TRUDEAU....................STRIKES..........

OUT.

In my most recent Blog, I indicated that Trudeau had two options in front of him...either to stay the course or start afresh.

At his 8 a.m. Press Conference today he chose the latter.

Speculation had been rife in the lead-up to it that he would be contrite, he'd be apologizing all over the place.  One long time and well respected Liberal Pundit went so far as to say he thought the Prime Minister would use this morning's format to call an early Election.

Rather, he continued with the blame game and today, in addition to continuing to blame Jody Wilson - Raybould, he now included his long time trusted friend and advisor Gerald Butts.  It doesn't get much lower than that.

And just to be sure the Press was hearing him correctly, one Wag asked him straight up - are you sir apologizing today?  Yes he replied, but not here, rather I was going to Iqaluit to give one of his standard and totally hollow apologies for something that no one alive today had spit to do with. 

Trudeau has the apology business down to a science, just never expect him to apologize personally for any action or actions on his part.  As Andy always said to Barney ...'You Just Beat Everything'.

And the words he consistently bandies about:  'Reflect', 'Lessons Learned' and 'Moving Forward'.  What do any of these words mean? ...does YT even know ?- Reflect On What, Lessons Learned about What and Move Forward to Where.  Who gives him this dribble speak - or does he pen this nonsense himself?

And of course his vacuous talks are full of his needing to protect jobs in Quebec - a.k.a. Votes.

So dear reader, we now know what Trudeau's strategy 'going forward' is.  It will not save him from the coming election defeat and it may not even save his Leadership in the interim.

As I See It...

K.D. Bell

RAYBOULD...PHILPOTT...GONE...

WHOSE NEXT ??

And believe me...there will be more to follow.

This type of crisis did occur once before in relative recent history.  It was known as the Bomarc Missile Crisis of 1963 and led directly to the defeat of then Conservative Prime Minister John Diefenbaker's Government.  As with today, there were two prominent Ministers involved ...George Hees, Minister of Trade and Commerce and Defence Minister Doug Harkness and as is the case today both resigned on a matter of conscience.

So it is not totally unknown in Canadian Political History for key Ministers to resign on matters of principle.  Sadly, there have not been enough.

So where does Young Trudeau go from here assuming he doesn't just resign...from my perspective he has but 2 options:  either he tears up the rule-book (no pun intended) and starts afresh or he hunkers down and simply keeps on doing what he has been doing.  Both have pros and cons attached to them which I am about to get into.

But first, he will likely await the results of the Butts' and Wernick  testimonies before the House Justice Committee tomorrow.  That said, between you and me, nothing positive for the Government will come out of their testimony...only more trouble.   In addition, Trudeau would be wise to fire Wernick before tomorrow...Wernick is a dead man walking so why not get it over before the Clerk of the PCO can do more damage to his brand.

So now back to the only 2 viable options the P.M. has before him - do nothing or start over.

Realizing whichever he chooses, he and his Party are now toast come the October General Election ...a repeat of the Diefenbaker Electoral Loss in 1963

And realizing that whatever option He picks, his immediate future - i.e. whether he even makes it to the Fall Election depends on two things ...whether or not Caucus will continue to support him and more to the point, whether the polls continue in decline.

Option #1.   Do Nothing ...Stay the Course

Con- he will continue to incur bad press and voter contempt.

Pro - it will likely work since for caucus their political futures depend on Young Trudeau pulling off a miracle at the polls.  So expect more talk about saving SNC Lavelin jobs etc as he attempts to woo the woo-able Quebec.

Option #2.  Start Over

Con - as mentioned above, it is too late to influence the outcome of the General Election ...they are destined to defeat.

Pro - At least He will gain respect - albeit grudgingly, for finally doing what is right - starting with the firing of those left who share responsibility for this fiasco including Wernick, the Finance Minister and his Chief of Staff, All PMO Staff from Katie Telford right on down (isn't it ironic that Telford and Butts came to help destroy Trudeau's administration having done the very same thing for the hapless Ontario Premier McGuinty).  And I am not by any means finished:  make it publicly known that any legal loopholes for SNC are forever closed; get on with the pipelines on an urgent basis; drop the nonsense about the carbon tax; and start to seriously address the Debt / Deficit.

Which option will he choose - you dear reader decide.

Finally, the question arises on how we ever got into this predicament and I blame the assault on democracy.  Simply stated, we do not have much Democracy left.  Over time...since Pierre Elliott, power has been consolidated in the Prime Ministers Office, since the Charter, power has been hijacked by the Courts, Human Rights Tribunals do not protect individual rights and freedom of speech, Vocal Interest Groups have seized the agenda, the Local Member of Parliament no longer speaks for her or his Constituents, Voter Participation understandably is in steep decline.  I could go on and on and most certainly will deal with this topic again in a future blog since I fervently believe this is where Canada has gone off the rails and sadly it may be too late to do much if anything about it.

