FROLITICKS

Satirical commentary on Canadian and American current political issues

Aug 6

White Extremism in North America is Very Worrisome and Dangerous

by bcurry

Back in March of this year, I published a blog entitled Extremist White Nationalist Movements Worldwide and the Attack on Mosques in New Zealand following the tragic massacre of Muslims at a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand by a self-proclaimed white extremist. On August 3rd, the 22 people killed in El Paso, Texas, extended a series of at least five fatal attacks over the past year directed at targets selected for racial or religious reasons, including shootings at synagogues in San Diego and Pittsburgh. Authorities allege the El Paso shooter posted a racist manifesto online on 8chan, an anonymous message board, prior to the shooting.

The numbers of people killed in terrorist attacks linked to Islamist radicals or the far right in the United States since 2002 are now virtually equivalent. The most recent attacks have involved domestic terrorism committed by individuals influenced by or belonging to groups associated with white extremism.  As a result of the El Paso killings, President Trump denounced the alleged white nationalist sentiments of the suspected killer. But his presidency has come to be defined by policies that are aligned with aspects of the white nationalist agenda and his penchant for fanning racial prejudices and anti-immigrant sentiments. His very racist and long-standing xenophobic phrase “go back to where you came from” was a big hit among supporters at Trump’s rallies.

I became particularly concerned after white nationalists held a violent rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, when the President appeared not to immediately denounce the neo-Nazi marchers. It’s as if the President and the Republicans are avoiding the obvious emergence of groups representing white extremists who select targets based on race and religion.  As in the case of the post-9/11 combined efforts by U.S. national security agencies to defend against Islamist radicals, these same agencies must now work closely together to prevent further attacks by followers of white extremism. It’s time for the administration to recognize this fact and act!

Canada is also not immune to white extremism. On January 29, 2017, a young Canadian white male fatally shot six people at a mosque in Quebec City’s Sainte-Foy neighbourhood.  This was seen by authorities as a hate crime against Muslims. The shooter was influenced one way or another by right-wing extremism portrayed in social media and on the Dark Web.  More frequent attacks involving vandalism of mosques and synagogues have taken place in the recent years.  However, the trend is much older.  Indeed, Statistics Canada reported that the number of hate crimes committed in Canada jumped 35 percent between 2007 and 2008, and black and Jewish people were the most targeted groups for the attacks. Again, I refer you to an earlier blog entitled Right Wing Extremism is a Growing Concern in North American Communities published in November 2018 for more background on Canadian and American white extremist groups.

Canada Donald Trump Extremism Racism US

Leave a comment »
Jul 15

Is Donald Trump “Xenophobic”?

by bcurry

The Oxford English Dictionary defines xenophobia as “intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries.” For some time now, President Trump has been accused of being a “racist” and more recently as showing signs of xenophobia.  These allegations arose once again because of his tweets on July 13-14 in which he asserted that certain Democratic congresswomen should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”  Without naming the congresswomen, there is little doubt that he is referring to Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. All four are women of colour and American citizens, while only one was not born in the U.S.

One must remember that the phrase “go back to where you came from” has been a standard refrain mostly used by disgruntled white men or women, and certainly by white supremacists. It would appear that Trump’s statements are aimed at a particular element of his base support.  Indeed, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said that Trump was trying to “gin up his base” by “keeping Americans divided”.  Trump appears to have forgotten that the above-mentioned Representatives were legally elected by a majority of their constituents.  In addition, in a democracy, people have the right to express their views.  Once expressed, people then have the right to openly agree or disagree with them.

I defend the right of the President or anyone else to express their views. Indeed, knowing one’s views is a good way of determining what are their core values and beliefs.  This is a good thing.  How else would one know that Trump is obviously xenophobic!  What is sad that America was built on the blood, sweat and tears of immigrants. Remember as well, the only peoples who can rightly say that this was originally their land are the indigenous peoples of North America. Today, America is a country based on diversity and inclusion. It welcomed people of different races, religions and ethnic backgrounds from many places to participate in the so-called American dream.  This represents the real “greatness” of America.

What Donald Trump is doing is political manoeuvring by a desperate man focused on one thing alone — getting re-elected. He is even willing to undertake this shameful campaign at the expense of some admirable and fundamental American values.  Let’s hope and pray that he is unsuccessful!

