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'