As I See It...

K.D. Bell

Monkey In The Middle....Stuck Between Two Scumbags

As in The Donald stuck between severely integrity challenged Michael Cohen and the Butcher of North Korea ...The Yung-Un named Kim.

Let's deal first with Cohen .. he who is speaking right now before a Committee of Congress  allegedly to expose dirt on his former boss Donald Trump. Cohen, remember was President Trump's personal lawyer at all relevant times.

If I was a Committee Member, I would ask the dear gentleman but two questions...as follows:

First...was it not you Mr. Cohen who stated publicly that you would "take a bullet for Donald Trump"?

Second and final question...Mr. Cohen are you familiar with the legal concept of Attorney-Client Privilege?    Please answer just Yes or No.

That's it dear reader because he has to answer both my questions in the affirmative and in so doing ...it says it all.

Next the Yung-Un.. Again, as I write this Blog, President Trump is meeting of all places in Hanoi with this murderous wretch.  The guy is a mass murderer and starves his people.  And yet Trump calls Kim a good friend and great leader.   

Enough said.  Scumbags all !!  And this includes The Donald.

As I See It...

K.D. Bell 

Me Thinks Jody ....The Principled Former Justice Minister...Has Sold Out.

UPDATE:  Boy did I blow it.  I sat glued to the t.v. and watched Jody W-R give her testimony before Parliament's Justice Committee for nearly 4 hours yesterday.  She was the most believable politician I have witnessed in the nearly 60 years I have been following politics.  As long time readers know I have a belief, likely shared by many of you, that you can trust what politicians have to say right up to the time their lips start to move.  I will now have to amend that to say ...other than for the Honourable Jody Wilson Raybould, you can trust what all other politicians have to say right up to the time ...

And I am starting to lose count of the number of Canadians wishing out loud that this dear woman be our next Prime Minister.

There is one thing though I do not understand...why did Young Trudeau remove his self-imposed restriction on her ability to speak out?  He had to have known what she was going to say and that it could very well end in his resignation.  Does that indicate that he has a political death wish?  KDB

                                                                    ---------


Why So?

Hardly two weeks ago, the Globe and Mail came out and said that our when Jody Wilson Raybould was Justice Minister, had had been bullied by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Hacks and Flacks to make a legal decision in favour of one of Quebec's chronically troubled corporations.... SNC Lavelin.   Troubled, as in the doer of fraud, graft and payoffs.

In a matter of days, the same Jody W-R quit Cabinet but said zip... claiming erroneously that she was bound by solicitor-client privilege.  I will not waste time getting into this since enough has been said to disprove her assertion.

Nor am I getting into Gerald Butts surprise resignation which I saw coming ...but just not quite as fast as it did.

Rather there are a few other things I would like to rehash with you here.

First, after the Globe story broke, Trudeau clung to the solicitor-client raft as it - in his vast experience, applied to the Justice Minister but not to him.  Indeed, he was quick to say there was absolutely no interference on his or his staff's part and that if Jody W-R believed otherwise she should have come to him to let him know.  He then proceeded in countless venues to say how disappointed he was with her.

The former Justice Minister kept her own counsel throughout all the while looking like a severely wronged person.  I'd say woman but of course can no longer do that due to P.C..

And then something changed.  Jody was going to the Liberal Caucus, to Cabinet and sitting in her olde front bench seat in the House of Commons.  The Dear Woman and Justin were suddenly all smiles and best of buddies.  And Trudeau was up on his feet apologizing for all the negative comment Jody had hereto endured...most of which of course had come from this most distinguished gentleman himself.  And dear reader, surprise, surprise, Jody was now prepared to give her testimony to the Liberal filled Commons Justice Committee.  This meeting is expected to take place as early as tomorrow.

Smell fishy to you?  I have been involved with Politics for many years and it certainly does to me.

Just wait until the dust settles on this and we'll find out what incentives are involved here.

The last issue I want to apply some light to includes the defence of Trudeau et al by the Clerk of the Privy Council...Michael Wernick this past Thursday.  This non-partisan functionary gave the political speech of this whole sorry affair.  Chastising Jody W-R all the while confirming that yes she had been pressured to let Lavinlin off the hook.  Indeed he proudly proclaimed to be one of the lead harassers.