Donald Trump Immigration Presidential Election 2020 The American Dream US

Leave a comment »
Jun 30

Senator Kamala Harris Would Make a Good President

by bcurry

Well, a presidential election is scheduled to be held in the fall of 2020. Already, the debates have started among a boatload of Democratic hopefuls in preparation for the upcoming primaries.  Who is going to run against Donald Trump?  Hopefully not the likes of Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders!  It would be nice to see a President who isn’t over the age of 75 and who didn’t carry a lot of baggage.

Right now, I believe that Senator Kamala Devi Harris would be an excellent candidate for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, at 54, she is part of Generation X (those born between 1965 and 1980) which helped to bring in the twenty-first century.  Secondly, she is a woman of  Jamaican or Indian ancestry, reflecting the new diversity with the U.S. population. Although she has no children, she has two adult stepchildren through her marriage making her aware of parental issues affecting today’s youth.

Her professional qualifications provide her with a good foundation for dealing with today’s issues. Since 2017, she has been California’s third female U.S. Senator. Prior to that, Senator Harris served as the San Francisco District Attorney for seven years and as the Attorney General of California for six years.  As a prosecutor, she dealt with numerous high-level cases.

With respect to her progressive policies, she has supported single-payer healthcare, actions on climate change, education reform, federal descheduling of cannabis, municipal protection for undocumented immigrants, the DREAM Act, and lowering the tax burden for the working and middle classes while raising taxes on corporations and the wealthiest one percent of Americans. She is someone who would not rely solely on the military to formulate foreign policy, as is the case now.  Her positions are in sharp contrast to those of President Trump and the Republicans.  Americans need to have a clear choice between two platforms and two visions of what kind of country they want, with no mudding of the waters by the centrists.  Such a contrast was not evident during Hilliary Clinton’s campaign.

If I were Donald Trump’s campaign team, I’d be a lot more concerned about Senator Harris as an opponent than either Sanders or Biden. While he represents the past and the status quo, she represents the potential for a dynamic and new prosperous future for America.

Donald Trump Presidential Election 2020 U.S. Primaries US US Politics

Leave a comment »
May 16

With Friends Like the U.S., Who Needs Enemies!

by bcurry

Well, President Trump is at it again. This time he has launched an all out trade war with the second largest economy in the world — China. As of next week, virtually all of the imports from China to the States will be under increased or new tariffs. In turn, the Chinese will retaliate by placing new tariffs on American imports to that country worth billions of dollars.

What does this mean for Canada? The Bank of Canada predicts that the U.S.-China trade war will shave 0.8 percentage points off the Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Already, various Canadian agricultural exports to China, such as granola and soy beans, are down or non-existent because of an extradition request by the Americans and subsequent arrest in Vancouver last December of the Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou of Huawei Technologies Co. The decision to proceed with the extradition process sets in motion proceedings that could drag on for months and possibly years, inviting further retaliation measures by the Chinese government and costing Canadian suppliers billions of dollars. The American request has also resulted in the questionable arrest of Canadian citizens in China by its government.

As a result of the trade war, it is estimated that the U.S. itself could lose a full percentage point off its GDP, possibly costing some 1.5 million jobs. In turn, due to Canada’s close reliance on trade with its partner to the south, the Bank of Montreal predicts that some 150,000 Canadian jobs could be affected down the road by the resulting decline in economic activity between the two countries. In addition, the U.S. continues to refuse to eliminate the existing tariffs on steel and aluminum coming from Canada and Mexico. To date, U.S. refusal to do so has prevented both countries from ratifying the proposed new North American free-trade deal which would benefit all three countries.

Good political, defence, cultural and economic relationships between Canada and the U.S. are longstanding. Hundreds of thousands of Americans and Canadians work and live on both sides of the longest border in the world.  Together, we have made a robust and viable North American economy, with 70 percent of Canada’s trade being with the U.S.  However, this relationship has been damaged by the recent actions of Trump administration, although hopefully not beyond repair.  Under the current circumstances, all one can do is reiterate that with friends like this, who needs enemies!

