Politics – Sommer Season all year

I’m Scratching My Head

For a long time, I (#blogger #blog #somseason #YA #authors) have thought our Canadian governments are “losing it;” acting in strange and even draconian ways. Our Prime Minister, Mark Carney, was elected on the basis he would stand up to President Donald Trump’s tariffs, but then he meets with Trump and caves, as the article, Canada’s Carney talked tough on Trump – now some say he’s …, says. Since their initial meeting, Carney ‘disappointed’ as Trump increases tariffs on Canada to 35%.. Let’s not forget that the Liberals aren’t planning to table a budget this year. I guess Canadians have been conned. Why would Canadians think former Prime Minister Trudeau’s advisor would save us from Trump? I’m scratching my head—for those who don’t know, the phrase “scratching my head” means to have difficulty understanding something.

Let’s talk about the insane behaviour of some of our provincial governments. Nova Scotia recently told its citizens that they were no longer allowed to walk in the forests because it could cause a forest fire, facing a $25000 fine if they do so. This is a video with the announcement.

The Globe and Mail says, The people opposing Nova Scotia’s ban on accessing the woods don’t understand our culture. I scratched my head at that one. This has caused huge public outcry, with some claiming this is the beginning of climate lockdowns, as the article ‘CLIMATE LOCKDOWN’: Nova Scotia Bans Citizens From Going into the Woods suggests. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, read the article, The Push for Climate Lockdowns – Is This the Next Step?

The New Brunswick government followed suit, as the article, ‘Get out of the woods,’ NB premier asks as wildfires threaten province. The premier used a different excuse for her government’s decision. She says (paraphrased) if you break a leg, they won’t be helped by emergency rescue personnel because they’re too busy with forest fires. Yes, that’s right. That is what the premier said. Listen to her address in the article. I’m scratching my head once again.

Next was Newfoundland. Their premier says, ‘We mean business’: N.L. hikes fees and prison time for violating province wide fire ban. The province has banned all off-road vehicles, as the advisory Public Advisory: Province-Wide Restriction on all Off-Road Vehicles says. My take? This all appears to be government rhetoric to blame Climate Change to justify Climate Lockdowns. The opinion peace, Canada’s Creeping Authoritarianism: Forest Bans and the Shadow of Control, argues:

Across Canada, a new storm is gathering — and it has nothing to do with weather. Provincial governments are rolling out sweeping bans on outdoor activities under the banner of “keeping forests safe.” Hiking, camping, even stepping foot on certain public lands is suddenly off-limits. The official story? Fire prevention. The unofficial reality? Control.

I have to agree. This is about removing more and more rights under the guise of keeping us safe. Let’s face it, banning walks in the forest doesn’t start fires. There are some who think governments are starting these fires, paying arsonists to start fires. That may or may not be true, but many forest fires are started by arsonists, as the article, Saskatchewan volunteer firefighter who set 30 fires in a month and

Quebec man who blamed 2023 wildfires on government pleads guilty. Why are people starting forest fires? Are governments ‘forest banning’ to prevent people from catching an arsonist? That may sound crazy, but some people have asked that question. The article, Claims Canadian wildfires are caused by arson and not climate change are misleading, tries to discredit the idea of arsonists starting fires, with statements like, “Human caused does not necessarily mean arson.” Instead it is attempting to manipulate so you believe that Climate Change is to blame, with statements like, “Climate change has led to areas, like in parts of Northern Canada, experiencing hot and dry conditions earlier than expected…”

This is not just happening in Canada. In the United Kingdom, All UK households told to sleep downstairs…for key reason. What’s the reason you ask? The article says, “Every household across the UK is being advised to relocate their sleeping arrangements downstairs starting… This guidance follows warnings of scorching temperatures reaching 33C…” Now I have four things to say about this story. First, more and more I am seeing governments telling us what we can and can’t do. Now they are telling people where to sleep. What is next? Are governments going to tell us what time to go to bed? Now you may say, they are just concerned about us. I call bullshit. This is about control. Second, am I to assume citizens of the UK are not intelligent enough to know if it is too hot to sleep upstairs, that they wouldn’t know to sleep downstairs? Do governments think we are stupid? Thirdly, when I was a kid, 33 degrees was just a really hot summer day and there were never warnings about scorching temperatures. Sounds like fear mongering to me. This leads to my forth point, which is that all this is government rhetoric to justify Climate Change and Climate Lockdowns.

Continuing with the UK, people are being urged not to drink popular drink this weekend during weekend. Why you ask? The article says, “As the UK is set to bask in a sizzling heatwave this weekend, Brits are being warned against consuming a popular beverage due to the soaring temperatures.” I’m scratching my head too. According to Gov.UK, water and diluted squash are recommended for staying hydrated, while fruit juice and sugary fizzy drinks should be consumed with caution due to their high sugar content, which can worsen dehydration. These are the same people who told us Covid “vaccines” were safe. Do some research on that one.

Now this story really had me ‘scratching my head.’ The government of Canada has banned water craft, except canoes in all Yoho National Park lakes. The bulletin Restricted activity: Fishing and watercraft use in all areas in Yoho National Park states:

Prohibited watercraft include but are not limited to: kayaks, paddleboards, canoes, inflatable boats, or any other vessel. Fishing and the use of waders and wading boots is prohibited in all waters.
The following exceptions apply: Use of rental canoes at Emerald Lake.

Why you ask? The article says “to prevent the spread of whirling disease. This parasitic disease affects some fish species but does not present any health risks for people or other animals.”

Yup, you can’t make this shit up. I have just one question. How do non-rental canoes spread whirling disease but rental canoes at Emerald Lake do not? Please enlighten me. This is about control once again. Governments are slowly removing our rights to control us.

Kananaskis consists of nine provincial parks and over 50 recreation, wilderness and natural areas where outdoor adventures can occur and its wildlife habitat is protected. Now all of Kananaskis Country is under a bear warning, some trails closed. My son and I have hiked in Kananaskis Country many times and never before has the entire area been issued a “bear warning.” Yes, the odd trail has been closed, but never more than that. This sounds like fear mongering to me. Again, is this another way to implement Climate Lockdowns. In 15 years of hiking in mountainous back country, we’ve never encountered a bear. We hiked knowing bears are around. We just carried bear spray, and made lots of noise.

