therapy Issue:

The first concerns blocking attempts by the well intentioned to persuade others to be satisfied with their sexual lot in life...i.e.  if they were born male or female they should be okay with that. This is the one that is being criminalized.

The second side of this controversial coin is far more damaging in that it actually changes an Individual's sex.  Our Government does not legislate against this one...in fact it pays and is delighted to see it happen. 

Bill C-4...it reads:

Conversion therapy, is defined as a practice, treatment or service designed to:

        (a) change a person’s sexual orientation to heterosexual;
        (b) change a person’s gender identity to cisgender;
        (c) change a person’s gender expression so that it conforms to the sex                               assigned to the person at birth;
        (d) repress or reduce non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behaviour;
        (e) repress a person’s non-cisgender gender identity; or
        (f) repress or reduce a person’s gender expression that does not conform to                    the sex assigned at birth.

The problem with this is with respect to the wording "practice, treatment or service ...".  It can mean anything.  In fact, it casts such a wide net that it captures parents, clergy, school guidance officers, medical professionals and other well intentioned people. That said, you and I are apt to think and picture Conversion Therapy as involving the hooking up of some poor bloke to electrodes and having his or her brain rewired. 

Despite the fact that this type of inhumane treatment went out of vogue in the 1950s and was the stuff of rogue CIA agents... if the elimination of this type of this was the only likely outcome of the new Law we too would all be most supportive.

But sadly and recklessly as noted, C-4 goes far and away beyond that.

So that leads me to the unanimous nature of the Bill's passage.  Not one Leader, not one Member of Parliament nor any of our Esteemed and over-paid Senators had the courage to stand up and tell Emperor Justin Trudeau that he has no clothes. The Government has a duty to do what is in the best interests of Canadians and in this sad case it has failed miserably.  So too did the Opposition since it is their job to point out deficiencies in what the Government proposes and here they were all missing in action.

And the blessed Senate - the Body of Sober Second Thought was anything but Sober in their hurried enthusiasm to get the legislation into law. 

If ever there was a draft law that required sober serious second-thought and amendment ...it was this one.

Shame, Shame on Them All. 

I mentioned that the other form of Conversion is the truly dangerous and damaging one and sadly is the one that our Government actually encourages....it involves the change of an individual's sex.. the loping off of parts that will not be coming back despite the many who live to regret what they have done. Studies show that depression and suicide are common effects post operation.

But I am a Libertarian and fervently believe that an Individual is free to do whatever he or she wishes to do to with their own body and long as their actions do not directly injure others.  So if someone wants to cut this and that and replace it with that and this...be my guest.  No law should exist for or against it.

A Big However ...the Individual must be of Adult Age to make such a major decision.

Until Adult Hood - let the Children be Children and if they think they are of a sex different from their birth sex...So Be It.  They have lots of time left to make irreparable change - for good or bad.

As I See It...

'K.D. Bell'

 

THERE IS REWRITING HISTORY AND THEN THERE IS...

 PYSICALLY DESTROYING IT.

A recent front page headline in the National Post contained a picture with the heading 'Demolishing History'.  It was quite sobering for me.

We know how the Progressive Left has worked feverishly to rewrite history so Up becomes Down, In becomes Out and Frontwards becomes Backwards.  And sadly, by and large we the unwashed masses*have let them get away with it. *(their words...not mine and also used phrase...useful idiots).

Well they have now gone one further:

The Post story states in a matter of days, the Peace River Homestead located in the renowned Royal British Columbia Museum will be ripped off the face of this once proud country.  The article reads: "Starting January 2, crews will start taking crowbars to life-size dioramas of a Peace River homestead, a Vancouver Island coal mine and HMS Discovery the flagship of British explorer George Vancouver."  The reason given by the Museum's Pin-Heads is that this sacrilege is being done in the name of "decolonization".  

Ranked as one of our Country's 'most-visited' museums it is now most likely to cease being so and for all the right reasons.

The fall-back position for the Museum is that they are 'doing this for the aboriginals' however B.C.'s First Nations have come out strongly opposed.  They do however acknowledge that Museums such as this one need to be more inclusive and focus on their history too and in fact that is what the Province has been moving toward in recent years.  They want to show how their lives 'intersected' with the lives of non-aboriginal without destroying the early presence of the latter. 

This nonsense must stop.

Several years ago your mother and I went on a trip by car across Canada and when we returned we crossed the Alberta border and headed to Custer's Last Stand in Montana on June 25, 1876.

We were ready to hear of the daring do of Colonel Custer and his brave band of soldiers but were pleasantly surprised to have a young Crow Guide walk us through this most famous battle.   This young woman was very reserved...almost shy but when she began to recall what had occurred that day so many years ago- she became animated. Proud even since it was her people who had defeated the undefeatable  George Armstrong Custer the Yankee Hero of the Civil War.

She told us where Custer was at the end...where the rest of his officers were too but not only that ...she told us where the Indian Braves where ...their names and where those who were killed fell.  White Crosses for the Army dead...Red Crosses for the Indians.  It brought this famous battle to life in a way we never expected and it was all due to her.  

Of note, Custer went headlong into battle even though his Indian Guides told him not to.  There were other cavalry coming shortly to their rescue but Custer wanted all the glory himself.  He paid the ultimate price along with over 260 troopers. 

Crossing over to Canada, Chief Sitting Bull surrendered to North West Mounted Policeman Inspector James Walsh with but a handful of Mounted Police.  That too is an important part of our history that should not be forgotten and it involved natives and non-natives alike.

As I See It...

'K.D. Bell' 

 

THE INFAMOUS QUEBEC BILL C-21

AND SOME MISGUIDED CITY MAYORS:

Brampton's Mayor Patrick Brown has come out to say his town is coughing up $100 k to help opponents of this Law fight it in the Courts.  Other Mayors have similarly come on board.  

Bill C-21, as we all know, bans public workers in Quebec from displaying religious identifiers on their person.

The articles I have read are all critical of these Mayors based on the belief that the actions on the part of the Mayors will only serve to incite a backlash amongst the many Quebecers who are quite okay with it.

That is not my beef however...Canada is a free Country or at least once was so I encourage anyone and everyone to speak up if that be their inclination.  My trouble with their initiative is that we are talking municipal taxpayers' money here so if Mayor Brown and the others want to pledge their own money...be my guest, but this is not the stuff for the ever poorer municipal taxpayer.

Municipalities should focus on pot hole repair, roads, fire, ambulance and policing - not human rights issues that should be the turf of the Feds and to a lesser extent the Provinces.  We have seen the same type of thing happen here in Ottawa where our Council loves to pontificate on matters related to Climate Change and the Paris Accord which should be left to the United Nations. Stick to your knitting guys and gals.  If Patrick Brown wants to get actively involved in these types of things he should run for Premier.  Oh Ya he did ...didn't he and look how that turned out.