Canada China Donald Trump Protectionist Trade Policies US

Leave a comment »
Mar 3

Where Does It All End? — The Weird Era of Donald Trump

by bcurry

This past week has shown a bout of insanity not seen for some time under any American president. First, we had Michael Cohen’s testimony before the House Oversight and Reform Committee, calling the President “a liar, racist and conman.”  Wow!  Then we had the abysmal failure of the Trump-Kim talks over North Korean denuclearization and end of U.S. sanctions. Next, we had word of Trump last year ordering officials to grant top-secret security clearance to his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, despite warnings by his own senior counsel and chief-of-staff not to grant such clearance.  Congress now wants officially to look further into the matter.

Meanwhile, 77-year old Bernie Sanders has once again declared himself a presidential candidate for the Democrats in 2020. Some analysts have predicted that as many as 40 Democrat candidates may launch bids against Donald Trump for the White House.  One may have to issue them football sweaters, each with numbers and names since there would be enough players to form their own NFL team. The trouble is that they don’t appear to have a common game plan, with some moving far to the left and others trying to be more centrist. Are Americans really ready for democratic socialism, a brand already attributed to Democrats by Trump? Ah, those dam lefties!

Last but not least, we have the President issuing an emergency order so as to take existing funds from the defense and other budgets to help pay for the construction of “barriers” along the border between the U.S. and Mexico. The U.S. House of Representatives then voted to revoke Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency to build his wall, whose efforts Trump vows to veto. Of course, the whole situation — due to valid questions of constitutionality — will end up in the courts, probably lasting several months if not years before a final decision is rendered.

What’s worst, numerous Republicans, mainly because they are afraid of Trump’s base, are increasingly backing the President’s executive orders and crazy political manoeuvrings. Of course, all of these shenanigans make good fodder for comedians and Saturday Night Live sketches.  One doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry!  As William Shakespeare once wrote: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”  In this case, the politicians are playing the role of clowns, with Trump leading the way.

Donald Trump North Korea US US Politics

Leave a comment »
Feb 18

Crazy Remark by President Trump Gives Kim Jong Un the Proof He Needs

by bcurry

Here we go again, a recent off-the-cuff remark by President Trump that former President Barack Obama had stated in a meeting with then President-elect Trump that the U.S. had been on the verge of war with North Korea. Within hours of his remark, several former high ranking officials under President Obama indicated to multiple media sources that no such statement had been made during the exchange.  According to these knowledgeable persons, at no time had the U.S. been in a state of planning to carry out an assault on North Korea as claimed by President Trump.

What Donald Trump’s remark has done is confirm for Kim Jong Un that the threat to his regime of an attack by the U.S. had been imminent in the past. Kim can use this false revelation to defend the continuing build-up of his military capabilities, including his nuclear and missile capabilities.  Such statements by a sitting American president reinforce Kim’s past assertions to North Koreans that there was a real threat of American military action against their country.

Signing a peace treaty with North Korea will require addressing issues regarding the U.S. military’s presence in South Korea and its transfer of wartime operational control to South Korea and United Nations forces in South Korea. The removal of American forces, numbered in the tens of thousands, from South Korea is a precondition for any denuclearization by the North Korean regime. North Korea views the American forces as a real threat. Mass military drills and naval exercises by the U.S. and South Korea are also viewed by Kim’s regime as a rehearsal for war.

Next week, President Trump intends to meet once again with Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, Vietnam, as a follow-up to their previous meeting. Reports had suggested that pre-summit talks may include North Korea’s closure of its main nuclear scientific research centre in Yongbyon in exchange for some sanctions relief or a declaration to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War. Let’s hope that President Trump’s false assertion about previous U.S. foreign policy positions vis-à-vis a war with North Korea don’t negatively influence the outcome of the upcoming talks. Please, Mr. President, no more silly off-the-cuff remarks!  The seriousness of the issues at hand leave no room to play politics.

Donald Trump Foreign Policy North Korea US

Leave a comment »
Feb 3

Are We Entering Into Another Nuclear Arms Race?

by bcurry

I was in public school when the Cuban Crisis took place in 1962. President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev almost started a nuclear war over the placement of Soviet missiles in Cuba and the subsequent American naval blockade of the waters off Cuba to Soviet shipping. Both countries had enough nuclear warheads and intercontinental missiles to wipe each other out several times over.  In school, we were even practicing in the event of a possible nuclear attack.  Scary stuff!