I’m going to end with this story, because I am still scratching my head. The article, Speaking English Might Spread Coronavirus Quicker Than Other Languages is baffling. The article, Why Speaking English May Spread More Coronavirus Than Some Other Languages says, “New research suggests that English speakers put more droplets into the air when they talk, which may make them more likely to spread COVID-19.” I call bullshit on that. More rhetoric. This is merely governments trying to distract us from the real story. Do some research on masks and the spread of Covid.

All of this slow removal of our basic rights is bullying (#bullying, #antibullying). Our governments are acting as dictators. Abraham Lincoln during his Gettysburg Address said, “Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.” That seems to have reversed. Governments are not for the people; they seem to be against the people. Does that mean if something doesn’t change regarding our governments, we just may perish from the Earth?

What is all the Fuss about Tariffs?

For weeks now, I’ve (#blogger #blog #somseason #YA #authors) heard nothing but the media and fellow Canadians talking about Trump’s tariffs. I talked to people who fear the tariffs will cause a recession. I know many people who have engaged fully in the “Buy Canadian” campaign as referred to in the article, The Rise of the “Buy Canadian” Movement and What it Means for Businesses. Many Canadians blame Trump’s tariffs for Canada’s high prices and poor economy. Many are angry at Trump and call him a bully (#bullying, #antibullying). If Trump was really a bully, he would have kept the tariffs in place from the beginning. Much of this anger is fueled by mainstream media with headlines like, Donald Trump called an ‘arrogant bully’ after he boasts about world leaders ‘kissing my a**’ over tariffs, The Terror of Trump’s Tariffs: What does it all mean for Ottawa? and Trump’s tariffs would crush Canada’s economy.

According to the article, Trump’s Tariffs: A timeline of the ongoing global trade tension, it all started not long after President Trump was sworn in, when he announced 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico starting February 1. What I’ve observed is a pattern with Trump. He announces a tariff on some country, then when that date approaches, he pulls back, like in the article, Trump pauses tariffs for most nations, unclear if it affects Canada. CBC claims Trump has started a Trade War as in its article, Trump’s trade war goes global… This is not about a trade war as there is always more to any story. President Trump is signaling something else.

Let’s focus on Canada. Why is President Trump imposing tariffs on Canada? According to the White House’s Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Imposes Tariffs on Imports from Canada, Mexico and China, the USA is placing tariffs on Canada for the following three reasons; to secure the Canada-US-Mexican border to stop the flow of illegal drugs, to stop the flow of illegal immigration, and to bring about balanced trade. The article states:

President Trump is taking bold action to hold Mexico, Canada, and China accountable to their promises of halting illegal immigration and stopping poisonous fentanyl and other drugs from flowing into our country….There is also a growing presence of Mexican cartels operating fentanyl and nitazene synthesis labs in Canada…A recent study recognized Canada’s heightened domestic production of fentanyl, and its growing footprint within international narcotics distribution…While trade accounts for 67% of Canada’s GDP, 73% of Mexico’s GDP, and 37% of China’s GDP, it accounts for only 24% of U.S. GDP. However, in 2023 the U.S. trade deficit in goods was the world’s largest at over $1 trillion.

The questions are: Is Canada really a gateway for fentanyl and other narcotics? Is illegal immigration happening where illegal aliens are entering the US from Canada? Is there a trade imbalance between Canada and the US? Those who know me know I never accept at face value what mainstream media (MSM) says. I do my own research and do my own thinking.

Is Canada producing fentanyl and other narcotics? Now if you believe the CBC—which I don’t—”less than one per cent of the synthetic opioid seized at American borders is at the northern border” according to a CBC report. Is the CBC right?

The book, Wilful Blindness: How a network of narcos, tycoons and CCP agents infiltrated the West, by Sam Cooper essentially claims Canada is a major fentanyl portal. Coopers research uncovers an intricate network where the ingredients to make synthetic opioids like fentanyl move from China to Vancouver, where they are processed into fentanyl and released all over North America. The money profited from these illegal drugs is then laundered through casinos, real estate, and Chinese exports. Mr. Cooper even suggests that the Liberal Party in Canada is profiting off of the fentanyl crisis. Might that be true? That’s a very brief explanation, so listen to the following interview with Mr. Cooper to learn more.

News articles like, How Chinese gangs are laundering drug money through Vancouver real estate, Triad money laundering is fueling Canada’s fentanyl nightmare, Canadian organized crime making more fentanyl: Police report. and TD Bank fined $3B US after pleading guilty in historic U.S. money laundering case all support what Sam Cooper is claiming. Even the Government of Canada website lists seven transnational criminal organizations that are active in Canada According to the Criminal Intelligence Service Canada Summary – 2024 Public Report on Organized Crime, a threat rating was assigned to 668 Organized Crime Groups as part of the 2024 Integrated Threat Assessment. Mr. Trump’s claim seems legit to me.

Is illegal immigration happening where illegal aliens are entering the US from Canada? The CBC is reporting U.S. Republicans are now warning: Migration from Canada is a problem. The Toronto Sun says, Canada becoming a source of illegal immigrants into USA. Now that’s MSM making this claim, so it must be true, right? Newsweek says, U.S. Northern Border Crossings Break Record In 2024. The Hill’s article, The overlooked threat: America’s northern border, reports that in 2024, in Canada’s Swanton Sector, in 2024, 19,000 illegal crossers were apprehended by U.S. border agents, more than the last 17 years combined. That sounds like a problem to me. Maybe the US president is right again.

Is there a trade imbalance between Canada and the US? What is a trade imbalance anyways? A trade imbalance occurs when a country has either a trade surplus or a trade deficit. A trade surplus occurs when a country exports more goods than it imports, while a trade deficit happens when imports exceed exports.

Wikipedia’s article, Canada–United States trade relations, says

the trade imbalance between Canada and the United States has historically favored Canada, with the U.S. experiencing a trade deficit. In 2023, the U.S. trade deficit with Canada was approximately $41 billion, with U.S. exports at $441 billion and Canadian exports at $482 billion.