I would be remiss if I did not point out the entire silence on the part of Prime Minister Justin and His Merry Band of Warriors...for 2 years now nothing.  And in their muteness they have been silently backed by the Hapless Leaders of the Opposition.  Not one...not even one has dared to criticize what is an Out and Out Breach of the Bill of Rights and in this Case the blatant discrimination on the Grounds of Religion. Either they are there to protect the Rights of All Canadians or None and it looks to me like they have chosen.  

Maybe their lack of involvement has to do with the fact that Quebec has declared itself a Nation with our Federal Government's Blessing and again with the collective agreement of all Federal Parties.

It looks to me that we are well along the road to classes of citizenship which will no doubt further Western Feelings of Neglect. 

As I See It ...

'K.D. Galagher'

YOU AGREE, I AGREE, WE ALL AGREE...

 That there be No More Covid Lock-Downs !!!

Collectively We Have All Had It !!

And here in Ottawa, 90% of us are fully up-to-speed with our Vaccine Doses.   Your Mum and I have even received our Booster Shot as have many others. 

So let's see what our Elected Officials and Their Medical Advisors ('The Experts) are telling us to:

  Why they are asking us ...no demanding that we all take Rapid Tests...early and as often as can be.   

So what do you think that will do?   Why the numbers of positive cases will sky-rocket - they are high now but hospitalizations are very manageable and ICU cases tiny.  But with all these tests - false positives along with legions of non-symptomatic will shake the foundations of the Experts and we will all be subjected to more useless controls than ever before.   

And sadly, this is being done without the 'Experts' having a sweet clue what the Omicron Variant is even capable of doing or more to the point ...not doing.  They do seem to have a point that it is more contagious than the others so far but it also seems most likely that its effects mirror a cold or the flu.  

My take away from this is that regardless of what any of us do - whether of our own volition or following the myriad of commands from the 'Experts' on High...we are all most likely to succumb to the virus though the negative results will be minimal and on the plus side we'll all end up with immunity.  

In other words... we will all be able to get on with Living.

And that is essential given the damage being done to our Economy and to our Mental Health to Society in the 'Experts' failed attempt to check this Pandemic.

So let's get back to celebrating Christmas and the other Holidays and to visiting family and friends.  Florida...here we come. 

In closing though there is one thing that even I believe the 'Experts' had and have right...get your vaccines asap. They unlike lock-downs actually work to staff off serious sickness. 

In that regard, we are truly blessed that Big Pharma... yes Big Pharma and its Scientists came through for us by discovering  a vaccine...actually several vaccines... in short order that work and have saved countless lives. I have a lot of time for those Experts since what they accomplished borders on a miracle while the other 'Experts' at that time were predicting it would take 5 years or even 10 or even never to see this happen.

And speaking of Scientists - it will be they who will save us from Global Warming or whatever the Nomenclature is for the day and not the Woke whose recipe for cure is to devastate world economies. More on that another time.

As I See It...

'K. D. Bell' 

THE UKRAINE'S

 Sad  But  Proud  History. 

A Brief History Beginning with the Russian Revolution in 1917:

A chaotic period of time for Russia of course but also for the Ukraine.  It too emerged from its own Civil War 1917 - 1921.  In 1922 the Ukrainian Bolsheviks defeated the Ukrainian National Government and became one of the founding republics of the Soviet Union.

In 1932 and 1933, millions of people, mostly peasants, in the Ukraine starved to death in a devastating famine known as the Holodomor that totaled between 4 and 5 million. That represented some 15% of the country's population at that time and is blamed on the genocidal actions of the Soviet and its leader Joseph Stalin. 

Since the early 1890's there have been 3 large waves of Ukrainian emigration to Canada - this first lasted until the start of WW 1, the second at the time of the Holodomor in the 1930s and the third and last major wave at the conclusion of World War II.  There are today approximately a million and a half ethnic Ukrainians living in Canada which represents the largest number outside of the Ukraine itself and Russia. 

During World War 2 the Ukrainian Insurgent Army fought for independence against both Germany and the Soviet Union and in 1945 the Ukraine became one of the founding members of the United Nations even though it was still considered to be part of the Soviet Union.  This ended in 1991 when along with the other Soviet Union nations it regained independence. 

In recent years though, the Ukraine has been in crisis with constant internal protests between pro-European and pro Russian  groups.  This culminated with the invasion by Russia of its Crimea region followed by its annexation by Russia in 2014. As can be expected this unrest has negatively affected the Ukrainian economy.

    As an aside, I can recall attending a 'seniors chat group of 40 or so and the topic of the day was Russia likely to invade Crimea?  I was the only one in the room who said that Russia was going to do just that unless NATO put serious boots on the ground asap.  The others thought I had been smoking rope.  Virtually days later it was a done deal.  Not one of the chatterers had the temerity to tell me that I was right after all.

But as they say that was 2014 and today is now.

Russian Troops numbering 100,000 are massed along the Ukraine border ready at a moments notice to invade this hapless country. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned the West that the "nightmare scenario of military confrontation is returning to the European continent."

Not to be outdone, our own Foreign Minister... the newly installed Melanie Joly fired back...telling Russia that any form of military build-up by them was "bad".  You have to agree that you cannot get much tougher than that ...even though she seems to have missed the point that the 'build-up' she seems to be concerned about has already occurred. 

Her US counterpart was a bit tougher ...threatening.. get ready for this ..."sanctions".  I am sure Putin is quaking in his boots. 

So do I think Russia will proceed to invade the Ukraine... as I predicted for the Crimea?  This time though I believe he will not ...at least for now.  He is not that stupid.  But he does seem to be determined to restore the olde Soviet Union of a mere 30 years or so ago.

I qualify my answer as follows: If Europe continues to dither and the United States continues to withdraw from its world police function ...the day may come when Putin thinks he can do just that...it is just not there yet.  And you can add to this mix China's increasing sway throughout the world. 

So what to do? ...again I urge NATO to come immediately to Ukraine's aid.  And to go further, admit it to the Organization itself even though Putin will scream blue murder ..but so what. 

Add to this the need for Europe to get more involved in its own defence. Recent history shows clearly that they can no longer rely upon big brother (ie the United States) to protect them.

At the same time a current NATO member - Turkey needs to be put on notice that if they do not clean up their act it will be expelled from that Union.  Or even better, Suspend that country now until it can show that it deserves a full return to membership.

Do I think these initiatives will happen.  Hard to say, but if they do not we in the Free World are in for more trouble and which will likely begin with another invasion of the Ukraine and of course Taiwan.

As I See It...

'K.D. Galagher' 

THE BBC

 WORLD  NEWS ...

This past Sunday our Priest spoke of his recent trip to Germany and of course Rome Italy where he expressed his surprise to hear news from around the world that he said he never hears here in Canada.

He began by recalling his visit to the Nazis Death Camp at Dachau where some 41,500 poor souls perished.  And it was not even their worst camp.  His visit there coincided with the 75 anniversary of its liberation by American Troops in 1945 and had been in existence since early 1933.  It brought him to tears in the knowledge that humanity could stoop so low. 