But dear reader ...it was all in a good cause.  He and others applied undue pressure on the Justice Minister in order to protect the 9,000 jobs at Lavelin that were at risk should the noble company go under.  The fact that another company would have picked up the slack and preserved those supposed in jeopardy never came out.  Nor did the fact that due to misguided Liberal Government policies over 100,000 jobs to date have actually been lost in the Western Oil Fields. 

So what gives?

Why would Wernick change from his standard sheep clothing into those of a partisan wolf?

The olde saw...the best defence is an offence.

Wernick believed that his defenseless bullying of Jody W. R. would eventually get out and better he get it out before Jody or someone else did.  That is why he proudly took credit for his disgusting behaviour all the more wicked since he is supposed to be the neutral guy in the corner.   So he thrust out his chest to say ...it was all done in the noble cause of preserving jobs in Quebec.  Barf.

Knowing all along that the electoral success of his current boss is tied to the Liberals doing well in la Belle Province.

As I said, I was not surprised to see Butts go, and equally would not be surprised to see Wernick take the plank as well.

That leaves the other main player ...Young Trudeau himself.  If this continues to unfold toward October's Election, he too may be missing in action.

And don't forget we have the trial of Vice-Admiral Mark Norman waiting in the Wings.

As I See It...

K.D. Bell

The Racists Came Rolling Into Town....and I was Embarrassed.

UPDATE:  One of Canada's most renowned columnists...Rex Murphy is in full agreement with my thoughts as set-out below.  He wrote, this weekend, "He (Trudeau) might ave stepped out of the (House of) Commons and said at least hello to the gathering of truckers who had driven all the way ...from Alberta to Parliament Hill.  Rex goes on ..."Most of them were salt of the earth types....the plastering of the convoy with the tag fringed or filtrated by white supremacists etc was a cheap one by many in the media".  

And on the issue of racism generally is a column in our paper today by best selling black author Larry Elder.  Elder consistently combats the assertion that racism is rampant in the United States and puts the blame on professional agitators such as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.  To the assertion that whites' are racist he had this to say.."If white people spent as much time thinking about how to oppress black people as black people think they do, white people wouldn't have enough time to oppress black people."



Our Town, as in Ottawa.

Only thing is they were not Racists... Despite what the CBC (aka Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) types spew forth.

For those of you out of country I am talking about the Caravan of Oil Workers ...with some others, who rolled into Ottawa this week from the evermore silent Oil Fields of Alberta.  They left kith and kin too taking the expensive 2,075 mile trip from Calgary, Alberta to Ottawa.  And you don't get great mileage in a Mack Truck.

These are hard working ---when jobs are available--- ordinary Canadians...just like you and me. They want the best for their Husbands, their Wives and their Kids and are prepared to fill the oft times tough, dirty jobs to make their living.

So why am I Embarrassed? 

First off, our Debutante Prime Minister did not even have the courtesy to meet with these common ers.  He too believes them to be racists rednecks. Had they come from Prince Edward Island  our tiniest Province or, especially from Quebec, He'd been there with bells on.  However if you came from the West...especially Alberta ...Whoa For You.  No wonder talk of separation is heating up there!

Most of the Media too were in constant lookout for incidents of racism and continually came up dry as they tried to equate the Caravan with the Yellow Vest Movement.

The fact is, some Yellow Vestors did include themselves in the Caravan.  The other fact is, they were not and are not racists.  Anymore than you or I are racist.

That is not to say, racism does not exist in Society...of course it does.  But it exists in all aspects of Society, be it on the left, the centre or the right.   It amounts though to a tiny per centage even with respect to the Yellow Vests.

In fact, I support the Vestors because I believe them to be a voice for me and for you.  For too long our Democracy has been in decline and all major Parties have played a significant role in seeing this decline come about.  The ordinary citizen has been relegated to the sidelines as the PMO, PCO, and the Party Leaders decide in their wisdom what is best for you and for me.

The fact is, there are lots of issues beyond the plight of the Alberta Oil Fields that can stir one to action: more and more restrictions on free speech, and freedom of religion, high taxes, high food costs, poor healthcare, poor education results, carbon taxes, corporate welfare..especially for their friends, rising debt/deficits, high cost of day care and so on and so on.

So yeah - there is lots of room for the Yellow Vestors and for their issues of concern to all of us.

So when you hear that protesters are all a bunch of racists - realize this, it is simply just our Political Masters Spinning.

As I See It....

K.D. Bell

Humour Corner:  I mentioned Prince Edward Island above - our smallest Province with a population that would barely sustain a small to medium size city.  So what is PEI up to of late...they are conducting a Referendum on Proportional Representation.  It is their second kick at this cat.

