FROLITICKS

Satirical commentary on Canadian and American current political issues

Nov 29

Massive U.S. Foreign Military Aid to Israel Could Be Used To Improve Treatment of Palestinians

by bcurry

According to the Congressional Research Service, as of November 2020, Israel was the largest recipient of U.S. Foreign Military Financing.  For Fiscal Year 2021, President Trump’s request for Israel would encompass approximately 59 percent of America’s total requested Foreign Military Financing worldwide.  For decades now, the U.S. has had several Memoranda of Understanding consisting of tens of billions of dollars in its military aid package to Israel.  As a result of U.S. financial assistance, Israel also has been allowed to purchase 50 F-35s fighter jets in three separate contracts and missile defense systems.  In all, these annual military grants to Israel significantly represent approximately 20 percent of the overall Israeli defense budget.

Needless-to-day, the above appropriations suggest that the U.S. government should have some clout in terms of dealing with Israeli interactions with Palestinians.  Indeed, in May of this year, President Biden made an unusually blunt demand that Israel de-escalate its military attack on Gaza, creating a bit of a rare rift between the two countries.  Then there is the issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem where nearly three million Palestinians are living.  Nearly 140 unauthorized settler outposts were built there in recent decades in the West Bank, taking over lands lived on by Palestinians for centuries.  Much like former Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, the new right-wing Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, appears once again to support the settlers.

What is troubling over recent months, it has recently been disclosed by the Israeli military at the defense ministry that Israeli settlers have dramatically increased their attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank.  They further note that violent incidents by settlers are up about 150 percent in the past two years.  Remember that the Israeli army is in charge of security in areas of the occupied West Bank where Israeli settlements are located.  However, observers, including Israeli human rights groups, have testified that soldiers frequently do little to intervene during the hate incidents against Palestinians.  Advocates also claim that crimes by Palestinians are aggressively prosecuted while settler violence typically goes unpunished.  By making life difficult for Palestinians who have lived in the these territories for generations, whether or not settler violence is part an overall strategy of expanding Israel’s presence is hopefully far from the truth.  Some suspect that it may not be.

Yes, anyone studying the history between Israelis and Palestinians recognizes that the issues are fairly complex.  However, with the evident clout that the U.S. has with respect to supporting Israel’s military, you would think that the Americans might do more to pressure the Israeli government to do more immediately to protect Palestinians in areas under their control.  Settlements that are illegal under Israeli law should be dismantled and greater protective measures should be implemented for the Palestinians.  Failure to do so could prove to be a blemish on human rights not only in Israel, but also for U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.  When it comes to improving relations between Israelis and Palestinians, the Biden administration should attempt to revive America’s former role as a more neutral mediator in the Middle East’s most protracted conflict. 

Foreign Policy Israel US US Politics

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Nov 27

Tale of a Young American Vigilante Becoming an American Hero

by bcurry

As a young 17 year old American teenager, I can become an American hero by pursuing a vigilante course of action.  First, I will need to travel thousands of miles from my home to another city to defend others’ property from protesters creating disorder in the city’s streets.  After all, local officials would have declared a state of emergency amid mass protests and street unrest over the shooting of some black man.  These same officials will need my help, so I then illegally choose to pick up an AR-style semiautomatic rifle from a friend on the way.  With my rifle, I will begin to patrol the city’s streets in order to help protect property from the unrest on the streets.  The local police will appear to welcome my help.  However, I would then notice multiple people converging upon me because of my actions.  I will react justifiably by shooting several people in self-defence.  Unfazed, I then will walk away to the police with my hands up at times.  All of this, of course, will be caught on video.  However, I will not be immediately arrested by the local police at that moment, but will instead turn myself in to police back in my hometown shortly after.  Naturally, I will end up going to jail and being charged with reckless homicide, intentional homicide and recklessly endangering safety.

During the trial, my defenders will declare that I was simply exercising my right to bear arms, in defence of liberty.  The prosecution on the other hand must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that I did not act in self-defence, even though I believe that my life was being threatened at the time of the shooting.  When it comes to the 20-person jury, my lawyers will attempt to pick a mainly white jury made up of mostly women and a few men.  Given my age, women would most likely be influenced by my youthful appearance, personality and testimony.  My defence will allow me to testify on the stand which isn’t the norm, but will probably work in my favour by personally telling my story.  During my testimony, I will break down sobbing in forlorn tears which will very likely have an impact on the jury, emphasizing that I had fired upon the protesters in self-defence only after having been attacked.  After all, I’m just a scared kid, although I’m being tried as an adult.

