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'