In reality, they are in a unique position to lead us all thru the introduction of Direct Democracy ...who needs Politicians anymore - simply have their small number of locales vote on-line.  Quick, Slick and Inexpensive.  And look at the money they'd save ....K 

Its The Elephant in the Room...

Well actually it is two (2) Elephants in the Room...

Or more to the point, it is two (2) Elephants, each in a different Room.

The Two Rooms represent the differing types of Health Care being promoted in America and the Elephants are .. well just stay tuned.

In the most recent Mid Term Elections, the Democrats did better than I had predicted for one reason...they focused on Health Care whereas Trump focused on the need for the Wall.  I thought Trump's issue would ...pardon the pun - Trump - Health Care but I was wrong and in that respect, learned a good lesson.

Next to food security, I now believe people generally are concerned about their health and the health care available to them.  The Dems will use this again in the coming General Election of 2020 and could well do it again successfully.

But permit me to digress a bit, first off I have to be totally honest with you... I do not understand how health care works in America. For instance, polling shows that up to 90% of Americans are happy with their health care.  How does that jibe with the horrors one hears all the time about how deficient their health care is e.g. disqualifying preconditions and so on.

These studies go on to say that but 10% of Americans find themselves shut out of health care.  So I am most simplistic, given that America spends more on health care than any other country on earth and given 90% like their care ...couldn't pocket change be used to incorporate the disenfranchised  10%?  In other words if the current system is viewed favourably by so many, why do both major parties argue for an entire revamp of the process?

But let's return to the two (2) Elephants in the room.

The Elephant of the Democrats they who want to mirror our Canadian model where Health Care is paid by the State, delivered by bureaucrats and drastically rationed.  It satisfies no one.  Just the other day I heard a radio announcer tell his audience that his daughter was born with spina bifada and in need of an MRI.  The wait list here in Canada was between 6 months and a year here in Canada.  Heaven help you if you want to get a new knee.  This same announcer the told of moving sshortly thereafter to the US - took his daughter to a Doctor who too suggested the need for a MRI and one was done at the time of their appointment.  If the Canadian system is adopted, those good outcomes will be relegated to history.  So the Dems are on the wrong track.

But so to are the Republicans since they are in the grip of a strong private health care companies, especially the Pharmaceuticals.  That's their Elephant and at one point with Debt and Deficits getting so high, less and less people will be able to afford proper care.  Permit me to give you an example.  Until recently we had a condo in Florida and while there the past November, I got to know a clerk in one of the stores we frequented.  One day she was not there and her replacement said she was off sick and he went on say 'if she takes off sick...she is really, really sick'.

Flash ahead to my next visit.  Female clerk is back and I inquired if she had recovered from whatever illness she had had.  Yes she told me "I had a temperature of 105 degrees Fahrenheit - (that is getting into fatal territory) and I stayed in my bath tub for several days until my temperature broke ..trying to keep cool."  I asked her why she had not just gone to the nearest Emergency but she said she could not afford it ...apparently her health policy had a $6,000 deductible and as clerk making 7 bucks an hour ...that was out of her range.

I was dumbfounded...and presumably because she had coverage... albeit sorely deficient, she probably does not count in the 10% of Americans without coverage.

So the Elephants in the Two Rooms are Public vs Private Health Care.

Whereas studies show that the best health care systems are in Europe where hybrid public and private systems are the norm. They are cheaper, better run and result in much improved outcomes.

America would save bundles of bucks, at the same time Health Care improved for all.

But it won't happen of course.  Republicans will continue to rely upon Big Private Health and Democrats on Big Public Service Unions and given the 50/50 split in America, no compromise will be possible.   Pity.

As I See It...

K.D. Bell


Humour Corner:  

There is a lesson to be learned from typing the wrong email address.

A Michigan couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out and planned to stay at the same hotel they stayed at 20 yrs ago where they honeymooned.  Because of schedule conflicts the husband flew down first.

He checked in and immediately went to the computer room to email his wife however left one letter out of her email address.  His email went somewhere in Houston where it reached a widow just returning home from her husband's funeral.   She read the email and then screamed and fainted.

Her son who was in the next room heard the commotion and came running to find his mother passed out on the floor.

He also saw the open computer screen which read as follows:

To: My Loving Wife    Subject: I have arrived      Date:  January 10, 2019

I know you're surprised to hear from me.  They have computers here now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones.  I've just arrived and have been checked in.

I've seen that everything has been prepared your arrival tomorrow and am looking forward to seeing you then.  I hope your your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

P.S.  Sure is freaking hot down here !!!