Before the deliberations began, by reaching into a tumbler, I curiously will even get to select the 12 jurors needed for the deliberations.  In the end, I will be judged to be not guilty of all charges, although not to have been found innocent — for no one would deny that I had fatally shot protesters.  Subsequently, I will be a hero for those people supporting gun rights and the right to defend one’s self and one’s property, including several militia groups.  Following my acquittal, one gun rights group will even award me a brand new AR-15 for my actions in ‘Defence of Gun Rights’.  Next, a Republican representative in Congress will introduce a bill to award me the Congressional Gold Medal for “protecting the community”.  Two other Republican representatives will offer me internships within their offices.  Shortly after my acquittal, I will also meet with my hero, former President Donald Trump, at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.  President Trump will be one of my biggest supporters.  Of course, the media will not end its coverage of my future endeavors anytime soon.  In the end, I will just want to get on with my life.  Or so I would hope?

Donald Trump Gun Control Judicial System US

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Nov 26

When It Comes to COVID-19, We’re Not Out of the Woods Yet

by bcurry

Global health leaders are urging caution as the holiday season gets underway, pointing to a 23% spike in coronavirus cases across the Americas in the past week, a surge that follows similar spikes in Europe.  In the U.S., new daily reported cases have increased 8% in the past week, and deaths have grown 9%, according to tracking by the Washington Post.  The U.S. is closing in on a total of 800,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.  In Canada, compared with the previous two weeks, there was a 5% increase as of November 24th in new confirmed cases recorded over the past two weeks.  Some states and provinces have higher numbers of COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths than others.  Again, over ninety percent of those hospitalized are among the unvaccinated in both countries.

What one has to understand is that these horrific numbers have occurred even before the end of the festive season and the end of this year.  No one can actually determine when Americans and Canadians will arrive at what is called “herd immunity”.  Experts are now stating that we may need to reach over 90 percent in full vaccination rates to do so.  This includes the vaccination of children aged five to eleven which has just begun in both countries and will not be completed until early in 2022.  Even then, there is still a fair amount of vaccine hesitancy among certain groups, especially when it comes to vaccinating younger children.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is now assessing the emergence of a new COVID variant in South Africa and several other African countries.  The concerns are such that the United Kingdom has banned flights from those countries, and it can be expected that other European Union (EU) countries and the U.S. and Canada will follow suit.  Indeed, COVID outbreaks have occurred in most EU countries, leading some like Austria to re-introduce a full lockdown of the country. 

Throughout Central and South America, the vaccination rates have remained low, especially in rural remote regions of each country.  For example, as of November 25th, Mexico has a full vaccination rate for the coronavirus of about 49%, the majority of which is in and around Mexico City.  The Washington Post notes that: “Containment measures in Latin America and the Caribbean have been uneven and largely lackadaisical as governments have had to grapple with financial devastation and poor health infrastructure, and have long wanted to jump-start the languishing economies.”  Moreover, countries like Mexico are open for business, especially tourism, much of which comes from the U.S. and Canada.

The WHO is expressing concern about a “false sense of security” when it comes to the lifting of COVID prevention measures and the apparent increased complacency among people.  Sorry folks, we are nowhere near being back to “normal”!  Epidemiologists, health and other science experts agree that there will be a fourth wave in both Canada and the U.S. early next year.  We can only hope that, with increased vaccination rates and control of any new variants, both countries can eventually arrive at a sense of normalcy sometime in 2022.  Until then, we are not out of the woods when it comes to this global pandemic.

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Nov 22

Mandated COVID Vaccination May Temporarily Affected Rights, But Statistics Offer Justification

by bcurry

After more than a year and a half of the pandemic, one has to question the rationale of anti-vaxxers and libertarian spokespeople over their stance on COVID vaccination and other government-imposed restrictions.  When it comes to protecting public health and our communities, the amassed data from legitimate sources appears to me to objectively justify most of these preventive measures.  There is no attempt to cherry pick the data in order to defend one’s position in support of these measures, no matter how draconian one thinks they are.  Take the data coming out of the U.S.

