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.

Has the World Gone Insane?

English actor and comedian, John Cleese, once said, “The World is insane. With tiny spots of sanity, here and there… Not the other way around!” I (#blogger #blog #somseason #YA #authors) think he’s right. An online Dictionary defines insanity as “extreme foolishness or irrationality.” It was Albert Einstein who said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” We’re told that we are now in the 4th wave—some say fifth—of COVID driven by the Omicron variant. CTV News says ‘We are in for the long haul’: Canadians experience pandemic fatigue amid fourth wave. It’s more than fatigue; people are fed up considering an Australian man sets himself on fire to protest COVID restrictions.

In the National Post, Jordan Peterson wrote a piece, Open the damn country back up, before Canadians wreck something we can’t fix, describing how insane our world has gotten. He writes, “the country is growing more authoritarian in response to fear,” and “We are pushing the complex systems upon which we depend and which are miraculously effective and efficient in their often thankless operation to their breaking point.” World citizens are fed up demonstrated by Millions protested vaccine mandates, and the media barely mentioned it.

The CDC Director Admits Vaccines Don’t Prevent Transmission, and that Over 75% Of COVID Deaths In Vaccinated Had ‘At Least 4 Comorbidities’. The British gov’t admits efficacy of face masks is ‘not conclusive’. Nearly 15,000 Deaths, More than 700,000 Injuries Reported to VAERS Since December 2020 Rollout of COVID Vaccines in U.S. yet the CDC says vaccines are safe and effective. We’re told vaccines are the only way out of the alleged pandemic, and Ivermectin is unsafe, yet the WHO’s Own Website: Even When Taken In Animal Doses, Ivermectin “NOT Hazardous To Humans!” Canada’s top doctor, Theresa Tam, says there’s No data suggesting vaccine passports work. Most interesting is the Food and Drug Administration or FDA Now Wants 75 Years to Release Pfizer Vaccine Documents. What are they hiding? And why has the Trudeau Government Exempting Immigrants From Medical Testing. This much confusion can only be described as insane!

Global News reports on a January 2022 poll suggesting a slim majority of Canadians support the latest round of lockdowns and other government-imposed restrictions. It says 56% of respondents in the poll agreed governments are making the right decisions to limit the spread of Omicron and keep the health system from being overrun. The fact is, government restrictions failed to stop the spread of COVID, and many restrictions are ridiculous like Canada’s Top 10 worst and weirdest winter COVID restrictions.

What’s irrational is the lack of concern for the casualties of lockdowns and restrictions such as how Lockdowns killed more Canadians under 65 than COVID-19: Statscan. Very alarming is the 4 million cries for help: Calls to Kids Help Phone soar amid pandemic. Most insane is Washington State Elementary Students Are Eating Outside In 39-Degree Weather While Teachers Dine Indoors – For ‘Safety’ Even the New York Times Admits America Sacrificed Children’s Well-Being For Sake Of Adults’ Safety In The Name Of COVID-19, stating: [Some] have begun backtracking on previously held beliefs regarding COVID-19. From Jen Rubin admitting COVID-19 is not as deadly as it first appeared, to Dr. Anthony Fauci saying we’re ‘overcounting’ come cases…

The Toronto Sun has a opinion piece titled, As more people get mild Omicron, they’re questioning the need for restrictions. It states that “If we hadn’t been tested and knew it was Omicron, we would have thought it was just a cold.” It’s irrational, and all out insanity to ignore the damage caused by government-imposed restrictions. I haven’t even got into damage done to our economies.

Remember when ‘conspiracy theory’ people were laughed at for suggesting in 2020 and 2021 that a nationwide vaccine passport system was coming; a ‘conspiracy theory’ that became truth like the 7 COVID ‘Conspiracy Theories’ That Came True in 2021. As Brazilian lyricist, Paulo Coelho says, “If you want to control someone, all you have to do is to make them feel afraid.” The article, Inside the Omicron fear factory says, “Public health chiefs and the media are working overtime to gin up hysteria.” Yet Many Seem To Think The Loss Of Freedom Will Only Impact ‘Other People, according to Spencer Fernando who says:

Putting our faith in any one politician or party will only continue to perpetuate the cycle of hope & betrayal that comes with expecting people to be anything other than focused on using powerful centralized systems to further their own interests at our expense.

Maybe this is why our hypocritical political elites don’t appear to be afraid of the Omicron variant since hours after Alberta’s premier called for holiday restrictions, his political party holds Xmas party for hundreds, and Alberta’s top, Doctor Hinshaw will not ‘judge’ UCP for having Christmas party despite recommendations. Irrational behaviour was exposed when Alberta Health Services CEO was Caught Spreading Misinformation About ICU Bed Capacity.