He went on to say that we here safely tucked away in North America seldom are confronted with these images and indeed our news is too often divorced of any real substance even though many parts of the world today appears to be heading for self-destruction.

He is right of course.  Your mum and I often complain about the lack of news in our 24 hour news(?) cycle.  It is all about Trudeau and his socks, how terrible the Tories are for not being vaccinated and the constant rehashing of the day's Covid numbers.  For sometime now I have not even bothered to tune in.

It was not always this way.  Indeed, not that long ago Canada had decent news coverage but that was then and this is now - i.e. since the invention of the 24 hour cycle.  There is only so many times you can stomach hearing 'we are all in this together' when covering the Covid outbreak.

The United States is the same... indeed, for all intents and purposes, it has always been in that their news is all domestic, all navel gazing - about the President and the odd Senator or two. We can attest to that since we wintered a number of years in Florida and the last several owned a Condominium there. Never ever did you hear about anything happening outside of their turf.  

So what to do?

Fortunately, I stumbled upon the BBC World News on our Cable TV.  It surprisingly deals with world news that is world shattering in importance...Revolutions here, Riots there, Famine and Pestilence wherever they occur.  It is a treasure chest of up to the minute reporting. So why can't our public broadcaster or Fox News or CNN do likewise?

I will tell you what I think ...they are Lazy, Woke and Cannot be Bothered. 

And we the public are the poorer for it.

As I See It...

'K.D. Bell'

PART TWO AND THE ANSWER IS ....

 SILVER OF COURSE.

See the following taken off a reliable source on google:

Gold and silver became de facto money around 600 BC when they were struck in Lydian coins as stores of value used for trade. For over 2500 years, silver and gold monies have proven themselves as the ultimate monies.

Silver & Gold indeed have the best historic track records as money. These two precious monetary metals, by their inherent natures, are human beings’ most excellent monies.

Here are some historic and modern day essential qualities:

·        Proven Medium of Exchange;   Unit of Account;  Portable;  Divisible; Interchangeable;  Durable

·        Private; Default Proof; Naturally Limited in Supply; Millennial Long Stores of Value

On August 15, 1971 the world for the first time began operating on a 100% fiat currency reserve and faith based monetary system. This was the date when US President Richard Nixon cut the last ties between gold and the U.S. Federal Reserve note.

Today all physical and digital government issued currencies are fiat, their creation conjured by a computer and printing presses. Their values are based on people’s faith and confidence.

Fiat Currency has never permanently succeeded.

Above it mentions the year 1971 when Nixon cancelled the convertibility of the US Dollar into gold.  Before then the US Government would only deal with the Central Banks at a fixed price for gold at $35 USD per onze.  Once that relationship was severed...the price of Gold took off and today hovers around $1,800 USD per onze and the prediction is that it is headed much higher given the ever growing prevalence of Fiat Money. (i.e. Worthless Paper Money) and the fact that the world is awash in Debt.  Since 1971, Gold has risen in value some 5,000 per cent. 

So if I had purchased a pound (16 oz) of gold in 1971 @ $35 dollars per oz today it would be worth north of $22,000 in US Dollars.  If if and ands were only pots and pans...

The rise in the value of Silver though has been more muted and today can be purchased for under $25 USD per onze. And this despite the fact that Silver has a multitude of uses beyond just jewelry. 

It would take me too long to outline the many reasons why Silver is a much better investment than gold - but that said, one of the primary reasons is that it ...unlike Gold ...gets used up.  Silver is used in industry, in the medical field, in the military, in paints and primer, and in water purification etc..  This is of course in addition to its use in jewelry and as a precious monetary mineral.

If you have any doubts about any of this...I encourage you to do your own research on line. 

So just to be clear... as the nearest politician likes to say, I am not predicting Armageddon nor Apocalypse Now ...indeed, if that was to occur neither Gold nor Silver would be of much help to you...better to have reliable sources of water and food. 

Rather, I am merely suggesting that you treat Silver like any Asset you might acquire to add to your Net Worth like Real Estate, RRSPs, TFSAs, and the like. So add a line item titled Silver to your current Net Worth Statement. 

Have I sold you?

If so, the next question is where can one Safely and Efficiently purchase physical Silver?  

Sprott Physical Silver Trust

The Sprott Physical Silver Trust (PSLV) is managed by Sprott Asset Management LP. This is the youngest ETF in the physical silver group, opening in 2010. The average daily volume exceeds 1 million shares. PSLV is backed with physical silver held at the Royal Canadian Mint in Ottawa, Ontario. The fund charges an annual expense ratio of 0.45 percent of net asset value, plus an annual administrative fee of 0.20 percent of NAV. Each unit represents one-half of one ounce of silver and is redeemable for physical silver. According to the prospectus, redemption orders must be for at least 10 bars, each weighing approximately 1,000 troy ounces. Investors wanting to redeem less than 10 bars must wait until their redemption orders are combined with others to reach the 10-bar minimum, exposing them to fluctuations in silver prices.

It Closed Today at $10.41 Canadian and its range for the 52 weeks is between $9.51 and $10.41 Canadian. I roughly worked it out and 2.8 Units of Sprott PSLV on the TSE represents 1 onze of Silver on Deposit at the Royal Canadian Mint. 

Some of you might have thought I would have suggested the direct purchase of Silver but it comes at premium prices and you have to store it. Come the Apocalypse

you would probably like to have physical silver handy but again, in such a case you would more likely be in need of the basics of life.

Suggest you start accumulating some Sprott Silver .... Don't break the bank ...a few units here and there will soon add up.

As I See It...

'K.D. Bell'

The Pile On To Stamp Out Capitalism...

 A Very Interesting Article Appeared Recently in the Financial Post Entitled: The G-7 Plan to Build Back The State and was written by astute financial commentator Terrence Corcoran.

I am going to quote passages from his Essay but I too have been saying for a long time that Capitalism is under attack everywhere.  This is most surprising for two reasons:  First Capitalism has single handedly pulled the world up out of poverty and Second, Socialism and Communism have time and again shown themselves not to work.

China, not too long ago, was a poverty stricken country with starvation running rampant throughout.  It morphed its economy into a form of Capitalism and today sits 2nd behind the United States in Economic Size and quickly moving to first place assuming that it has not already achieved that status. China though has a problem, the Capitalism it champions is run 'top-down' by it's Communist Party Politburo.  Given this, it will eventually fail but more on that another time.

This fact though does have relevance to today's blog ...in that the Free World moving so decisively to Socialism too will end in failure and the results will not be pretty. 

With those uplifting thoughts ...back to Corcoran's Article.

Around the world governments are joining hands in a great campaign to stamp out market capitalism and replace it with a new model in which powerful corporations and governments clasp hands and take control of the economy and markets be damned.  Take for instance the headlong rush to Green ...again the economy be damned.

Even more scary, a quote from Carolyn Wilkins former deputy governor of the Bank of Canada ..."to fill the common good there is renewed interest in examining how the public sector can set the context to enable the private sector to do what it does best, all with the aim of enhancing public good."  In fact history shows well that the private sector does best when the public sector gets out of the way !!