According to data by Johns Hopkins University, COVID-19 has killed over 750,000 Americans, including about 50,000 announced since the start of October, and infected about 46.5 million in the U.S. since last January.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that as many as 1 in 3 people in the U.S. have been infected, more than three times the official count.  For the month of June, the coronavirus was responsible for 337 deaths a day.  For comparison, the historic average deaths from gunshots, car crashes and complications from the flu add up to 306 a day.  According to data from a CDC study released in October, men overall were 1.6 times likelier to die of the disease caused by the coronavirus than women.  The study further indicated that men aged between 45 and 64 were more than 1.8 times likelier to die of a disease caused by COVID-19.  In addition, the study concluded that for the most vulnerable groups, Blacks and Hispanics or Latinos, death rates are six times higher than those for white people.

Since the start of November, recorded coronavirus case levels have remained stable, with around 70,000 new infections reported daily.  Thanks to the vaccine, hospitalizations and deaths have continued to decline.  It is estimated that seventy percent of American adults are now fully vaccinated.  In July of this year, the CDC reported on preliminary data from several states over the previous months which suggested that 99.5 percent of deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. were among unvaccinated people.  According to a recent analysis published by researchers at Yale University and the Commonwealth Fund, COVID-19 vaccinations in the U.S. have already prevented roughly 279,000 deaths and 1.25 million hospitalizations.  The same report goes on to suggest that without vaccines, COVID-19 would still be topping cancer and heart disease as the leading cause of death in the U.S. today.

All of the above are not just statistics, for each number unfortunately represents individuals affected directly by COVID-19.  One can argue about measures taken to prevent further new cases, hospitalizations and associated deaths, but one cannot dispute the facts.  As a former analyst, data and information gathered from reputable and verifiable sources is one’s bread and butter.  By analyzing the data, one begins to build an inventory of knowledge about the issues being researched.  This analysis provides the basis for understanding the key facts surrounding those issues, and in turn helps decision makers to develop the appropriate policies.  Being a mostly objective process, one always attempts to limit the impact of any subjective values and prevent “confirmation bias”.  Moreover, verifiable and objective data doesn’t lie.

There will always be those who will attack public health policies for a variety of reasons, including arguments based on libertarian values.  However, they cannot dispute the continuing realities of the real human impact caused by the pandemic.  We can only measure whether the negative impacts are being reduced or increased by our policies.  This is why decision makers need reliable, valid and consistent data as soon as it becomes available in order to justify their policies.  In the case of COVID-19, such data now exists.

Coronavirus US

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Nov 20

U.S. and Canada Unlikely to Boycott 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing

by bcurry

The unknown whereabouts of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai once again has raised the spectre of multiple human rights issues in China.  Peng, one of the country’s most recognizable tennis stars, has not been seen publicly since November 2nd, when she accused a top government official of sexual assault.  Back in 2020, the Australians exposed the fact that a network of nearly 40 internment camps had been constructed or were under construction in China’s far west, used to detain Uighurs and people from other Muslim minorities.  Chinese authorities said that the camps were part of their “re-education” system, which they claimed was about to be phased out.  Then of course, there was the forced closure of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy newspaper the Apple Daily in June 2021, just eight months after the Communist Party of China (CPC) leadership imposed a new national security law on Hong Kong.  The new law was aimed at quelling pro-democracy rallies that started in the summer of 2020 in response to China’s proposed extradition law.  Then there was the arrest of two Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig who were imprisoned in China on trumped up charges for nearly three years, as part of China’s retaliation for the arrest in Canada of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou for possible extradition to the U.S.  Of course, in each and every case the Chinese authorities have denied accusations of human rights abuses.

Make no doubt about it, all powerful President Xi Jinping and the CPC desperately want the winter Olympics to go ahead, putting China once again on the world’s stage.  Now we hear that President Biden is considering a U.S. diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympic games in Beijing to protest China’s treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority and other human rights violations.  Some experts suggest that Canada would most likely follow his lead.  Nevertheless, the games would no doubt proceed with the full participation of American and Canadian Olympians.

Six times in the past, countries officially boycotted the Olympic Games, with as few as three countries refusing to compete in 1964 and as many as 65 nations in 1980, led by the U.S., staying away from Moscow, Russia, as a result of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.  Just as Adolf Hitler tried to use the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin to raise the stature of Nazi Germany and Aryan race, President Xi Jinping and the CPC are anxious to use these Olympic Games to highlight China’s achievements.  Politically, Xi’s expected to break precedent and secure a third term to extend his indefinite rule and certainly doesn’t want to be embarrassed by any boycott.