Restrictions are causing major havoc on our planet. Jordan Peterson, who I mentioned earlier, clearly shows that in his article. He describes extensively his Christmas trip experience—not a good experience—discussing his frustrations due to staff shortages caused by job losses from mandatory vaccinations and COVID restrictions. It’s not just him saying it. The Counter Signal says Lockdown stresses linked to labour shortages which will be filled with immigrants. Kelowna airport temporary shut down of food, beverage service ‘unprecedented’ due to lack of staff. After Christmas our daughter flew back to Europe where she currently lives. She had difficulty finding food in Toronto International Airport as most food outlets were closed. Then there is the Mounting pressures: Alberta sees ambulance red alerts, hospital closures, and staff redeployments. Extreme foolishness on the part of government COVID policy is causing this staffing crisis.

As Albert Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results,” and that is what our governments are doing. They continue to lock us down, force us to wear masks, isolate, and shove the vaccines. This is shown with Quebec announces a 3rd booster will be required for vaccine passport and Quebec to impose ‘significant’ financial penalty against people who refuse to get vaccinated. Trudeau plans on vaccinating Canadians 2 to 3 times every year, even as experts denounce his plan. Does he know something we don’t? All these actions, and still Omicron: Infections in Canada exceed total cases for all of 2020. If that isn’t insanity, I don’t know what is.

Most insane is a September 16, 2021 interview with Justin Trudeau where our Prime Minister said this about the unvaccinated. You can watch a clip here.

“We are going to get through the pandemic with vaccinations…there is a part of the population fiercely against it. They are extremists, they don’t believe in science, they’re often misogynists, and also racists…This leads us, as a leader and as a country. to make a choice. Do we tolerate these people?”

Canada’s leader endorses hatred towards the unvaccinated. In this video, he committed a hate crime (see Canada’s Criminal Code). He is a bully (#bullying, #antibullying). Canada’s Opposition shockingly silent on PM’s hatred of unvaccinated Canadians, according to Toronto Sun. Also, the UK media pummels Trudeau for rant against “racist, misogynist” unvaxxed. Spencer Fernando says Trudeau’s Dangerous & Dictatorial Rhetoric Is An Appeal To The Worst Aspects Of Human Nature. A New York academic slams Trudeau for dehumanizing the unvaccinated. A Jewish author calls Trudeau “unethical, immoral” and “evil” over comments on unvaccinated. I couldn’t agree more. The Counter Signal comments on The one group of people Canadians openly discriminate against: the unvaccinated. Insanity ensues when a country’s leader promotes hatred toward a group of its citizens.

The Federalist reports Canadian Ronald McDonald House Plans To Evict Unvaxxed in Vancouver revealing “everyone five years and older who are working, staying, or visiting our facilities must show proof of full vaccination.” Ronald McDonald House Charities is a nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children. The family was staying in Ronald McDonald house while their 4-year-old son received treatment for leukemia. I know of a local family who were asked to leave their relative’s house when it was discovered they were unvaccinated. These things would never happen if leaders didn’t pit its citizens against one other by promoting hatred towards the unvaccinated. The most ridiculous headline I recently saw was the UK’s Daily Mail headline, Wearing a facemask makes you more attractive to the opposite sex, study finds. That folks is extreme foolishness! How can you be attracted to someone when you’re unable to see their face? That’s insanity. Try to convince me otherwise.

Sexism is Alive and Well :(

A commentary about the prevalence of sexism at least in the political arena.

When Adrienne Clarkson, former Governor-General of Canada, was interviewed by the Globe and Mail in March of 2016 she said,

Politics has always been a man’s club. When Judy LaMarsh was elected as a parliamentarian, she could not find a women’s washroom anywhere near the House of Commons. That women are now half the federal cabinet is a wonderful step forward. I never thought I would see the day.

In case you didn’t know, of the thirty cabinet ministers in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet, 15 (50%) are women. In outgoing US President Barack Obama’s cabinet only 25% of them are women. In the province where I reside, there are 10 women, including the Premier, in a cabinet of 19 ministers. That means over 50% of the cabinet is comprised of women.

Witnessing these kinds of historic events led me to believe that sexism was decreasing and that sexism was well on its way to becoming extinct. Boy was I wrong. But first, what do I mean by sexism? Dictionary.com defines sexism as “attitudes or behaviour based on traditional stereotypes of gender roles” or as “discrimination or devaluation based on a person’s sex or gender, as in restricted job opportunities, especially such discrimination directed against women”. It seems when referring to equal gender rights, the idiom, “One step forward, two steps back” is true.

So what has taken us backward. From my point of view, it is people like Donald Trump, now president elect Donald Trump, who is taking us backward. I’ve already written about Trump being a sexist in posts such as, Trump This and Seriously, I don’t Get it.

The Atlantic published an article titled, Fear of a Female President, which shocked me when I read it. The author of the article, Peter Beinart, reported that at the Republican National Convention the hostility toward Hillary Clinton was everywhere. These are his words.