Corcoran goes on... "the basic tenets of free-market economics have been under severe attack for several years from the World Economic Forum, Think Tanks, and the World's Academic Institutions."

Corcoran's Article then lists G-7 Initiatives designed to "overthrow the principles of capitalism and, free markets..."  

I mentioned above, that China is on a path to failure with its corrupted form of Capitalism but We here in the West are doing them one better...we will get to collapse even sooner by purposing working to destroy Capitalism. 

And to make matters even worse,  we are consciously doing this while we are flat broke.  Democracies have for years now been running Deficits, enduring Debt and Printing Money not even worth the paper it is written on...as the saying goes.  Covid has greatly exasperated the financial mess we all find ourselves in but we were well on our way down the road to financial ruin long before it. 

There was a time when we could rely upon Capitalism to come to our rescue but those days too are long gone.

So what can you or I do to see this reversed?  Sadly...nothing other than continue to speak out to the ever growing community of deaf ears.

But there is one thing you and I can do ...for ourselves that is.

More on this in my very next Blog.

As I See It...

K. D. Bell

 

The Flag Flap and ...

 REMBRANCE.

As our family well knows we have loads of ancestors who volunteered for service in the World Wars at the princely sum of pennies per day in contrast to professional soldiers today who have made military service their careers along with decent wages and benefits.

And overlapping this is our distinguished Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who views Canada as a sorrowful, systemic racist and genocidal country - one that even He cannot apologize enough for. 

For our sins our Flag has flown for months on end at half mast at His Command.  With Remembrance Day rapidly approaching he has been embarrassed into raising our Flag days short of November 11th but even then inserts a special Remembrance Day for Aboriginal Veterans on the 8th - so the Flag goes up today, down tomorrow then up again and down on the 11th.  Makes one's head swim.

The purpose of November 11th is to Remember all who fought and died for Canada regardless of race, colour or creed.  So why a special day for our Natives?  To me it is further evidence that we are becoming a nation of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th class citizens and whatever the least class turns out to be it consists of us White Male Anglophones. 

So where did Justin learn to distain Rembrance and the Armed Forces generally?  At his father's knee - of course, the infamous Pierre Elliott who rode around the streets of Montreal on a motorcycle clad in a German Helmut during World War Two as your Grandfathers were risking life and limb thousands of miles away from home and safety.

It got me thinking 'where does the Prime Minister get the power to lower our Flag'? In our ever centralizing and bureaucratic country nothing is down to the willy nilly ...everything seems to be conducted by law, regulation or policy / protocol.  And low and behold there is one.

It is very scripted ...Flag down on the deaths of Monarchs, Prime Ministers and such with only Rule 16 giving the Prime Minister anything near discretion.  It Reads:

16.  Exceptional Circumstances...In exceptional circumstances, and on the advice of the Department of Canadian Heritage and the recommendation of the Clerk of the Privy Council, the Prime Minister may approve the Half-masting on the Peace Tower , and / or on all or some federal buildings and establishments in Canada or abroad, that is not provided in the Rules.

This likely results in a rubber stamp but even so it means that Trudeau does not have the sole power to jig with our Nation's Flag.  I wonder too if either Heritage or the Clerk were in fact even contacted. Indeed, the current Clerk used to work for a Conservative Prime Minister ...Joe Clark so he cannot be considered a dyed in the wool Grit.  It would be most interesting to have an off the record chat with him.

There has been lots of talk lately about Conservative MPs dissatisfied with Erin O'Toole and I can understand why.  But conversely little or nothing from the Liberal Benches expressing concern about their Fearless Leader which in my mind which if they did would in my mind warrant flying our flag high even without a Rule giving us permission to do so. 

As I See It...

'K.D. Bell'

THE TITANIC IS ...

SINKING  ONCE  AGAIN.

I hate to fall back on the olde saying of 'rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic' but really and truly there is no other expression that best captures Justin Trudeau's Cabinet announcement of earlier today.

First off, there are far too many of them...some 38 and when you add Trudeau - the supposed first among equals you have 39 - dangerously close to the infamous crew of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

Had I been Prime Minister there would be but 18 ...less than half.  Why they have a Minister for Everything under the Sun.  I tried to find out how much each Minister costs the Taxpayer but could find nothing on line but lets just say it is well into the $Millions of Dollars per. Their Staff, Their Office, Their Car and Driver, Their Salary and Benefits, Their Travel, and eventually Their Severance and Pensions.  I wonder how many there'd be if the cost was coming out of Trudeau's own pocket? 

Two good ones were dropped...Jim Carr and Marc Garneau.

Three should have been dropped ...were not:  Harjit Sajjan, Patricia Hajdu and Carolyn Bennett.  And with Hajdu replacing Bennett at Indian Affairs the poor natives will soon see they have gone from the pot and into the fire.

Another two changes also make no sense...Steven Guilbeault at Environment and Climate Change and Dominic LeBlanc at Intergovernmental Affairs.  Guilbeault's appointment is like putting the cat amongst the pigeons given his history as a former Director of Green Peace (Quebec) and LeBlanc cannot get along with himself let alone the Premiers.  Both are headed for disaster and by that I mean us Canadians. 

The only good move is with respect to Kristen's former boss - Anita Annand to Minister of Defence.  It will help her that she is a woman and therefore we can expect her to be at least twice as good as any of her male colleagues.  Her drawback will be her Associate Minister...my former boss - Lawrence MacAulay aka the potato farmer but thankfully she is smart enough to know to ignore him. 

But in the end this is all smoke and mirrors since the real issue is who is at the Helm of this Sinking Ship and that is Justin Trudeau ...Himself.  He is hell bent on a course full speed ahead towards the Iceberg.  

Another 3 time Liberal Leader... albeit with 3 Majority Governments - Jean Chretien sees Canada headed down "a dark alley" - dark alley or iceberg ...the result will be the same despite who is sitting where ...they are all headed down.

As I See It...

'K.D. Galagher'

VICTIMS...

                                                           

To The Right Of Me

Victims To The Left Of Me

Victims All Around Me. 

And our Esteemed Prime Minister could not be more pleased.

According to HIM he sees Canada as a pathetic country, guilty of genocide, plagued with systemic racism and not even worthy of having our Flag Fly at Full Staff.

Well I have news for HIM - Canada is a Great Country and Our Flag should be returned to its rightful place ...at the Very Top Of The Flag Pole.

I am not going to get into Today's One-Sided Victimization Debate since it is always a no-winner other than to say, waiting for someone else to cure a perceived ill or shortcoming only serves to ensure that nothing ever gets accomplished.

But I am going to look at some real cases of hardship dating back to the founding of this great country and then end with a look at one close to home.