In light of the current situation involving Peng Shuai, there is increasing political pressure on both the U.S. and Canada to at least promote a diplomatic boycott of the winter games.  However, Canadian lawyer and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Dick Pound notes that implementing such a boycott won’t make any difference to China if only one or two countries are involved.  Certainly, no one wants to penalize the athletes who have trained and competed for years to participate in the Olympics.  Given China’s international initiatives, especially those in developing countries, it would be next to impossible to obtain widespread political support for any full-blown boycott.  As the world’s second most powerful economic entity, China has a tremendous amount of clout.

For this reason, Xi Jinping will have his day in the Chinese winter.  Once again, concerns about human rights will take second place to economic and political matters.  For what it’s worth, this past week, the Washington Post reported that the White House is expected to announce that neither President Biden nor any other U.S. government officials will attend the Beijing Games.  I this is the cases, one can expect that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would shortly follow the President’s lead.  However, China will proceed with the games and its athletes will prevail in many sports.  Americans and Canadians can be expected to watch in awe as China displays its culture, technologies and athleticism.   As an avid China watcher, I’ll be looking forward to the show!

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Nov 17

COP26 on Climate Change Resulted in just a Lot More Hot Air

by bcurry

Nearly 200 nations gathered at a conference in the Scottish city of Glasgow, known as COP26, and struck a deal intended to propel the world towardmore urgent climate action.  Proposals aimed at reducing methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming, and to end deforestation in the coming decade were considered big achievements of COP26.  However, climate change experts noted that such promises have been made and broken before.

The hard-fought agreement doesn’t go nearly far enough.  The agreement does not achieve the most ambitious goal of the 2015 Paris accord — to limit Earth’s warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.  Instead, delegations left Glasgow with the Earth still on track to blow past that threshold, pushing toward a future of escalating weather crises and irreversible damage to the natural world.

In the streets of Glasgow, over an estimated 100,000 protesters marched to get the conference’s delegates to walk the talk and come to an agreement that included more concrete targets and specific funds to combat climate change.  Due to the objections of countries such as India, Australia and China, the agreement could not even target a phasing out of coal burning and fossil fuel subsidies.  Instead, the agreement only proposed to “phase down unabated coal”, most likely over the next fifty years.  Too little, too late.

Yes, the industrialized countries, such as the U.S., Britain and Germany, pledged funds to help the poorer, lesser developed countries cope with the environmental and economic consequences of climate change given that natural disasters are expected to escalate.  For example, President Biden has pledged to boost U.S. climate aid to poor nations to more than $11 billion a year — a promise that will require help from Congress.  However, the proposed funding amounts are nowhere near enough to effectively reduce the real impact on these developing countries, particularly from severe droughts and crop-destroying floods which could put millions of people at risk of starvation.  Then there are the environmental migrants, people who are forced to leave their home region due to sudden or long-term changes to their local environment.  For example, there is the devastating drought that has gripped Syria since 2006 and reportedly has driven more than 1.5 million people from the countryside to cities in search for food and economic normality.  The International Organisation for Migration estimates that there are now several million “environmental migrants”, and that this “number will rise to tens of millions within the next 20 years, or hundreds of millions within the next 50 years”.

The protesters, many of them representing today’s youth, shouted: “Hurry up please. It’s time.”  Unfortunately, all one what got was more “blah, blah, blah”.  Cautious optimism about the potential outcome of the talks gradually turned into overt pessimism.  Clearly, many participants, including delegates, left Glasgow with feelings of dismay and regret.  Once again, it’s now up to each individual country to sort out its “climate change” policies and the allocation of its resources.  No doubt, President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau will be discussing their plans at a joint meeting today in Washington.  It will be interesting to see if anything concrete comes out of the discussions given their shared mutual political and economic concerns about the impacts associated with climate change and fossil fuels.  We’ll just have to wait and see, but I wouldn’t hold my breath!  I’m expecting a lot more “hot air”.

Canada Cimate Change Climate Change US

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Nov 13

Hyperinflation Could be the Death Knell of Current Federal Administrations

by bcurry

According to just released U.S. Labor Department data, the consumer price index (CPI) increased 6.2 percent from October 2020.  The CPI in Canada was not far behind, rising almost 4.5 percent on a year-over-year basis in September, the fastest pace since February 2003.  In general, monetary authorities like to keep the annual inflation rate at somewhere between 2 to 3 percent.  What one is seeing now could certainly be described as ‘hyperinflation’, which causes all kinds of major issues for governments.  Experts also predict that this current belt of inflation is not going to go away any time soon because of a number of underlying factors, many attributed to economic consequences related to the pandemic.