The Financial Post reported that, Canada’s trade surplus with US widens before Trump’s return . Mr. Trump has made statements such as, If we are subsidising Canada, Mexico let them become a state of US. In Donald Trump’s view, if countries, like Canada and Mexica, have a trade surplus with the USA, then the US is subsidizing them. Investopedia defines a subsidy as a benefit given to an individual, business, or institution, usually by the government. I suppose by definition, it is kind of a subsidy as Canada is benefitting by having a trade surplus. As I already mentioned, a trade surplus occurs when a country exports more goods than it imports, while a trade deficit happens when imports exceed exports. In 2023, the U.S. exported $441 billions of goods while Canada exported $482 billion indicating Canada has a trade surplus and USA a trade deficit of approximately $41 billion. So, the real question is: Is a trade deficit a bad thing? Mr. Trump seems to think so. Does the US have a legitimate complaint? The article, Should we worry about a trade deficit? basically says it’s open to debate. The article, History of Tariffs between Canada and the United States, provides the history of Canada-USA trade wars, so we mustn’t forget—as the article shows—that Canada also imposes tariffs on US goods as well. It’s not just “big bad Trump” doing this to Canada, as the MSM wants us to believe.

What is my conclusion? I think President Trump has legitimate complaints when it comes to Canada producing narcotics and illegal immigration into the US from Canada. There is definitely a trade imbalance between Canada and the US, but whether that’s good or bad is open to debate. Having said that, balanced trade should be what happens; it’s logical. Canada does need to deal with the fentanyl crisis and border security. Canada is not the “innocent” country most Canadians think it is. President Trump is not initiating a Trade War with Canada. Mr. Trump wants us Canadians to wake up to the corruption in our country; a corruption permitted by our corrupt political system and politicians, and to do something about it. That is what I think is happening with these tariffs.

Is Canada Real?

For years now, I (#blogger #blog #somseason #YA #authors) have read books that say things like “everything is an illusion.” For a long time I have tried to understand what that means, because I am the type of person who must understand things, so I research a topic until I do. Since the Covid era, I’ve looked into many topics and learned some disturbing things. I now question everything because I no longer blindly accept the “official narratives” of officialdom. I believe I now understand what is meant by “everything is an illusion.” Ironically, I just recently learned about a video by Timm Stein titled, Canada – the Illusion. I was immediately intrigued.

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard about Trump trolling Trudeau and calling him ‘governor’ of the ‘Great State of Canada’. President Elect, Donald Trump seemingly wants to take over Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal and his son, Eric Trump even posted an image of Donald Trump ‘Buying’ Canada, Greenland and Panama Canal in a social media post. The CBC says, it’s No longer a joke: Ministers say Trump’s threats to absorb Canada need to be taken seriously. This article quotes Trump as saying, “You get rid of the artificially drawn line [the Canada-US border] and you take a look at what that looks like and it would also be much better national security.” Is he wanting Canada and the US united for security reasons? I think there is way more to it. Trudeau wrote in a social media post, “There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States.” Now that’s laughable, since he is a “lame duck,” has clearly shown in his years as PM that he doesn’t care about this country, and I don’t believe he has the confidence of Canadians to make a decision as huge as this one. There certainly would be pros and cons to the two countries uniting in some form.

Pierre Karl Péladeau, the new Parti Québécois leader, called Canada an ‘imaginary country’ but The National Post says, Experts agree: Canada is a real country (and Pierre Karl Péladeau is wrong). First of all, who are these experts?Is Parti Québécois leader right? Is Canada an imaginary country? Let’s explore that.

I just watched the video, Canada – the Illusion, which left me stunned after watching it. It immediately starts off with the words on the screen, “The following film is entirely based on facts, not opinions. The viewer is strongly encouraged to verify each fact!” Now I always told my students that “your opinions aren’t worth anything unless you back them up.” In other words, if you’re going to make a claim, you better be prepared to back it up with factual information. This video convincingly did exactly that. You can watch the video below:

The website, Canada – The Illusion, has links to watch it on other platforms and even gives you the option to download it. I strongly encourage you to watch it! So, what is the video’s premise? An illusion is an idea or belief that is not true, or something that is not really what it seems to be. The title of this video seems to suggest that Canada is not really what we’ve been taught it is. The Facebook page titled, The video Canada: The Illusion… – Alberta: The Grassroots, describes the video as critically examining:

“Canada’s legal and historical foundations, exposing that the nation was established through fraud and deception. It exposes that Canada operates without a legitimate legal government, rendering its authority—and practices such as law enforcement and taxation—unlawful. Furthermore, the documentary exposes that the “government,” as it exists today, functions as a criminal entity, nothing more than an illegal corporate theft of the lands of Canada, which legally belong to “we the people,” creating unlawful laws and agreements to enrich powerful elites while systematically misleading and controlling the population through misinformation and deception.”

Now those are strong allegations! Essentially, the video asserts that Canada is NOT a legitimate country, that it is a corporation instead. The legal dictionary defines a “corporation is a legal business entity in which the owners are protected from liability for the company’s actions and financial status.” Is Canada just a business entity? Some say so, as the article, Fact Check: Canada NOT Owned By The ‘United States Corporation’, is refuting someone’s claim that “the corporation of Canada is owned by the United States Corporation.” Wait, now are people claiming the USA is a corporation too? Let me be clear. I don’t give any credibility to fact checkers as they are hired to discredit anything that goes against the “official narrative,” but could that be true?

The Cambridge University Press has an article, Is the U.S. Government a Corporation? The Corporate Origins of Modern Constitutionalism, saying in its abstract, “The U.S. Constitution is best understood not as a “social contract,” but as a popularly issued corporate charter.” The article, What Every American Should Know: The Republic vs The Corporation, says, “The corporation was created for the District of Columbia, aka Washington, D.C., via the Act of 1871. THE UNITED STATES corporation operates under private international law with their own corporate constitution.” It goes on to say, ‘If you want proof of this, look at subsections 15 and 15(A) in Title 28 U.S. Code § 3002 and you should see this sentence, “United States” means— (A) a Federal corporation.” Another article, The United States Isn’t a Country — It’s a Corporation! also claims that the USA is a corporation. If the US is, then it is likely Canada is as well. The YouTube video, Is Canada a CORPORATION? Canada is CORPORATION PROOF gives pretty convincing evidence. I did what the gentleman in the video did and sure enough CANADA (CIK 0000230098) comes up as a company name. Now don’t take my word for any of this. Do your own research and draw your own conclusions.