After that, level heads thankfully prevailed and the Soviets dismantled and withdrew their missiles from Cuba, and the U.S. quietly did the same in Turkey. Both sides recognized the concept of “mutual nuclear deterrence” which holds that the threat of using strong weapons against the enemy prevents the enemy’s use of those same weapons. Subsequently, both the U.S. and the Soviets began negotiations to limit and reduce their respective nuclear arsenals. This also led in 1987 to the signing by President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev of  the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. The INF was to limit the deployment of all ground-based nuclear weapons with a certain intermediate range, particularly those that allowed the Soviets to hit European targets or NATO forces to hit Soviet targets from locations in Europe.

Unable to reach a new INF agreement with Russia, the Trump White House announced that it’s pulling out of the treaty, only to be followed immediately by Vladimir Putin’s announcement as to Russia’s withdrawal from the agreement and negotiations. Most experts believe that Russia had been wanting out of the treaty for more than a decade, especially given Putin’s aggressive policies in Europe as exemplified by Russia’s military intervention in Eastern Ukraine.  There appears to be little doubt that the Russians have been “cheating” under the INF by developing cruise-missile-style low-flying weapons covered under the Treaty’s intermediate defined ranges. The U.S. now intends to conduct the R&D and work on the systems they haven’t been able to use because of American compliance with the treaty.

With the lost of such arms-related treaties, the world may very well be entering another arms race compared to that during the Cold War. Do we really need this situation at a time when global peace initiatives have been threatened in numerous ways?  It will also allow other countries, like China and North Korea, to further justify the continuation their arms development. Let’s just hope that we are not heading for the brink of another crisis like that which happened over five decades ago.

Donald Trump Military Prowess US

Leave a comment »
Jan 27

There Was Another Infamous Wall Called The Berlin Wall

by bcurry

Due to President Trump’s current political stance regarding the border with Mexico, there is a lot of talk about expanding a barrier between the two countries. However, do such barriers or walls really work all that well?  In 1961, a wall was built by East German authorities between East Berlin and West Berlin.  The wall was to prevent East Germans from fleeing East Germany to enter West Germany via West Berlin. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the original wall, built of barbed wire and cinder blocks, was subsequently replaced by a series of concrete walls (up to 15 feet [5 metres] high) that were topped with barbed wire and guarded with watchtowers, gun emplacements, and mines. By the 1980s that system of walls, electrified fences, and fortifications extended 28 miles (45 km) through Berlin, dividing the two parts of the city, and extended a further 75 miles (120 km) around West Berlin, separating it from the rest of East Germany.

However, despite this massive fortification, over 5,000 East Germans managed to cross the Berlin Wall (by various means) and reach West Berlin safely. Finally, in 1989 the East German government opened the country’s borders with West Germany (including West Berlin). The openings were made in the Berlin Wall through which East Germans could travel freely to the West. During the Cold War, the wall had become a symbol of state oppression and an attempt to prevent thousands of desperate people from seeking freedom in the West, many at real risks to their lives and certain imprisonment in East Germany if captured.

Extending a wall between the U.S. and Mexico would also become a symbol of one country’s oppressive policies to deny refuge to desperate men, women and children fleeing for their lives. To arbitrarily deny all refugees the possibility of safe haven by erecting a wall is morally wrong in itself.  To think that a wall will stem the tide of those seeking a better life for themselves and their families is not a practical solution, as evidenced by the Berlin Wall.  Just as the Berlin Wall had ceased to function as a political barrier between East and West Germany, so would a physical border wall with Mexico never adequately and humanely deal with the current influx of refugees.

Surely, the U.S. administration can come up with more humane alternatives and viable policy options to help these people either in their countries or while in the process of desperate flight. Monies expended on the construction of a wall expansion could better be spent on improving the conditions faced by potential refugees in their countries of origin.