Trump Ends Government Shutdown and

Update:  It was announced earlier today that President Trump will not shut down government again but rather will Call for a National Emergency  and order the completion of  the Wall himself.  Heard that outcome before?  Oh yea, see my recent Blog below. But  I can tell you that I could not find many (anyone?) who believed with me.

Before finishing here I must apologize for being silent of late...I have volunteered for a number of non-profit projects and it has taken up most (e.g all) of my time.

It was not a hard prediction for me to make...it simply made sense and no matter what you think of Trump - he does not like his numbers to fall and a further shutdown would have done that.  That is not to say his calling for a National Emergency may too turn out to be unpopular on both sides of  Congress but dear reader ...he is on the side of the angels. Without proper defensible borders a nation does not qualify for independent status...it is but a failed State.

So what's next...as I say below it will now become a battle between the Executive and the liberal Judiciary. Nothing will get settled until it reaches the Supreme Court and even then the odds are but 50/50.  And a favourable outcome for Trump will depend on whether or not this gets concluded in his favour in time to get the Wall built.
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He won't make that mistake ever again...i.e. once burnt...twice shy.

Indeed, there is a greater chance the Dems will use the 3 week hiatus as an opportunity to compromise with the President but that too almost amounts to wishful thinking.

Rather, before the 3 weeks is up, Trump will use his power under the Constitution to Call the Need for A Border Wall a Military Emergency and will call upon the Armed Forces to pay for and build it.

(As an aside, Sheer and / or Bernier  here in Canada would be smart to do the same using the Peace, Order and Good Government provision available to them under the British North America Act to see the desperately needed oil and gas pipelines built on an emergency footing too).

I have for sometime believed this was Trump's only viable option and in late December finally got around to firing off a note to him recommending the same.  (Below is the answer I received).

And this was before he, or anyone for that matter, had publicly suggested that this avenue might be open to him.  I am not vain enough to think that my missive had anything whatsoever to do with his ultimate decision but at least I know that I was on the same wave length.  Some of you no doubt may find that to be a scary thought on my part.

                Trump's Reply:

THE  WHITE  HOUSE   January 2, 2019

Instead of setting politics aside and putting the safety of our country first, Democrats in Congress have continued to obstruct. In doing so, they have refused to come together with Republicans to pass commonsense legislation that provides adequate funding to secure America's borders and prevent a partial government shut down. As I have said throughout this process, I remain committed to finding an agreement that reopens our Government and ensures that our Nation's borders are safe and secure. I urge Congress to rejoin me in Washington to immediately pass appropriations legislation that properly addresses the critical issues affecting our Nation's security and prosperity. Thank you for your email. Sincerely, DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT

I know when it comes to the Wall there are many detractors but tend to think that much of it has to do with 50% of America viscerally hating Trump.  It seems simplistic to me but still valid... a country that cannot control its own borders is not worthy of its Nation State Status.  And this pertains as well here in Canada where Canadian Customs and Immigration states for the period January 2017 to March 2018  25, 645 refugees entered Canada illegally and the flood continues.

The problem Trump will have once he makes his military necessity pitch is that the issue will then quickly go before the Courts ad tedium.  Once the matter finally gets before their Supreme Court - the Trump position stands a good chance but how long will that take and more to the point will it be adjudicated in sufficient time before the next election?

If not, then it is assured the Wall will only get built if Trump is elected to a second term.

And that leads me to Government by the Judiciary which appears to afflict Western Nations in this new Millennia.   Its another impairment to Democracy's underlying principle of majority rule. Our Courts have stridently moved from interpreting laws...their legitimate role, to making laws and our politicians being the quick studies they are realize that if the Courts deal with the hard issues of Society it spares them the grief.

The trouble with this of course is that Society cannot hold a handful of independent judges accountable.

Now back to the Wall, Trump campaigned on it and indeed it was one of his major..if not his main election promise and he was elected President based upon his platform.  Add to this the fact that as President, he is now the Commandeer in Chief of America's Armed Forces and protecting its borders is a prime function of this role.

So we have the Dems pushing him into taking this stand and now the Courts taking up their fight where they left off.  All the while the Media cheers both on. 

And don't even get me started on the drubbing Capitalism is taking.

I HAVE YET TO WRITE AN ENDING HERE BUT AM GOING TO PUBLISH THIS NOW AND GET BACK TO IT...k

Or Rather I have decided to let you do the ending.  If you have any thoughts in that regard, please let me know.  In the meantime I am going on to my next Blog which will be about an Elephant....in fact, two Elephants...so stay tuned.   Please don't forget to read 'Humour For This Day'...directly below. 


And now Humour for this Day:    I just paid for my 12 month gym membership and my bank called to see if my credit card had been stolen.