The video ends saying, “Since the people on the land mass known as “Canada” have been indoctrinated for decades, and conditioned to be obedient slaves of the system, many may have to suffer immensely to be broken enough to accept the truth, and to have the will to change.” Have we been lied to? Have we been indoctrinated to believe an illusion? I spent much of my career as a teacher proudly teaching Canadian history, a history like that described in the Canadian Encyclopedia article, Constitutional History of Canada. I taught that Canada was a confederation with Sir John A MacDonald being one of the founders. The video claims this is false. Was I teaching lies? Was I just an indoctrinated teacher used to indoctrinate others? Canada’s National Anthem has a line that says, “True North strong and free.” Now I question if we were ever free.

Care Learning has an article titled, The key features of the different types of bullying (#bullying, #antibullying) which talks about Indirect Bullying, a less direct type of bullying, involving manipulation and sabotage. This type of bullying is much harder to detect and undermines trust. If the video is truth, then we Canadians have been indirectly bullied through manipulation and sabotage.

I did my own research and I have come to my own conclusions. Since the Covid era, I no longer believe everything I’ve been told. I’ve said many times in other blog posts, “question everything,” which I do. As the Buddha allegedly said, “Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.” And before you label me crazy, remember what Danish theologian and philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard said, “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”

When Did Critical Thinking Disappear?

On Feb. 6, 2024, former Fox News host, Tucker Carlson, sat down with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin for an interview. If you haven’t seen the interview, you can watch it here: The Vladimir Putin Interview.

I (#blogger #blog #somseason #YA #authors) took the time to watch the full interview because I wanted to know Putin’s perspective on the war in the Ukraine. The interview was fascinating. Why would I watch this interview? Vladimir Putin is the enemy, isn’t he? If you listen to the Mainstream Media (MM), he is. Here is a sampling of headlines after the interview aired. Tucker Carlson faces media fury over Putin interview, Tucker Carlson faces new backlash over Putin interview after Navalny death, EU Bureaucrats Look to BAN Tucker Carlson Following CONTROVERSIAL Putin Interview, Tucker Carlson’s Putin Interview Was a TV Turn-Off for Russians, and Zelensky on Tucker Carlson interview with Putin: ‘2 hours of bulls‑‑‑’. For those who don’t know, bullshit refers to something worthless or deceptive. Watch how Tucker Carlson is mocked in this video.

If you believe the MM, Everybody hates Vladimir Putin according to CNN. Putin now among most hated world figures according to The Washington Post. Why does the MM want us to hate Putin so much? Why do they demonize or dehumanize Russia’s President? What are they afraid of? What don’t they want us to know? They did the same thing with former US president Donald Trump. They demonized Trump to manipulate us into hating him. Demonizing or dehumanizing is nothing new. The MM have always done it as shown by Welfare Queens and Scroungers: How Media Narratives Demonize the Poor, How Media Demonize Religious Minorities, and 3 Ways That Media Outlets Demonize Black Families, The article, The Media Must Stop Demonizing Immigrants explains that “dehumanization of whole groups of people for the purposes of attacking them in the United States and across the world is nothing new. As Isabel Wilkerson points out in her book Caste, the creation of a dominant caste depends upon the dehumanization of the other.”

It is now being reported that there was a Tucker Carlson assassination attempted in Russia. Reports say a native Russian was arrested for the attempted assassination of Tucker Carlson. The unsuccessful assassin was allegedly hired by Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence who offered to pay the man $4,000. Why would the Ukraine want to stop the Carlson-Putin interview? The answer seems obvious to me. They wanted to prevent people from hearing Russia’s perspective on the war. It’s also why they demonize the Russian president as well. Maybe Putin has just cause to attack Ukraine.

MM, and governments, don’t want the general public to think for themselves. When I taught Social Studies, I tried to teach critical thinking, which is the ability to interpret, evaluate, and analyze facts and information, to form a judgment or decide if something is right or wrong. I always taught that there are two sides to every story; that to make an informed decision, you need to listen to and understand both differing perspectives.

This was especially true when I taught my students how to write position papers. I emphasized the importance that a position paper needed an analysis of both sides of the subject matter and the main point is to address both aspects of the argument. Any guide to writing position papers will tell you this. Why does the MM only focus on one side of an argument?

The latest buzz words used by governments and MM is ‘disinformation’ and ‘misinformation,’ as shown in the articles, The real ‘fake news’: how to spot misinformation and disinformation online, and Fake News, Big Lies: How Did We Get Here and Where Are We Going? Disinformation, as defined by the UK government, is the deliberate creation and/or sharing of false information in order to mislead, and misinformation is the act of sharing information without realizing it’s wrong. Is the MM feeding us disinformation to mislead us? Seems like it to me. Why else would they demonize and dehumanize Tucker Carlson and President Putin? They constantly inundate us with the plight of Ukraine, saying we—the Western World—need to defend Ukrainian independence. They never tell us Russia’s perspective on Ukraine, at least not that I am aware of.

As I understand it, back in 2022, Putin recognized the “independence and sovereignty” of the two eastern Ukraine provinces, Donetsk and Luhansk, and ordered Russian peacekeepers to protect them. Justin Trudeau sums up the rhetoric of the MM when he strongly condemned Russia’s recognition of ‘independent states’ in Ukraine as a “blatant violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and international law.” That was the only point of view we were given, at least here in Canada and the USA. What is wrong with hearing Russia’s side? Why is the MM trying to prevent us from hearing the Russian side? Is there more to the story? Are they hiding something? To quote Heather Vogel Frederick, “There’s always more to the story.” Listen to Putin in the interview and decide for yourself if he is the horrible person the MM maintain he is. Give yourself permission to think for yourself instead of the MM doing the thinking for you.

I find it interesting that Canada’s prime minister claims Conspiracy theorists threaten mainstream media. As the article, The Mainstream Media Are Dying of Self-Inflicted Wounds says, they are doing it to themselves. The article says just 7 percent of Americans have “a great deal” of trust and confidence in the media. It is interesting that Journalists now lecture us, contributing to the lack of trust in media. This article sites a poll that was commissioned by the Canada’s federal government saying that just 32.5% trust the media in Canada. The article goes on to say, “As traditional media outlets continue to lose audience share, it might be worth asking why people are tuning us out or losing trust. Far too often, it’s that people think we have an agenda…” The article speaks truth when it says the problem is journalists are lecturing the public instead of informing them. Is their agenda to manipulate us into believing one point of view?