Donald Trump Foreign Policy Immigration US

Leave a comment »
Jan 11

Trump’s Crack Down on Immigration has Foreign Tech Talent Looking to Canada

by bcurry

Back in February 2017, I published a blog entitled President Trump, Please Keep Your Immigration Ban On in which I noted that a Canadian study in 2016 concluded that there would be as many as 182,000 high-paying technology jobs up for grabs in Canada by 2019. Well, 2019 is here and Canada is still looking for more high tech talent. At that time, a research report by Goldman Sachs estimated that 900,000 to a million H-1B visa holders (highly skilled foreign workers) resided in the U.S., accounting for up to 13 percent of American technology jobs. However, today many of those same workers are concerned about President Trump’s vow to crack down on the H-1B visa program, which allows 85,000 foreigners per year to work in “specialty occupations” in the States. Reports indicate that the number of inquiries about Canada from nervous H-1B holders has skyrocketed since 2017. American companies have declared that the inconsistent immigration policies are unfair and discourage talented and highly skilled individuals from pursuing career options in the U.S. Getting U.S. work visas has become a significant challenge.

In the meantime, a number of Canadian recruiting firms have sprung up to attract highly skilled foreign workers to settle in Canada, particularly those from Silicon Valley and other high tech enclaves. As well, in 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government launched the Global Talent Stream. The program is designed to fast-track work authorization for those with job offers in high-demand realms of science and tech. Successful applicants can get a work permit in a matter of weeks, and their spouses and children are eligible for work or study permits.

Canada is doing a much better job at marketing itself, ensuring that foreign workers are given all the right and necessary information they need to realize that a move to Canada is not as bad as some might think. Canada’s cities are among the best in the world, offering all the amenities that a modern society can offer, with excellent infrastructures, schools, recreational facilities and safe environments. Tech types make good money relative to the cost of living and Canada has much better employment standards laws and income support programs than found in many countries, including the U.S.

What is going on in the U.S. with its immigration policies is unfortunate. However, as indicated in my previous blog, Canadian firms would most likely benefit from any increased flow of high tech workers to Canada. If the President’s policies and the lack of certainty continue, Canada can only but benefit even further. Increasingly, Canada will appeal to people who want stability, including perhaps some American citizens.

Canada Donald Trump Immigration Immigration Policies US

Leave a comment »
Dec 23

With Trump, There’s Nowhere To Go But Down

by bcurry

Well, President Trump, you’ve gone and done it again. 2018 is ending with a big downward spiral in everything political, economic and international.  What’s really sad is that your narcissistic self has gotten the better part of your uneven temperament.  Let’s see, your former Chief of Staff and Secretary of Defense are now gone over obvious in-fighting in the not so tranquil White House.  American allies around the world are bewildered at your foreign policies, including the immediate withdrawal of American troops from Syria and Afghanistan. Your failure to condemn the leaders of Saudi Arabia for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has brought disgrace upon the U.S.  The November elections saw the Republicans loose control of the House of Representatives and numerous state legislatures.  Your so-called protectionist trade practices have helped the stock exchanges head into the worst bear markets since the great recession of 2008.  The American people are more divided then ever before.  Now, you’ve caused the shut down of many federal departments and agencies just before Christmas, with some 300,000 civil servants going without pay for who knows how long.  All over your squabble with Congress about including $5 Billion to construct a silly wall between the U.S. and Mexico, for which you had unrealistically promised during the election would be paid for by Mexico. Even members of the Republican Party are becoming frustrated with your irrational premise for a shut-down which you openly welcomed and endorsed on national television.

As we approach the start of a New Year, there appears that there is little hope for things to get any better. Your trade war with China has only just begun and we may be on the verge of another global recession. Americans, Canadians, Europeans, Japanese and everyone else will suffer as a result.  I’m afraid, President Trump, that you are no King Midas.  It appears that everything you touch turns to one big turd.  Indeed, the best is yet to come!  There are still the indictments of members of the President’s election team and the final outcome of the Mueller investigation which most likely will be the political story of 2019.  There is also little doubt that the Democrat majority House will begin investigations into your behaviour and past transgressions.  You may be yet facing impeachment proceedings.  But don’t worry.  You can always ask your good buddy, Vladimir Putin, to provide you with refuge in lovely Moscow. I hear that it’s nice at this time of the year.

Donald Trump Foreign Policy Immigration Political Scandals US

Leave a comment »
«Older Entries
Newer Entries »
Blog at WordPress.com.