One of Canada's first explorers was Jacques Cartier who on April 20, 1534 set sail from St. Malo in Brittany with 2 ships and 61 men. On May 10th he arrived in Newfoundland and discovered a barren, uninviting land.  Twenty five members of his crew died of Scurvy. This dreaded ailment continued to wreck havoc  in 1608 when Champlain lost 16 of his 25 member crew including their surgeon. To get an idea of how hard life was for our early explorers / settlors I suggest that you read the writings of sisters Catharine Parr Traill and Susanna Moodie*.  They emigrated to Upper Canada from England in  the early 1800s where they describe their homesteading in the colonial wilderness as consisting of back-breaking labour, poverty and never ending hardship. Moodie, in later life, made her home in Belleville where, as you know, my father and Aunt Joyce lived post Foxboro. In fact, the 'Moodie Home' was within walking distance of them.    *See The Backwoods (1836) by Catharine Parr Traill / Roughing it in the Bush (1852) by Susanna Moodie. 

For an example of real genocide nothing can compare with the Irish Famine beginning in 1845. It revolved around the failure of Ireland's staple crop...the potato with its worst year - death wise, occurring in 1847 known as the Black 47. Over its course, some 1 Million Irish perished, mostly for want of food; a number that represented some 25% of the Country's then Population. England needlessly stood by while in its wake, ship load after ship load fled to Canada to their ultimate despair and with too many cases ending in death. These trips across the Atlantic took between 8 to 12 weeks depending upon the weather with each vessel containing on average 400 passengers. It was not uncommon for 25% of them to die in the bowels' of the ship before reaching shore.  

The ships were full of typhus and crowded beyond belief.  Wails of children pierced the air along with the ravings of the delirious.  It is estimated that some 17,500 died in Quebec in 1847 alone.  Gross Isle, a major quarantine spot for the arrivals, was located in the St. Lawrence and records indicate that over 5 thousand are buried within this relatively small outcropping. Reports from the time indicate that the victims, after leaving ship, crawled in the mud and sands like "fish out of water" since there was absolutely nothing there to give them succour.  History records that Prejudice against the Irish deepened greatly throughout the world and most especially in Canada and the United States due to their stressed and inhumane circumstances. 

And speaking of Ships...not to be forgotten is the Franklin Expedition which set sail in 2 ships from England in 1845 in search of the North West Passage. Both Ships along with 129 men disappeared in the Canadian Arctic.  Those that did not freeze to death, starved to death and often met their end dying of both.  I could go on and on with other stories such as those brave settlors who settled the west in the most inhumane circumstances imaginable.  Suffice to say, we owe them all greatly.  

And that brings me to the story closer to home.

Your mother's** Mother grew up during the Depression in Nova Scotia.  Her Father had fought in the trenches of World War One for King and Country and for the privilege the poor man had his lungs destroyed by the odious Mustard Gas. There were no disability programs then, no unemployment, no Canada Pension or even Old Age Security...none of the numerous social benefit programs we enjoy today.  He and his family were on their own. Kay told of often going without food for days on end and could recall being awakened at night when their Father finally got home from his latest transitory job with some bread and molasses.  Just imagine.  But he did whine and complain? No, he went about his life doing the best he could for his family albeit there was not much he could do due to the general lack of work and to his very poor health.  Kay also recalls going to school at the height of the Depression with cardboard in her shoes since the soles had worn out and as always there was no money for new ones.   **Of Note, Your Mother's Family, on her Paternal Side, hail from the Irish Counties of Kilkenny and Tipperary.  

So Yeah, people have had it hard but this is nothing new for us Canadians and indeed for all those throughout the history of the world who have experienced similar and even much worse. 

But in the end it is how you deal with the hand dealt to you that counts. 

As I See It...

'K.D. Bell'

Seventeen Million Dollars Is...

 A Lot Of Money...*

This is the sum demanded by the Haitian Thugs who last week kidnapped 17 Missionaries from the Ohio Based Christian Aid Ministries.  That works out to $1 million dollars per captive... a very tidy sum.

If I were the Haitian Authorities, I would put a sum of but $17,000 (USD) on the head of each kidnapper...dead or alive...just like in the olde West.  Such a sum for the ordinary Haitian would be equivalent to what the Kidnappers themselves are asking for.

It would ensure that this type of crime would quickly end up in the dust bin of Hell.

But there is a larger issue here...much larger in fact and that is what can be done about Haiti.  It is the basket case of our Region of North and South America.  I have written about Haiti before and believe it is worth reviewing some of the key measures I believe We in Canada, the United States and those still functioning democracies of Central and South America should take to help this beleaguered nation. 

What I said in my former Blog stands...'if we here in the West cannot help such a small country (11 million) on our very doorstep we should stop kidding ourselves that we have a role to play in nations further off such as Afghanistan and Vietnam. 

The Steps that in my opinion need to be taken:

1.  Bring in UN Peace Keepers to run the country for the course of the next generation...some 20 years.  If the UN will not agree to do this - then the Countries I named above should share this responsibility over the next decade;

2.  Why I say 20 years is due to the fact that it will take that long to train the coming generation to assume this responsibility themselves.  So education is a must;

3. Get the people working - busy hands make happy hands and there is much they can do to supply the needs of Canada and the United States alone;

4.  Round Up the Bad Players and put them in Detention for at least five (5) years to give them a chance to realize the errors of their ways.  Education too should be a major part of their incarceration -  have them learn valuable trades that they can use when back in society.  If that does not work and they are released and they return to their criminal ways...lock them up again;

5.  Fortunately Haiti is geographically small so police every inch of it so its citizens can walk about it in peace and without fear as in First World Civilized Countries.

I said the above eons ago and of course the West made all kinds of promises but in the end nothing changed and today Haiti is worse off than ever.  The above will work if we have the Will which I hoped we had then but realistically doubt we have now.

Given this I am going to say something I never thought I would say and that is I believe if all else fails ...as it likely will given our lack of commitment... I would understand if Haiti opted to go with a Strong Man (Dictator) hopefully a Benevolent One - but something has to be done to protect their Citizenry from the misery of life they have experienced over the course of their lifetime.

        * I started this Blog with the Hostages and will end it with them too.  I would not be surprised to see the United States send in their Navy Seals ...these kidnappers do not know the trouble they are in. 

As I See It...

'K.D. Galagher'

What do an 'Orange' and the Supply System...

 HAVE IN COMMON?

WELL NOTHING REALLY....PERMIT ME TO EXPLAIN:

My Father often told the story that he and his sister Joyce believed they were lucky if they got an Orange for Christmas.. nothing else... during the Dirty Thirties.  Imagine. 

Today, the news is all about the breakdown in the Supply System and that ...wait for this...'What You May Wish For Christmas May Not Be There Because Of This'.

It got me thinking ...'So What'.  We are now nearly two years into a World Wide Pandemic..life has changed for us all - for far too many, it has prematurely come to an end.

So what if You do not get the latest Gizmo and what if the coolest Toy on the Shelf is missing in the lead up to December 25.  Will the World come to an end?

You and I know what is truly of value is Family, Friends, Health and Happiness.  And what a great time to refocus on that this coming Christmas Season.