We are no longer being informed, we are being misled, manipulated, and propagandized. MM news outlets have an agenda; the agenda to get the public to believe a certain narrative. It doesn’t want you to know both sides of the story. They only want you to hear their biased side or their narrative. They want to tell you what to think. This is bullying (#bullying, #antibullying) in my view! The MM wants to “bully” you into believing their narrative regarding an event. It is time we got back to thinking critically for ourselves, and that means listening to both points of views. I am grateful to Tucker Carlson for giving me Putin’s view of the war in Ukraine because I sure didn’t get it from the western media.

Coffee Drinkers Beware

I (#blogger #blog #somseason #YA #authors) have not paid much attention to the 2024 World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting that happened from Jan. 15 to Jan. 19 in Davos, Switzerland as it’s just a bunch of elites wanting to dictate to us how to live our lives . The WEF was founded by Klaus Schwab, who is still the Founder and Executive Chairman. The WEF’s stated mission is “improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.” In plain speak, the WEF knows what’s best for us non-elites.

This non-elected group of the world’s elites (political and corporate elites) fly to Davos every year in their private jets to decide how we non-elites should live. What are some of their plans? The WEF published ‘8 predictions for the world in 2030’ in 2016 outlining their objectives. Watch the video to discover these 8 predictions.

The most controversial prediction is “You’ll own nothing” and “you’ll be happy about it.” Now keep in mind, they never said ‘we’ (the elites) will own nothing. It’s us commoners that will own nothing.

Another prediction is “You’ll eat much less meat” as meat will be “an occasional treat, not a staple, for the good of the environment and our health.” These elites who travel around the globe in their private jets claim the cattle industry is in part causing a climate crisis, so to save the planet, we need eat less meat. Yet, the article, It’s time to stop comparing meat emissions to flying, clearly shows that private jets have a much larger carbon footprint than the cattle industry. Why would anyone listen to these hypocrites?

As I said earlier, I wasn’t paying much attention to the WEF until the headline, WEF Demands Crackdown on Public Coffee-Drinking to ‘Fight Climate Change’ caught my attention. Excuse me! Are you telling me I need to stop drinking coffee? You’re talking to a coffee lover here. According to the WEF elites, they need to stop the public from drinking coffee to ‘save the planet’ from a “climate crisis.” How does drinking coffee cause a climate crisis? According to the WEF, the consumption of coffee emits between 15 and 20 tons of CO₂ per ton of coffee. Let’s compare the said coffee carbon footprint to the elite’s private jets. According to the article, Flying Private Has Never Been More Popular. But Is It Taking Us on a Flightpath to Climate Hell? private aviation accounted for 37.1 million tons of CO₂ in 2019. That’s more, much more than what they claim coffee releases. I’ll stop drinking coffee when the elites stop flying in their private jets. I find it insulting that the elites solicit our trust in them, as said the article, WEF says rebuilding trust only possible with cooperation as Davos meet ends. I simply cannot trust hypocrites.

I’m not the only one that feels this way. Watch Tucker Carlson’s veiws on the elites and their private jets (See Tucker’s video) Watch Tucker’s reaction to John Kerry’s excuse for using a private jet.

The agenda of this year’s WEF meeting, Davos 2024: 4 things to know, claims we have an ‘existential climate crisis’, with one of the WEF elites saying, “A sense of urgency is our only savior.” The document also states that failure to act on climate change has implications for the planet, and claims the climate crisis is also a health crisis.

Independent media, The Eureporter, published an article, Climate change and nature loss pose greatest risks for humanity: WEF Global Risk Report 2024 that agrees with the WEF Global Risks 2024 Report. The report makes the claim that extreme weather events and critical change to the Earth systems is the greatest concern facing the world over the next decade. While misinformation and disinformation—the latest buzz words—is seen as the biggest short-term risk over the next two years, while environmental risks dominate over a ten-year period.

On January 23 of the new year, the Doomsday Clock will remain at 90 seconds to midnight in 2024. This is the second year in a row the clock was set at 90 seconds to midnight. The clock is a symbolic timepiece showing how close the world is to ending because of climate change. As you can see, the climate crisis rhetoric, or shall I say propaganda machine, is in full swing early in this new year.

It’s all fear porn. Why would I say such an outrageous statement? The truth is, we’ve being hearing the climate doomsday scenario for years. The article, 10 times ‘experts’ predicted the world would end by now, shows 10 times when so called “experts” said the world would end because of climate change and human overpopulation, dating back to 1975, yet the world has never ended. If the elites have been propagating a sense of urgency—fear porn really—since 1975, likely even sooner, and no doomsday has ever arrived, then there is no urgency. They want us afraid to exert control over us.

Not only that, 2023 is considered a year of intense global wildfire activity, where the article claims global wildfires generated approximately 2,170 megatons of carbon emissions in 2023, of which the Canadian wildfires accounted for 22%. The article doesn’t directly relate CO₂ emissions to the climate crisis, but it is certainly implied.

Now, I am not denying that climate change exists. The climate is changing, and always has, but is it changing because of human activity? I am skeptical that we humans are the problem when CO₂ is only 0.04% of the planet’s atmosphere. Reading articles about how CO₂ contributes to climate change, the “experts” refer to CO₂in parts per million (ppm). The article, If CO2 Is Only 0.04% of the Atmosphere, How Does it Drive Global Warming? says before the industrial revolution, the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere was about 288 ppm, but now has reached about 414 ppm. Yes, that sounds alarming as it almost doubled, but when you’re talking ppm, that is a very small amount of 0.04%. It doesn’t convince me that humans are the problem, and no I don’t trust the science.

Yet, governments continue to push the climate crisis agenda motivating Thousands of German farmers block highways over climate cuts over government climate policies. Here in Canada, Trudeau hopes to stop climate change with more taxes; with the Carbon Tax. As the article, The Trudeau climate plan runs into reality says, Canada missed its emission targets, has huge public backlash against the carbon tax, and there is growing realization that nothing Canada does will change global temperatures.

Since the new year has arrived, I’ve seen many January 2024 articles like, A conspiracy theorist who blamed the government for forest fires admitted that he started 14 himself, Nova Scotia man charged for starting massive forest fire that Liberals blamed on climate change, and Quebec man pleads guilty to starting 14 forest fires . I find it very difficult the believe that climate change is to be blamed for the wildfires of 2023 when over and over I read about humans admitting to starting the fires. My question is why did these people start the fires? Were they paid to create the illusion of climate change? I merely ask the question.