You don’t have to be an economist or a political scientist to figure out the daily concerns caused by the current inflation rates throughout both economies.  The average American or Canadian sees these concerns on a daily basis when they purchase a house or pay rent, go shopping for food, put gas in their vehicles, buy new vehicles, pay their electricity and heating bills, etc., etc. 

While wage rates have been climbing in recent months, higher consumer prices are eroding peoples’ buying power.  In the U.S., inflation-adjusted average hourly earnings fell 1.2 percent in October from a year earlier.  The longer high inflation continues, the more pressure will be put on Federal Reserve and Bank of Canada officials to end near-zero interest rates sooner than expected.  With the increase in interest rates, people with mortgages and outstanding debt will be faced with the greater cost of borrowing and additional debt-related issues.

One must remember that when George H.W. Bush was president, one of the major reasons that he was unable to win a second term in 1992 was because of the early 1990s economic recession during his administration.  Some suggest that he forgot about the most important political maxim that: “It’s all about the economy stupid!”  The impacts of the recession also included the resignation of then Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.  Administrations cannot ignore a situation of hyperinflation for very long.  Both President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau are caught in between a hard place and a rock.  With the end to financial assistance related to the pandemic and the economy’s lockdown, people are going to suffer.  Tough choices are going to have to be made, whether to put nutritional food on the table or cut back on medications and basic entertainment. 

Yes, the economy does appear to be opening up.  However, new COVID cases are on the rise once again in certain regions in North America.  Indeed, in these regions one has what is being referred to as “a pandemic of the unvaccinated.”  Consequently, should governments choose to renew or introduce new financial assistance measures, this will only exacerbate the current economic situation by further increasing the ratio of government debt to revenues.  If interest rates increase as expected in light of inflation, the future interest on government debt will also increase accordingly.  Under these extraordinary circumstances, governments can only do so much.  If the current frustrating situation continues, we would most likely see a change in federal administrations in future elections, as was the case in the early 1990s.

Canada Economy Economy US

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Nov 8

Irrationality Drives Unvaccinated Beliefs About COVID-19

by bcurry

Every day one sees articles or hears about unvaccinated men, women and children who are tragically and needlessly dying from COVID-19.  Some of the stories even involve people who have spoken out against COVID vaccines.  According to data by Johns Hopkins University, the sad part is that COVID-19 has now killed over 750,000 Americans and infected about 46.5 million since last January.  However, those numbers fail to paint a complete picture, since testing scarcity and delays likely left many COVID-19 cases and deaths undiagnosed, especially during the outbreak’s early stages.  In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that as many as 1 in 3 people in the U.S. have been infected, more than three times the official count.

Recently, we’ve seen articles about well-known athletes, entertainment celebrities, politicians, etc., etc. who have spoken out against vaccines for a whole number of irrational reasons.  Unfortunately, they have ignored the expert advice of scientists and physicians in favour of becoming “Facebook doctors” and relying instead of the associated reams of misinformation about COVID vaccines.  In general, ‘fear’ is a powerful emotion.  Then there are those who have simply ‘politicized’ the anti-vaccine movement for their own reasons, often stressing libertarian values over the health concerns of the community.  Simply put, being vaccinated and following certain protective measures will help prevent the spread of COVID and the emergence of new more dangerous variants.

The fact is that where more and more people have been vaccinated, coronavirus case levels have remained stable in recent weeks, and hospitalizations and deaths have generally continued to decline in some parts of the country, notably across the South and Northeast.  Still, we are looking at around 70,000 new infections reported daily in the U.S.  Infection levels continue to climb steadily in such states as California, Colorado and New Mexico.  Despite the optimism of some people, this pandemic is far from over.  Fortunately, as of this November, seventy percent of American adults are now fully vaccinated, and COVID vaccines for children have been or will most likely be approved by the CDC.  We are slowly on a road to potential recovery and so-called ‘normalcy’.