Inside the hall, delegates repeatedly broke into chants of “Lock her up.” Outside the hall, vendors sold campaign paraphernalia. As I walked around, I recorded the merchandise on display. Here’s a sampling: Black pin reading don’t be a pussy, vote for Trump in 2016. Black-and-red pin reading Trump 2016: finally, someone with balls. White T-shirt reading Trump that bitch. White T‑shirt reading Hillary sucks but not like Monica. Red pin reading life’s a bitch: don’t vote for one. White pin depicting a boy urinating on the word Hillary. Black T-shirt depicting Trump as a biker and Clinton falling off the motorcycle’s back alongside the words if you can read this, the bitch fell off. Black T-shirt depicting Trump as a boxer having just knocked Clinton to the floor of the ring, where she lies face up in a clingy tank top. White pin advertising kfc hillary special. 2 fat thighs. 2 small breasts … left wing.

I was stunned when I read this. I like everyone else thought Mrs. Clinton would make history and that she would be the first female US president. Yes, I understand she had made mistakes and that controversy surrounded her but that was also true for Donald Trump. I believed Americans would see him as the bigot, sexist, misogynist and liar that he is. I was sure that Americans would vote for Hillary, the best, most qualified candidate of the two choices. Boy was I ever wrong. So I reflected upon this. I asked questions. Why would Americans vote against her? Why were the polls so wrong? Was there really a silent majority of people who wouldn’t admit that they supported Trump? Was there something deeper going on? I began to wonder if sexism is more prevalent in society than we like to admit? It seems Peter Beinart agrees. He wrote in The Atlantic article, Fear of a Female President,

Standard commentary about Clinton’s candidacy—which focuses on her email server, the Benghazi attack, her oratorical deficiencies, her struggles with “authenticity”—doesn’t explain the intensity of this opposition. But the academic literature about how men respond to women who assume traditionally male roles does.

Now we Canadians like to think we’re different than Americans. We like to think that there are no sexist or racist people wanting to lead our country. WRONG. Kelly Leitch is wanting to lead the Federal Conservative Party of Canada. Upon hearing of a Trump victory, Leitch told her supporters “Tonight, our American cousins threw out the elites and elected Donald Trump…It’s an exciting message that needs to be delivered in Canada as well. It’s the message I’m bringing to my campaign to be the next Prime Minister of Canada”. Like Trump, Kellie Leitch has proposed screening immigrants for Canadian values and refers to her competing candidates as out-of-touch elites.

On the day after the Trump victory, I discovered that Alberta politics has its fair share of sexism.

The National Post reports that the only two women candidates in the Alberta Progressive Conservative (PC) Party leadership race have dropped out because of harassment and intimidation. It is interesting that it is only the female candidates that are being harassed. After much research I could not find any news reports of male candidates getting harassed.

Sandra Jansen, one of the two female PC leadership candidates, reports in the National Post article that at the PC convention: “My social media has been filled with filth, my domain name purchased to direct people to smear pieces on me and finally, this past weekend in Red Deer, the final straw. Insults were scrawled on my nomination forms. Volunteers from another campaign chased me up and down the hall, attacking me for protecting women’s reproductive rights, and my team was jeered for supporting children’s rights to a safe school environment.” She did not identify any wrongdoers by name, but she did point a finger of blame at former federal Conservative Party Member of Parliament and Alberta provincial leadership candidate Jason Kenny who flooded the convention with youth delegates.

The Calgary Herald reports, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley has and still is being harassed. Now I have to wonder if it is because she is a woman. The Premier’s press secretary has said: “This kind of social media or correspondence activity is not unusual in any way,” and labelled the threats as “totally normal.” These things come by letter, phone and, as in the case of the most recent ones, via social media. Premier Notley has had threats made against her which appeared on two Facebook pages where some Albertans opposed to the New Democratic Party (NDP) go to rant. They included a warning to Notley to be careful, or “you’ll be the first assassination,” while another read: “I’m not advocating for violence against you — yet — but keep talking like that and someone will take matters in their own hands.” I personally find this deeply disturbing to the point where I wrote my provincial representative encouraging him to speak out against this nonsense. I never did hear back from him and in fact he has since become one of the Alberta PC leadership candidates.

CBC News reported last year that Alberta female politicians were targeted by hateful, sexist online attacks. The news article makes reference to gender consultant Cristina Stasia who described the comments as shocking and sexually violent, taking specific aim at the premier’s gender. Stasia said, “There’s a fury that lurks underneath this … that we have a woman running our province” The consultant also said the remarks seek to degrade but say little about policy and show Alberta, which is “saturated with misogyny and high rates of violence,” still has a long way to go. Is it normal for premiers to be threatened? I tried to find news reports of male premiers being threatened but found none. This is occurring in the province I live in. This is not the kind of province I desire to have. I find this deeply troubling.

We males need to look inward. We need to accept that times are changing (I hope) and that the patriarchal world of the past is disappearing or at least needs to. Men and women are equals. Women need to be treated and respected as equals. Yes, I am a man and I sincerely believe this. Gloria Steinem, an American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist says, “A gender-equal society would be one where the word ‘gender’ does not exist: where everyone can be themselves.” I agree. I’ll give the last words to Hillary Clinton who almost became the first female US president and if you go by popular vote should be. Mrs. Clinton says, “Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights.” Thanks for trying Hillary!