I know, I know, I sound like a crazy conspiracy theorist. When you google ‘conspiracy theorists,’ the articles that come up all try to discredit people who go against the official narrative. The article, Top 2022 conspiracy theories that turned out to be true, lists numerous stories that Legacy Media called “conspiracy theories” that were actually true. There is also the articles, Top 10 Conspiracy Theories That Turned Out To Be True and Not so crazy now: Five theories that dropped the ‘conspiracy’ in 2021. It seems to me that crazy conspiracy theorists speak truth. Maybe I am not so crazy after all.

All I am saying is the elites will need to do a much better job convincing me to give up coffee.

(#bullying, #antibullying)

Let’s Talk about Christmas

In 2017, US President Donald Trump claimed that political correctness had gotten in the way of celebrating Christmas saying, “We’re getting near that beautiful Christmas season that people don’t talk about anymore. They don’t use the word Christmas because it’s not politically correct.” (see Trump: ‘We’re saying merry Christmas again’). It seems every holiday season there is another debate about whether to say “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas.” I (#blogger #blog #somseason #YA #authors) wrote about this in Christmas Controversies 3.0 and Christmas Controversies 3.1 in 2017.

The ridiculousness has continued this year as the National Post reports that Canada’s Federal commission declares Christmas holiday is ‘religious intolerance’. The Canadian Human Rights Commission — an agency created in 1977 to enforce the Canadian Human Rights Act and is fully funded by the Canadian government—argued that a day off on Christmas is ‘discriminatory.’ Christmas, really? Christmas has been around since at least the 4^th century (more on that later), and suddenly it’s discriminatory?

The commission published a Discussion Paper on Religious Intolerance saying that the Christian holidays of Christmas and Easter get days off, while non-Christians have to “request special accommodations to observe their holy days.” The discussion paper cited the statutory Christmas holidays as a form of “religious intolerance” arguing that this constitutes a “form of discrimination.”

That is a ridiculous argument because polls clearly show that non-Christian Canadians almost universally have no problem with Christian holidays. A Leger poll from 2022 asked non-Christian Canadians whether they were offended by the greeting “Merry Christmas.” Of respondents, 92% said “no.” It also asked Canadians of all religious faiths if Christmas if “religious” holidays should be struck from the country’s official statutory holidays. Only 6% said “yes.” That means potentially, only 6% of Canadians think Christian holidays are discriminatory. Does that warrant removing Christmas as a statutory holiday? Absolutely not.

Then there was the law Student’s request to display a menorah prompting the University of Alberta to remove Christmas trees instead. A University of Alberta law student is frustrated after her request to display a menorah alongside a Christmas tree in a study space led the faculty to remove the Christmas trees. The student says she never took issue with the Christmas trees. The decision to remove the trees and confine any potentially non-secular displays to an out-of-the-way room left her baffled. Now that seems a pretty extreme reaction to me, and borders on bullying (#bullying, #antibullying).

Christmas is the festival that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. Is Christmas really the day Jesus was born? It seems the birthdate of Jesus is in dispute as indicated in the article, Why scholars disagree with Christmas birth date. The article states that “despite scholarly research regarding Christmas Day, most ‘experts’ are still unsure about the true date” of Jesus’ birth. The article, On what day and month was Jesus born? using scriptural evidence, places Jesus’ birth between September 16 and 29, while other theologians have suggested that Jesus was born sometime in the spring. This is based on the biblical narrative that shepherds were watching over their flocks in the fields on the night of Jesus’ birth. When I studied Biblical Theology, we were taught that the biblical stories were myth, that they were a symbolic narrative, and not historical.

Why do we celebrate Christmas on December 25th? According to Wikipedia the Roman Empire held a festival called the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (‘birthday of the Invincible Sun’) on 25 December, the date of the winter solstice in the Roman calendar. It was dedicated to the sun god “Sol Invictus” (the Unconquered Sun). Some argue that this was the pagan festival that was Christianized . When I took Biblical Theology courses, we were told Christmas was a pagan festival that was Christianized, so that makes sense.

According to The History of Christmas, the church ‘Christianized’ the Saturnalia festival in the 4th century CE, hoping to take the pagan masses in with it. This holiday was a week-long period of lawlessness celebrated between December 17-25. Roman law dictated that no one would be punished for damaging property or injuring people during the weeklong celebration. The festival began when Roman authorities chose “an enemy of the Roman people” to represent the “Lord of Misrule.” Each community selected a victim whom they forced to indulge in food and other physical pleasures throughout the week. At the festival’s conclusion, December 25th, Roman authorities believed they were destroying the forces of darkness by brutally murdering this innocent man or woman.

This same article refers to the ancient Greek poet and historian Lucian, who in his dialogue entitled Saturnalia, describes the festival’s observance. He references human sacrifice, widespread intoxication, going house to house singing naked, rape, other sexual activities, and consuming human-shaped biscuits.

According to that article, the DePascha Computus, an anonymous document allegedly written around 243 CE, placed Jesus’ birth on March 28. Clement, a bishop of Alexandria (d. ca. 215 CE), thought Jesus was born on November 18. Joseph B. Fitzmyer, professor of Biblical Studies at the Catholic University of America guesses that Jesus birth occurred on September 11, 3 BCE. He based his guess on historical records.

All of this leaves me with many questions. Why would church fathers choose to Christianize a pagan festival involving such debauchery? Why would church fathers choose December 25^th as the birth date of Jesus when most ‘experts’ are unsure about the true date of Jesus’ birth? Furthermore, wouldn’t it make more sense to base the date on biblical evidence placing the date of Jesus’ birth in September or sometime in the spring? Is there some hidden relevance to the December 25^th date that is being kept from us?

According to The History of Christmas, many of the most popular Christmas traditions, including Christmas trees, mistletoe, Christmas presents, and Santa Claus, are modern embodiments of depraved pagan rituals. The article provides a more detailed explanation of this. I doubt many Christians know that. Why would church fathers allow these traditions to creep into the said birthdate of Christian saviour, and the one that Christians proclaim as the Son of God?

No one can deny that Christmas is a hugely commercialized holiday. Christmas focuses on the buying and selling of gifts, with its advertising to convince people what items they should buy as Christmas gifts. How Did Christmas Become Commercialized? It’s not uncommon to hear slogans like “Keep Christ in Christmas” and “Jesus is the Reason for the Season” because Christmas has become so commercialized. There is even a Keep Christ in Christmas Evangelization Program, a campaign that sends religious Christmas cards throughout the US.