‘Vaccine hesitancy’ is now confronting the recent introduction of mandatory vaccine requirements in the U.S.  Interestingly enough, nearing President Biden’s coronavirus vaccine deadline, thousands of federal workers are apparently seeking religious exemptions to avoid the shots.  Moreover, the federal government will have to balance the right to religious freedom against the goal of creating safe workplaces for 2.1 million civilian employees.  However, it’s bizarre how one is determined to qualify for an exemption base on one’s religious beliefs.  Apparently, employees do not need to provide proof of a religious conviction to justify a claim, but must only attest that are “sincerely held.”  Some managers are even asking whether employees, despite their religious beliefs, received vaccines for other illnesses such as the flu, measles, shingles, tetanus or invasive pneumococcal disease.  Managers will soon assume the thorny role of having to decide whether someone is sincere or requesting such an exemption for political reasons.  In a directive issued in January, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said the employee’s objections do not have to stem from an organized religion and can be beliefs that are new, uncommon or “seem illogical or unreasonable to others.”  Talk about muddying the waters!

A viewpoint or position is deemed irrational if it’s based on evidence judged not to be logical or reasonable.  I have yet to find any arguments that would convince me that opposing COVID vaccinations can be validated, even those supposedly based on one’s religious beliefs.  Most of those in opposition are basing their beliefs on information they’ve obtained in support of their position.  This is referred to by psychologists as a clear sign of ‘confirmation bias’.  They simply ignore information and data which clearly supports the urgent need for as many people as possible in a community to be immunized against this dreadful disease.

Coronavirus US

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Nov 5

Two Trials in U.S. May Be Putting the American Justice System Itself on Trial

by bcurry

There are currently two trials of particular interest in the U.S. which reflect notable elements of American society.  One involves the killing by three white suspects of Ahmaud Arbery, a young black man, in a South Georgia community in February 2020.  The other involves the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, 18, who is charged with killing two men and wounding another during disorder in the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin in August 2020.  In both cases, the accused are arguing that the shootings were in ‘self-defence’.  Both events were video recorded and covered by American media outlets, including several national television news networks.  Both were tragic events and appeared to be partly racially motivated, at least according to the prosecution.

In the case of Kyle Rittenhouse, you have a 17-year-old who travelled from his home in Antioch, Illinois to Kenosha, in neighbouring Wisconsin.  He then picked up an AR-style semiautomatic rifle illegally from a friend and set out to act in response to mass protests and street unrest over the shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man.  He is consequently charged with killing two men and wounding another during disorder.  All three victims were white.  Mr. Rittenhouse’s defenders say he was exercising his right to bear arms, in defence of liberty, and have claimed self-defence against perceived threats by the three victims.  However, there are a number of questions.  Why did Mr. Rittenhouse believe that it was necessary to carry out what is described as a ‘vigilante action’, especially since he was not protecting his own property and was outdoors long after an 8pm curfew imposed by Kenosha officials?  How will jurors decide whether or not the use of deadly force was objectively reasonable under the circumstances?  The law generally does not recognise your right to use deadly force to defend property, only your person.  Will the jurors condone such ‘vigilante’ action?  Some people see him as a hero and not as a villain.  As this highly politicised case unfolds, answering these questions will be a major challenge ahead for the jurors.

Then we have the case of three white men involved in the shooting of a black jogger, Ahmaud Arbery.  One of the defendants actually video recorded the incident which then went viral.  The two shooters claim to have shot the unarmed Mr. Arbery in self-defence.  Apparently, they chased him down believing that the jogger resembled the suspect in a series of alleged break-ins.  They have accused Mr Arbery of attacking them while they attempted to make a “citizen’s arrest”, resulting in his being shot and killed.  What’s really interesting in this high profile trial is the fact that a nearly all-white jury, with just one black member, has been selected.  The prosecution accused the defence of eliminating potential jurors based on race, noting that defence attorneys used 11 of their allotted 24 strikes to reject black jurors.  This in a town which is majority African American and a county where more than a quarter of people are black.  Kind of reminds one of a time when no black persons were allowed to serve on jury duty in Georgia, often related to the trials of white men involving the killing or injuring of black people.  Interestingly, studies have pointed out that Americans from ethnic minorities tend to be under-represented on most juries.  Should be also interesting to see the results of this highly politicised case!

With so many Americans armed today, these two incidents once again raise the ultimate question about whether one can legally act forcibly in ‘self-defence’ or pursue ‘vigilante’ actions with impunity?  Where does one draw the line?  Significant cases such as those described above may provide more answers or may result in even more questions being asked.  These trials are being closely watched by people around the world, including here in Canada.  Just as in the case of past police shootings, the performance of the American judicial system is also on trial.

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