So back to the Orange.  Maybe it does after all have a relevance to the Supply Issue today.  I can just imagine my Grandparents trying unsuccessfully to get an Orange for each of their Two Children and being told - sorry... since they would be coming all the way from a place like Florida; 'Do Not Plan OnThem Getting To You In Time For The 25th'.  

I can also imagine my Dad and Aunt Joyce being able to cope with that.  Perhaps one or two locally grown Apples would suffice in their stead. They, like us, put family first and to their credit at a time when most had nothing.

We, on the other hand, today have so much and if we are inconvenienced slightly by some delays...so be it.  We'll cope too and hopefully will use this upcoming Season as an opportunity to be thankful for all our Blessings and Renew Our Efforts to Help Others Who Are Less Fortunate.

After all, isn't that what Christmas is all about - Giving Rather Than Receiving.

As I See It...

'K.D. Bell'

 

CHINA...WHAT TO DO ?

I am not going to get into 'Why' Something Needs To Be Done...

Rather, I am going to limit myself to The 'What'... That Needs To Be Done.  I say that because if you do not not already know the reason for Why... You Most Certainly Will Not Understand Why The 'What' Is Even Needed...if that makes any sense. 

And in that regard before I get too far into this blog,  I would like to identify some key personages here in Canada who continue to fail to understand the Why... beginning with our Esteemed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (and going back 50 years this club included his father the infamous Pierre Elliott).  And not to be left out are other distinguished Liberal Leaders - such Jean Chretien and an array of Senior Bureaucrats... the most recent being our misguided Ambassador to China ...Dominic Barton.  The same who lectured us peasants on the need to continue our diplomatic and trade efforts with this Rogue Nation or miss out on future wealth.  

Well Ambassador Barton, there is more to life than Wealth and besides Canada and indeed the rest of the Free World can do very nicely economically and otherwise without the help of China.  In fact, China needs us more than we need it but will reserve that for another time.

So now let's get to the Whats:

First ..We need to Stop Trading with China...not so much as a marshmallow in or out;

Second...Kick China out of any and all International Organizations for which we are able to do so;

Third...Boycott their upcoming Olympics...a no brainer but wait and see how many no-brainer countries attend especially those that pretend they put stock in Human Rights;

Fourth...No more students or visitors or "experts" exchanges from this Rogue and Reprehensible Nation;

Fifth...Flood the Taiwan Strait ...(aka the Formosa Strait), with NATO Warships to discourage China from invading Taiwan;

Sixth...Related to 4, Recognize Taiwan as its own Independent Country and in due course make it an equal member of NATO;

Seventh...treat their illegal.. artificially manufactured islands as Bogus Non-Entities and mark them as such on the World Maps;  -and,

Eighth...Form a League of Democratic Nations with a Mandate to work together for Common Defence and Economic Well-being of its Members and to work to see their numbers multiplied in the years ahead.

Is this likely to happen?  Certainly not in the short-term nor even the mid-term even though it most certainly should but I do not see any nation or international Leader with courage and vision needed to do this.  Simply stated, their are no Winston Churchill's among us.

But it will most certainly happen eventually and I hope and pray that it comes in time.

That said, there is the possibility that China will see the error of its ways - by itself and that pertains to its Government Directed and Managed Economy...in the long run, it simply does not work.  Evidence of that has surfaced in the news of late with the failure of Chinese property developer Evergrande and the fact that the Chinese Government controls the country's banking system. To its credit, the Chinese Government adopted a form of Capitalism but to truly work Capitalism must be free to act in the best interests of its owners / shareholders and not for its Government Masters.  This is why the hybrid system setup in China will eventually fail and why the possibility - albeit remote, exists that the Chinese Dictatorship may be forced to come to its senses for no other reason than the Almighty Dollar or should I say Yuan.  Something to hope for and this will come much more quickly if the West ceases to do Business with them.

The one thing that Democratic Nations, thru NATO,  must do in the interim is to prevent Taiwan from being invaded.  Taiwan is one of us - it is vibrant Democracy and in need of our protection.  China has made it abundantly clear that its takeover is merely a question of when ...not if and that time is getting closer by the day.

As I See It...

'K.D. Galagher'

 

THE EARTH'S CLIMATE IS ABOUT TO GET A LOT HOTTER

 IN FACT, 95%* OF EXPERTS IN THE FIELD EXPECT TEMPERATURES TO RISE UPWARDS BETWEEN 5 AND 10 DEGREES.  

*Would you believe 82.5% ?

Anyway Galagher what is going to cause such a Dramatic Rise in Temperature?

Glad you asked. 

The Glasgow Climate Summit of course which is to take place between 31 October and 12 November.  The Hot Air expected from this Gabfest will in itself cause great damage to the Environment and then you have to add in all those Planes fueling the skies over Scotland.  

And then you have the Issue of Oil, Oil Everywhere And Not A Drop To Use.

As in there is lots of Oil and Gas in the Ground but the Green Energy Programs of Woke Nations ...ie the ones attending Glasgow, have not permitted its transport to market.  

With this you get the strange result that Europe now relies on Communist Russia for its Oil and Gas because a Country like Russia does not allow itself to be held hostage by the Green Energy Mania. And Europe cannot assume the righteous victim in this scenario since it is the one begging for this Environment Destroying Product.

This development has pulled Russia out of  Economic Decline and left Putin the happiest he has been since his glory days with the KGB. 

And then there is China.  Nary a day goes by that China does not bring on line more Coal Generated Power.  This of course being the dirtiest of such products.  And nary a day goes by that this Rogue Nation does not threaten in some material way the Peace of the World.

I feel a bit like Winston Churchill here warning the World of Pending Disaster as he tried to do in the Lead Up To World War 2.  We in the West continue to Hobble Ourselves while our Enemies - China and Russia work diligently to undermine us.  Agreed we are making it easy for them to do so.

I would compare the West to Boy Scouts but that would be an insult to the latter given their motto of Be Prepared.

The Day of Reckoning is Coming...You Can Count On That.

As I See It...

'K.D. Galagher'

 

WHISTLE BLOWER BLOWING...

 WIND.

This past week saw a Whistle Blower appear before a US Senate Committee breathlessly condemning Big Tech eg Facebook for all and sundry crimes against humanity.

Something must be done ...she raged.

I agree, the poor woman needs to get a life.

That does not mean the Internet has not caused damage but so did the invention of Television as I can personally attest given my age.

The cure in her opinion is that The Government Must Do Something... which is always the solution put forward by the Progressive Left.

Between us, I am very skeptical that Government can get anything right including successfully  organizing a two car funeral.  When it involves censorship... I am particularly on guard.

But permit me to digress a bit...I am not speaking about High Tech stealing information / news from others... such as main street media ..in fact, I believe they should pay for what they use otherwise main street media is doomed.  My concern here really comes down to the matter of censorship.

We already have enough laws on the books to prosecute internet abusers to the full extent of the law...as they should be.  But expressing differing opinions on line and wanting to control what is said, is a different kettle of fish entirely.  That is why Dictatorships are so good a doing just that.