I am not trying to put a downer on the Christmas season. Christmas was my favourite time when I was a kid. As an adult, Christmas doesn’t make sense anymore. December 25^th is likely not the actual birth date of Jesus. Governments and media are now calling Christmas a form of “religious intolerance.” Some universities are removing Christmas decorations for reasons that are unclear, likely because Christmas trees are politically incorrect. Calgary’s mayor, Jyoti Gondek, declined to attend a Hanukkah event at city hall, claiming it had “been repositioned as an event to support Israel” and its invasion of Gaza as shown in the news article, Social media reacts to Calgary mayor’s decision to not attend City Hall menorah lighting. It seems Religious festivals are becoming politicized.

As Andy Williams’ traditional Christmas song, “It’s (Christmas) the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” says, Christmas is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. What has changed?

Things Don’t Add Up

You may have noticed that I (#blogger #blog #somseason #YA #authors) haven’t written a post since September 21. There is a reason for that. World events are changing so fast that each time I a plan a post, it is already old news. Let me explain.

Initially, I planned to write about the wildfires (I know, it’s old news). Beginning in March 2023, the news was consumed with wildfires. As the article, North America’s summer of wildfire smoke: 2023 was only the beginning, says, “Canada’s seemingly endless wildfires in 2023 introduced millions of people across North America to the health hazards of wildfire smoke.” The article blames climate change and makes the statement “global warming means more fires.” Legacy Media amped up the climate change rhetoric, claiming Climate change made weather conditions that powered Quebec fires twice as likely, scientists say. Yet, Alberta’s premier downplays link between wildfires and climate change, commits to arson investigations. Is climate change the problem? These headlines suggest otherwise. Quebec man arrested for starting multiple wildfires, RCMP charge Alberta woman with 32 counts of arson after spring wildfires, Arsonists Behind More than Half of Italy’s Wildfires, Officials Say, Italy arrests two Sicilian sheep farmers for lighting wildfires, and Greek police arrest dozens for arson as EU’s largest-ever wildfires rage. How can climate change be the cause, when arsonists are lighting the fires? Why are arsonists lighting these fires? Are they being paid? It doesn’t make sense. Or, to use the old adage; Things “do not add up,” meaning things do not seem plausible, logical, or believable. All I can say, is we are NOT being told the full story.

Then came the Maui wildfires when in August, we heard non stop reporting on them. The Hawaiian Electric says power lines started morning fire on August 8, but not afternoon Lahaina Fire, so humans once again are to blame. What about the devastating Lahaina fire? Were humans to blame—and I’m not talking about the climate change narrative? Some are blaming Direct Energy Weapons (DEWs), as in the articles, Were Maui wildfires caused by a US weapons test? and the Video: Maui Wildfires: Evidence of Direct Energy Weapon? Of course, Legacy Media were quick to call the DEW story conspiracy. Things “do not add up.” More is going on than meets the eye.

Then the headlines changed to what some called Nazigate, and the stories about wildfires disappeared. In case you don’t know what Nazigate is, on Sept. 22, 2023. the Canadian parliament accidentally honours Nazi – with Zelensky and Trudeau applauding, and reporting that the Speaker of the House apologized for calling Nazi SS soldier a ‘Ukrainian hero.’ That’s honouring a bully (#bullying, #antibullying)! How do you accidentally honour someone? Someone please explain it to me. Of course, some Legacy Media try to downplay the incident with articles like, Last week’s Nazi incident in parliament was framed by some as a learning opportunity. Canada’s Immigration minister claims ‘Canada has a really dark history with Nazis in Canada’ and some say Canada has a long history of soft-pedalling the Ukrainian Waffen-SS Galicia Division. Our deputy Prime Minster, Chrystia Freeland says she has nothing to be ashamed of about her grandfather’s ‘Nazi’ ties. It’s true, Chrystia Freeland has a Nazi history according to the Civilian Intelligence Network.

Now I agree that this Nazigate event is Canada’s disgrace and parliament’s Nazi celebration cannot be forgotten or forgiven. Don’t try to convince me this is a mistake. Things just don’t add up. Why would Canadian parliamentarians applaud a former Nazi like he is a hero? Watch the video where all Canadian Parliamentarians give Yaroslav Hunka, 98, an ex-Waffen SS fighter, a standing ovation. What is really going on? As this article asks, How did a Nazi fighter end up in Parliament? Things “do not add up.” There has got to be more to this story.

Then the Nazigate news disappeared. as on October 3, the US speaker was ousted starting a US government crisis as U.S. Congress is headless after a first-in-history ouster of House Speaker. It is said to be the first-ever ejection of a sitting Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. News broadcasts were consumed with this crisis. Twenty three days later, on October 25, 2023, Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana elected speaker of the House. But little was said about that event as October 7, 2023 Hamas launched a surprise attack in the south of Israel. We are still hearing about this as it is all Legacy Media talks about. Read Background to War in Israel if you don’t know what that is about. The rhetoric is building as The US is mounting a frantic effort to head off a wider Middle East war. Watch the video below: Can President Biden prevent World War III?

I find it comical that the world’s fate is put into the hands of a man who seems to be senile. It is said that the New Middle East war delivers a new threat to world economy. The scariest rhetoric Is Middle East Closer to World War 3 After Israel-Palestine Conflict? I have to wonder, Are we heading for World War Three?

I am confused though. According to the article, A detailed look at how Hamas secretly crossed into Israel, Hamas militants broke through Israel’s complex border security systems, attacking towns, killing hundreds of people and taking at least 150 hostages. CNN asks, Why didn’t Israel’s sophisticated border security stop Saturday’s attack? According to them, Israel’s military found itself caught off-guard, despite decades in which the country became a technology powerhouse that boasts one of the world’s most impressive armed forces and a best intelligence agency. A former international spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces said, “The entire system failed. It’s not just one component. It’s the entire defense architecture that evidently failed to provide the necessary defense for Israeli civilians.” How can an entire security system fail? Something doesn’t add up. We’re definitely not being told the real story.

