FROLITICKS

Satirical commentary on Canadian and American current political issues

Jan 31

Quebec Mosque Shooting Is a Sad Reflection of Our Times

by bcurry

Tonight I grieve for the families of those men killed and injured at a mosque in Quebec City, Canada. It will take a good deal of time and investigation to discover why a young white Quebecer would take it upon himself to murder people while in prayer.  Call it a hate crime, an act of terror or a lone wolf-attack, it makes no difference to those unfortunate families and communities.  Answers may only bring more questions.  Is this a sign of our troubled times?

I am also outraged that a spokesman for the Trump administration would use this horrendous crime to justify the recent ban imposed on persons from seven predominantly Muslim countries with respect to entry into the U.S.  If anything, Trump’s actions are inciting certain ultra-right wing groups, including white supremacists, to act against persons of other religions.  Trump’s actions are the epitome of islamophobia.  He is playing into the hands of not only radical Islamic groups, but also white supremacists in North America, Europe and elsewhere. For this reason, one cannot justify what Trump did in terms of protecting national security.

As described in Wikipedia, Islamophobia refers to fear, prejudice, hatred or dislike directed against Islam or Muslims, or towards Islamic politics or culture. There is no place in Canada for promoting such hatred, as evidenced by the sympathies sent to and the support for the families of this tragic event coming from Canadians representing all walks of life, religions and regions of the country.

I may not be a practicing Christian, but I believe in Christian values, especially that of loving one’s neighbour. Ours is a society that values tolerance, respect and inclusion.  Today, Trump cannot in all sincerity call himself a Christian by turning his back on refugees and immigrants from these war-torn countries.  Let’s hope that he and others will turn off their propaganda machines.  Otherwise, such tragedies as that in Quebec City will continue to be a sad reflection of our times.

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Jan 19

Is Kevin O’Leary a Wanna-be-Trump?

by bcurry

On January 18th, Kevin O’Leary announced that he is running for the Conservative leadership in Canada, suggesting that as a businessman, he is better qualified than the current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to work with president-elect Donald Trump. What does he have in common with Trump?  Yes, he has had some success as a businessman, but most would argue that he is no “financial guru” and he is not in Trump’s league in terms of wealth and influence.  Being a reality TV star, as a judge on the popular CBC-TV show “Dragons’ Den”, he does have certain celebrity recognition in Canada similar to that of Trump. However, like Trump, O’Leary has no real political or public service experience.

Simply asserting that as PM he would be in a better position to deal with President Trump and his administration than his fellow Conservative leadership candidates is not enough for him to win. At least it shouldn’t be!  In addition, the political, economic and social conditions are not the same as in the U.S. Canada has universal health care and illegal immigration is not considered a major issue. Like the U.S., Canada has had to tackle the results of the great recession primarily through infrastructure development and increasing the public debt. Employment opportunities for the middle class continue to exist and the social safety net is helping people to cope with unemployment.  Is there really enough anger out there for a similar “populist” movement to emerge comparable to that in the U.S.? I doubt it.

Canadians tend to support a more centrist approach when it comes to political and economic platforms. A move to the hard right is very unlikely in the near future.  O’Leary is far more moderate than Trump and understands the need for a centrist Conservative approach.  Like Trump during the Republican primaries, O’Leary will be a target for the other 13 leadership candidates — a number of whom represent the existing political establishment in Ottawa. O’Leary’s entrance into the Conservative leadership race has caused a stir and a fair amount of interest, at least in the media.  Like Trump, his name will raise greater media attention, hopefully not to the same detrimental extent as down south.

There is little doubt that Trump’s success has encouraged a neophyte like O’Leary to throw his hat into the political arena. While well-known in Canada and a Party outsider, he is not a member of Ottawa’s political establishment and is a reasonably successful businessman. However, are his qualifications enough for the Conservative Party and the rank-and-file?  Only time will tell.  One thing is for certain.  He is happily no wanna-be-Trump.

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Jan 8

One Word for Life in 2017 – “Uncertainty”

by bcurry

Well, another year has gone and the New Year is about to bring with it a great deal of uncertainty. After the inauguration of Donald Trump, expect all hell to break loose.  No one seems to know what will happen, even the Republican-controlled Congress.  All corners of the world are facing old and new challenges, brought about by globalization, climate change, terrorism, populace movements, the Middle East crisis, economic downturns, free trade disputes, Brexit, Russian aggression, Chinese arms build-up, energy issues, and on and on.

Uncertainty breeds instabilities. As the world’s most powerful nation, the U.S. again is expected to play a major, steady and balanced leadership role. However, with loosely defined policies and a lack of specifics, no one is really certain as to what the President-elect and his cabinet have in mind.  They appear to be talking mainly about doing away with numerous policies and programs, but without offering anything specific to replace them.  One is against free trade agreements, for nuclear-arms build-up, smaller government, lower deficits, greater job creation, lower taxes, etc., etc.  Exactly how the new American administration is going to go about accomplishing and paying for these general goals is still very much a mystery!

Here we have the future leader tweeting on a daily basis, causing havoc in the markets and creating unclear and often conflicting domestic and foreign policy directions. Is this governance now by tweet?  How will a cabinet full of multi-billionaires deal with conflict of interest issues?  After all, this is the wealthiest cabinet in modern American history.  How will ex-military cabinet members handle sensitive matters when dealing with political allies and economic trade partners?  How will a cabinet with little or no experience in government and public policy deal with daily governance?  Can one expect that they will run government like a business?  Only time will tell.

For all these reasons, I’m not looking forward to the next dozen months. Let’s hope that cooler heads and reason prevail.  Please Mr. Trump, stop with the tweets.  Think before you open your mouth.  Words do matter, especially when they are uttered by the President of the United States. Work closely with your Congress, including both Republicans and Democrats.  Take into serious consideration the expert advice of senior bureaucrats.  Avoid being influenced too much by lobbyists and special interest groups.  Put aside your business interests and put the interests of your fellow Americans first.  Otherwise, 2017 could be a very rocky year.

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