But Canada too has several Bills lined up that will start to take us down that same path.  Canada's recent Federal Election prevented them from becoming Law but you can bet your bottom dollar that once Parliament Resumes ...our Leftist and Apparent Communist Loving Justin Trudeau will be sure to pass them into Law as quickly as He can and he can count on the even more Left Wing New Democrats to back him to the Hilt.

Even though one of my favourite sayings is 'Do Not Over-Estimate The Intelligence Of The Average Voter' (which the recent Election proved in spades) I would rather trust Society in General to use the Internet Wisely than have Politicians Police It.  I would be lost without having Internet at my fingertips and your Mother / Grandmother would have no idea of the latest news regarding you, other family and friends. 

That is not to say that Individual High Tech Companies like Facebook should not police themselves - of course they should but if they do not we are free to deal with others companies that do.  In fact, if an Internet Company wishing to ban all comments favourable to us Conservatives / Libertarians - be my guest - I will simply deal with ones that have similar beliefs as mine  ...much like in print media where the Toronto Star is very cozy with the Liberal Party so I read the Sun which is more to my liking.

But there is another serious issue surrounding the Internet and it relates my earlier comment about T.V..

The concern then was that this new invention in the early 1950s would turn viewers - especially children into Zombies. It did not but it did cause problems in many families.  So my concern relates to children and often adults who have their heads buried in their I-Phones.  Playing games...hanging out in in the basement for hours on end.  And this is a general Internet Phenomenon and not a Facebook etc issue per se.

I do not know what the answer is ...or if even if there is one.  In the case of young children it is the responsibility of their parents to monitor what they watch and do on the internet and for how long. I know though that to think that even a majority of parents are capable doing this is likely wishful thinking and does nothing whatsoever for those of legal age. 

Having said that, I do know what is not the answer to this and that is Governments' involvement.  

Society survived the Television...let's hope and pray it can survive the Internet.

As I See It...

'K.D. Bell'

   

MACHO

 As in Clint Eastwood's recent movie release entitled Cry Macho.

Let me say at the outset that I was disappointed with the Movie but thought that would be the case even before I watched it earlier this week with my two good friends Mark and Dave.  I will simply say that at 91 Eastwood is passed his prime which is totally understandable - I am 20 years younger than he and would not attempt to do what he does in the film. The main reason I went to see the show was that it could possibly be his last.

But I did find that his Movie had a deeper meaning.  It provided a telling Allegory on how life has changed in the United States virtually over the course of Eastwood's life.  When he was born, America was still essentially a Macho country where the majority of its citizens wanted Government to get out of their way so they could excel based on their own merits and abilities. This is best exemplified by the writings of Horatio Alger who died at end of the 19th Century.  

Alger wrote novels of young adults and impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of middle-class security and comfort through good works. His writings were characterized by the "rags-to-riches" narrative, which had a formative effect on the United States during the Gilded Age.

Eastwood's career paralleled this philosophy ...he was a loner, who did good works and did not take guff off a bad guy.

'Macho', in his movie, is a Rooster - that fight's other roosters and it too does not give any quarter to his opponents.  That it is a Mexican Rooster complicates my theory somewhat but maybe Eastwood is simply trying to suggest that the sagging fortunes of America over the last 50 years can be reversed with the help of Mexicans who have been entering the United States by the thousands and thousands in recent years.  I do not know if this is what was intended but it makes alot of sense.

But back to my original premise ...America as in all Democracies, are becoming less and less Macho.  Comparisons with pre World War Two abound.  More and More of Us have succumbed to the Progressive Way of Life where the majority now believes that Government is the answer and their demands upon it are infinite. As Margaret Thatcher is so famous for saying - Socialism works very well up until the time the Government runs out of Other Peoples' Money to spend. 

But it is not just the Progressive Demands on Government that are so threatening to our Way of Life. We are becoming paralyzed in our ability to improve our lot in life.  During the height of Covid, China built a Hospital from scratch... within 10 days.  It would take years for a Western Democracy to accomplish the same.  One of Canada's Pipelines was on the drawing papers for over 40 years and in the end the decision was made to not proceed.  Just imagine how fast China could have accomplished a  similar project.

Unlike our esteemed Prime Minister I have no love or respect for China for obvious reasons but if the above paralysis continues, it and other Dictatorships will have us for lunch as in we will be on their menu.  

When Clint Eastwood leaves the scene for the last time we will all be poorer for it but know, there is no one in the wings capable of replacing him.  

Free Popcorn Anyone?

As I See It...

'K.D. Galagher'

 

SANCTITY OF THE RULE OF LAW...

 

UPDATE:  How coincidental, an article appeared in our Ottawa Sun today which touches grately on this Blog...a Justice of the Peace here in Ottawa was censured for writing a newspaper column about Ottawa's Bail Court.  The Ontario Divisional Court ruled correctly that her doing so was a "breach of her judicial independence".  In other words, what her personal view of the Law - as a member of the Judiciary matters not and she needs to keep those thoughts to herself.  KDG

I HAVE BEEN PREACHING OF LATE THE IMPORTANCE OF POLITICIANS RESPECTING THE RULE OF LAW...IN OTHER WORDS TO KEEP AWAY FROM INTERFERING WITH ITS OPERATION.

WELL THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS TO THAT RULE... SO LET'S CALL THIS BLOG 'AN EXCEPTION TO THAT RULE'.

CASE IN POINT...A Few Days Ago, Cop Killer - Umar Zameer was Granted Bail in the Deliberate Death of Constable Jeffrey Northrup a 31 year veteran of the Toronto Police Force.  I am not going to get into the facts other than to simply say Zameer ran Const. Northrup down with his car.

His lawyer issued a statement saying that Zameer's family was "very pleased with the outcome" of the bail hearing.  I wonder though if the deceased Police Officer's Family was equally so "pleased".

The President of the Police Union made it very clear as to his thoughts: "it was appalling that we have an individual that's charged with first-degree murder, let alone the murder of a police officer, released on bail".  Amen to that.

But my Blog is speaking of the Exception to the Rule of Law that allows Politicians and not Union Leaders to similarly express their disgust in the face of a travesty by Justice itself.  

And to the credit of the Mayor of Toronto - His Worship John Tory, albeit an avowed Progressive, he came out strongly and had this to say about the Court's Decision to Release this Killer: "Our Justice System needs to get its act together and start putting victims and their families ahead of criminals".  And although not said by Tory and true nonetheless ... His Honour's Statement applies doubly in cases involving the killing of a Cop. 

Mayor Tory's revulsion was backed up by Premier Ford who had this to say: "This is beyond comprehension. It's completely unacceptable that the person charged for this heinous crime is now out on bail".

Okay ...you might ask, why is wrong Trudeau to try to influence the Scales of Justice when it comes to his friends at SNC Lavalin but it is okay for the Mayor of Toronto and the Ontario Premier to come out and criticize the Court for granting bail in the case of Constable Northrup killing?  Should the Judicial System not be crying Political Interference as it has sadly done too often in the past?