What is even more interesting is the sudden silence on the Ukrainian war. Did that war suddenly end? Back in February 2022, Russia launched a military invasion of Ukraine and that was all we heard for months. For months, billions of dollars from all over the world were being sent to the Ukraine for the war effort. CNN asks since $113 billion was sent to the Ukraine, Where has the US investment in Ukraine aid gone? The World Bank approved $723m financial package, and Canada has promised more than $1.5B in military aid to Ukraine. Why all money for the Ukraine? Why is Ukraine so important? This article says there are 5 reasons America must support Ukraine and help it defeat Russia, but I don’t buy any of it. Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister said, “Canada will stand with Ukraine with whatever it takes, for as long as it takes. As Ukrainians continue to fight for their freedom and their democracy, our support will be unequivocal until they are victorious,” yet the article, Marking 50 Years in the Struggle for Democracy it says:

New coups and other attempts to undermine representative government destabilized Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Peru, and Brazil. Previous years’ coups and ongoing repression continued to diminish basic liberties in Guinea and constrain those in Turkey, Myanmar, and Thailand, among others.

Why aren’t we sending money to these countries as they “fight for their freedom and their democracy?” That argument doesn’t make sense. Things “do not add up.” Are we being fed propaganda? Are we being told what they—whoever they are—want us to think and believe. We are not being told the real story, that’s for sure. What is really going on in this world? As Haruki Murakami, a Japanese writer says, “Please remember: things are not what they seem.”

Parental Rights Are Inalienable

According to the article, Parents: Know Your Rights – CANADIAN GENDER REPORT:

The right of parents to direct, and to be fully informed about, all aspects of their children’s education is entrenched in international law, Canadian constitutional law, and provincial law: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, states in Article 26(3): Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Canada is a signatory, states in Article 18(4): The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardians to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions. The Supreme Court of Canada in Loyola High School v. Quebec (Attorney General), 2015 SCC 12 (paragraph 65), affirmed that Article 18(4) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is applicable in Canada, stating: “Parents, religious or otherwise, have the constitutional right under s. 2(a) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to determine all aspects of their children’s education, including the moral education of their children. Like all rights, parental rights are subject to reasonable limits. For example, parents do not enjoy a constitutional right to require the public school curriculum to align with the cultural, moral, and religious values they desire to pass down to their children. Rather, the right to determine all aspects of a child’s education manifests itself in the right to school choice and the right to be informed.”

The law is clear! Parents determine all aspects of their children’s education. Yesterday (September 20, 2023) was the “1 Million March 4 Children,” organized by a “parental rights” movement targeting inclusive public education. Thousands of protesters and counter-protesters in cities across Canada clashed over the rights of trans children and youth. According to this article, protesters were angered by schools exposing their children to “gender ideology,” insisting parents have the right to know whether their children are questioning their gender identity. Counter-demonstrators accused protesters of trying to deny students important lessons about inclusion and respect for gender-diverse people.

Yesterday I (#blogger #blog #somseason #YA #authors) saw some of my family and friends change their Social Media profile picture that showed a Canada map in rainbow colours saying, “no space for hate.” These people see the protests as hate directed towards the LGBTQ2S+ community. They see it as their way of showing support for the trans and nonbinary kids. I see it differently. It is a protest to protect parental rights. Its slogan is, “Leave Our Children Alone.”

The article, “Leave Our Kids Alone” Parents Protest Indoctrination in Schools Canada Wide But are Being Called Bigots for Trying to Protect Their Children, says anxious parents marched in front of their local City Halls and school board headquarters to protect their children’s rights. Parents are feeling a loss of control over the ideological content teachers are imparting on their children. Parents claim their children are left confused by the idea of gender fluidity and medically transitioning to the opposite gender assigned at birth.

Justin Trudeau dismisses parental rights as ‘far right’. According to National Post’s Michael Higgins, most of Canada — as documented previously — it is now official policy to keep parents in the dark if children come out as trans to teachers. These guidelines have been brought in without discussion with parents.

CTV News says Pronoun debate pits parental rights against kids’ rights, and explains the debate as follows. Those who support policies that would require parental permission for teachers to use a student’s preferred pronouns at school say it’s about including parents in the lives of their children.

Those opposed say the issue is not about the rights of parents at all, but rather the protection of transgender and nonbinary students who may not feel safe revealing their gender identities at home.

CTV News’ claim that experts say the meaning of “parental rights” lies somewhere in the middle. Who are these experts? They claim rushing to push forward legislation could have dire effects on transgender and nonbinary children. Interestingly, the article does not discuss the dire effects of removing parental rights.

The debate exploded when two provinces introduced policies to protect parental rights. In June, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs announced a review of an educational policy that had made it mandatory for teachers to use a student’s preferred pronouns and names at school, but changed the policy after a review to teachers must get the consent of a parent to use different names or pronouns for students under 16. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe followed suit with a similar policy which he has now promised to codify in law, and threatens to use the notwithstanding clause to ensure it stays.

This debate is not unique to Canada, as the article Who is responsible for your children – you as parents or the state? and Debate over ‘parental rights’ is the latest fight in the education culture wars confirms that this debate is raging in the US as well, and likely in other countries.

On Social Media, a person commented on the protest saying, “I would like to ask those in the LGBTQ2S+ community that support sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) curriculum in school if they have children? And if they do, do they believe they should have the ultimate say over the upbringing of their children?”

This is the ultimate question. This person persuasively explained their point of view saying:

“Parents have ultimate say over their children. My job as a parent is to help guide my children, instill the values and morals that I believe in. Children depend on us to protect them while they are developing and growing up. Education should not involve ideologies being pushed on them by any group. The ABC’s and 123’s, are skills that set them up to be good productive citizens. Get back to basics! Feel free to teach your children whatever you want (from an ideological perspective) at home. I live in a free a democratic country [some might refute this] that allows freedom of expression and religion, which means I can teach my children how I want. Government and social activism needs to get out of the school system”

I couldn’t agree more. I support the ‘1 Million March 4 Children’ as it was never about hate. It is about parents having control over their children’s education and their children’s life. The SOGI curriculum is an ideological view and should only be taught by the parents, not teachers, if they see fit. Keeping parents in the dark about what is being taught to their children is a form of bullying (#bullying, #antibullying). I support the parents who joined the protest and I agree with their motto “Leave Our Children Alone.” After all, Antonin Scalia, an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States once said, “The right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children is among the unalienable rights with which the Declaration of Independence proclaims ‘all Men are endowed by their Creator.’” There is no debate. Parental Rights are inalienable, that is, never to be separated, given away, or taken away.