That said, I would have liked to provide you with some info on who exactly this 31 year old Zameer is but due to the Court's publication ban there is nothing to be found on the Web.  Pity.  Seems to me though that the Defence is fearful of having the spotlight focused on their defendant and it makes one wonder why?

So I am going to come at this from the Policeman angle and more to the point from the Thin Blue Line. 

This phrase, it is said, came from Richard Enright in 1922 - the year my father was born...Enright was a New York City Police Commissioner who used the phrase to describe police as the intensive battle line...the first line of defence against criminality.  It has come to mean that the police are the line which keeps society from descending into chaos...and the "blue" refers to the colour of the uniforms worn in most police departments. 

With that bit of information...let's look then at who Constable Jeffrey Northrup was and how he exemplified his fellows who make up that LINE:

• Constable Northrup started in 1989 as a court officer before graduating from police college in 1999 and heading to 11 Division and then to 52 Division in 2008;
• Jeffrey Northrup was married with four children who were the love of his shortened life. He was a devoted father who was deeply involved in his children's activities and sports... was a volunteer for the Special Olympics and active in Scouts and Lacrosse;
• Master of ceremonies at his funeral,  Supt. Peter Code, told the amassed mourners that, to fellow officers, the 31-year veteran from 52 Division was "the hardest of all workers" who would take on any task. Northrup was always the first to arrive for a job", Code said. "And he would do it with a smile," he said;
• Premier Ford, also in attendance, offered his condolences to the Northrup family, saying the Officer made the "ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty".  "He did so as a hero. He put his life on the line in order to serve and protect his community, and this is a debt we will never be able to repay;"
• Toronto Mayor followed by praising Northrup for "his years of hard work and his deep commitment to public service";
• Police Services Board Chair Jim Hart called Constable Northrup a "giant in stature and heart who was known for his wisdom, wit and kind character".  "He tragically gave his life doing what he truly and sincerely loved doing serving and protecting his community";
• His wife, Margaret, summed up the funeral service with the following:  "I am so grateful to have had you in my life for 28 years. You were my knight, my strength, my confidant, and my best friend … I am lost without you. However, I will remain strong with you still in my heart, and by my side"... "Goodbye, my love."

Okay, I believe I have established the Tragedy in Constable Northrup's premature death and how it would undoubtedly qualify as An Exception To The Rule Of Law where Politicians should rightfully interfere with its Operation and why Trudeau's attempt to distort Justice to protect his Friends and Cronies from the Business World should not.  But neither case provides us with a Definition as to when Interference on their part is justified.    

Well in fact there is no such definition available.  Indeed, it comes down to a Judgment Call on the part part of Politicians given that they are both the Peoples' Representatives and that they are the Authors of the Law in the first place. With those Two Roles they have a Sacred Duty to get involved if they see the Courts flagrantly violating the Right, Interests and Norms of Society.  This has become ever more important in recent years as the Courts have ventured into Making Laws rather than simply Interpreting them.  

As I See It...

'K. D. Galagher'

MENG WANZHOU

 A Triumph for the Rule of Law ?....

As we all know now, Meng along with our Two Michaels were released Friday and are safely back in their respective homelands.

Canadian Pundits are calling it a Victory for the Rule of Law since in their eyes, Canada ...read Justin Trudeau - stood firm in the face of  Progressive Demands that Wanzhou be released in the hope that China would reciprocate by releasing Michael Spavov and Michael Kovig.

Why these Progressives... in this case Senior Liberals and Senior Bureaucrats past and present ...would make such a demand of Trudeau is a question for another time but the fact remains something is 'Rotten in the State of Denmark' a.k.a. Canada as Shakespeare would say.

But before we go too far into this let's review how all this began:

• Ms. Wanzhou was arrested by Canadian Officials when she arrived in Vancouver on her way to Mexico from Hong Kong on the 1st of December 2018 ...the better part of three (3) years ago.  This related to allegations by the US Department of Justice that Huawei and Meng Wanzhou as its Chief Financial Officer, had for the past decade stolen trade secrets, obstructed a criminal investigation and evaded economic sanctions on Iran;
• By shear coincidence... I am sure, the two Michaels were arrested in China later that same month but unlike Wanzhou who lived in the lap of luxury while in Canada's prettiest Province they endured Hell on Earth confined in their Chinese Prison Cells; 
• It is trite, yet still appropriate, to say that Justice Delayed is Justice Denied and the fact that it took the Canadian Judiciary nearly three years to decide on Wanzhou's Extradition to the United States is simply unconscionable.  After all, Our Courts were not deciding her guilt or innocence and even if they were - 3 years and counting to come to that conclusion is still far too long to take.  Here all they were considering was whether to Extradite an individual to another country (America) which has a Judiciary comparable to our own.  The Court was not being asked to extradite the poor woman to a country like China that is devoid of the Rule of Law so it should have taken them a week at most to make its decision and then place her on the nearest plane bound for Washington.

With that let's get back to the Rule of Law and whether it was followed in Wanzhou's case. First, the strange fact that former US President Donald Trump offered to use this woman as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations with China.  Hardly consistent with the precepts of the R of L.  Indeed, quite the opposite. This would be something one could expect from a Dictatorship.  So if Trump could so easily circumvent an Extradition demanded by his own country's Justice Department how does that differ from China misusing its own Kangaroo Courts to try the two Michaels.  In degree I grant you but not in appearance. 

The other glaring inconsistency was in regard to yesterday's swap.  For some time now, the Canadian Government - both at the Political and Bureaucratic level have been lobbying the United States to make a deal with China to 'get our boys freed'.  And in the end this is just what happened.

Without so much as a guilty plea, Wanzhou was freed from the arms of Lady Justice on both sides of our international border.  In other words, we witnessed a prisoner swap... on one side an individual who was likely guilty as charged and on the other side two innocent victims who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

For the two Michaels, this was a blessing but for the Rule of Law it represents a betrayal.  And how can we - the US and Canada - continue to criticize China for ignoring the Rule of Law when we too can jettison it at will?  

In 2019 Trudeau was sanctioned by Canada's Ethic's Commission for violating our Conflict of Interest Act when he tried to pressure our then Minister of Justice the Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould into treating SNC Lavalin more leniently than our legal system of Justice believed appropriate.      

The danger with these three examples of course is the more the Rule of Law is ignored or violated, the easier it becomes to do in the future.  

Lessons Learned?

Well certainly China has learned that by kidnapping innocent foreign nationals they ultimately get their way.  They have also learned that despite Western Democracies claiming to be faithful to Justice and the Rule of Law, that fidelity has its limits. 

And while I am happy for the Michaels I believe the same result could have occurred... even much earlier, if the world's democracies had moved quickly to isolate China from civilized discourse.  Not just because of what China did in our particular case but because it has been acting as a Rogue, Bully State since the coming into power of its current President Xi Jinping. If we do not soon collectively grow a spine we'll be in for even far worse trouble with China.

Canada, for its part, can begin by finally dropping Huawei from the 5G Networks ...we are the only member of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network not to have already done so.

As I See It...

'K. D. Galagher'