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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Dec 29

After Trump’s Distortion of Facts, Who Do We Trust With the Truth?

by bcurry

Recently, I started reading “Lies, Incorporated (The World of Post-Truth Politics)” by Ari Rabin-Havt and Media Matters for America, published in 2016. The book was most likely written prior to the presidential primaries and election, during which Donald Trump’s cavalier distortion of facts became well documented.  Post something on social media or allude to something in a speech as fact, and everyone believes it!  Indeed, we now have organizations, such as lobbyists and politically-connected consultancy firms, who make it their business to distort the facts in favour of an interest group’s position, be they political or business in nature.  Even worst, they often will disseminate lies.

History is full of examples of such manipulative efforts, including those related to cancer and tobacco, health care, climate change, immigration, guns, abortion, gay marriage, etc. Both so-called conservatives and liberals have chosen certain facts to support their particular positions on most issues, often referred to as ‘bias predisposition’.  However, while it’s one thing to stretch the truth in one way or another, it’s a lot more serious to deliberately disseminate lies.  Can we truly rationalize that the end justifies the means?

Donald Trump and his electoral/transition teams have taken the premeditated dissemination of lies to a whole new level. One can only surmise how this Machiavellian approach in handling social-economic issues will affect the new administration’s dealings on the domestic and world stages.  Are truths to be swept aside in support of purely ideological reasoning?  Instead of basing decisions on facts, scientific-based or statistically proven, are we expected to support decision-making on fabricated truths?

It was once said that if one were to repeat something often enough, people will actually begin to believe it as fact. One of the dangers of ‘social media’ is that this is exactly what is happening.  Maybe, we’ve become lazy and complacent about questioning what is being fed to us everyday through media sources suffering from a lack of the normal journalistic verification and validation.  Perhaps, our biases, discontent and anger encourage us to simply seek out any information that conveniently backs up our interests and positions.  This is exactly what the likes of Trump are counting on.  “We will interpret the truth for you.” has become slogan of the day.  Just trust us.

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Dec 16

With Donald Trump, What Can Canadians Expect in the New Year?

by bcurry

Back in July 2015, I blogged that Donald Trump could become the next president of the United States. Well, low and behold for all the reasons that I had alluded to back then, he is now the president-elect to the surprise of many.  Whether you like it or not, Americans will most probably be stuck with Trump and a Republican controlled congress for the next four years.  Indeed, his impact will no doubt be felt in the rest of the world, but in particular in Canada. After all, the U.S. is Canada’s biggest trading partner and political ally. Why is this so important?  Here are a few notable reasons based on past statements by Trump himself:

  • He plans to revisit the current terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico.
  • He intends to increase border security measures, most likely forcing Canada to allocate more resources to the border.
  • He will nullify President Obama’s attempt to have greater relations with Cuba, a country with which Canada has long had economic and diplomatic dealings.
  • He wants Canada to greatly increase its defence spending, especially as it concerns the country’s contribution to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
  • He will most likely support the proposed construction of the Keystone XL pipeline between the Alberta oil sands and the American Gulf Coast, despite continuing environmental fears.
  • He does not believe in ‘climate change’, and intends to pull the S. out of the Paris climate agreement which Canada supports through proposed carbon reduction goals.
  • Etc., etc., etc.

Just remember, when the elephant below Canada’s southern border sneezes, we catch a cold if not pneumonia! Trump’s unpredictability makes it even more difficult to predict what will happen next year.  At no time in U.S.-Canada relations have there ever been such potentially serious tensions and uncertainties.  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will have to adjust quickly to the situation in order to maintain normal positive and reciprocal relations with the U.S. administration. On the other side, Americans, especially those living in the northern states along Canada’s border, must make it abundantly clear to Trump that good relations are extremely important to each country.  After all we are close friends who live, work and play together on a regular basis.  However, like any nation state Canada has every right to defend its interests — be they domestic or international.

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Nov 10

Why Does Donald Trump Remind One of Benito Mussolini?

by bcurry

When one thinks of two prominent ‘extreme narcissists’, I cannot help but to compare Donald Trump with Benito Mussolini. Both ran a ‘populist’ regime in their respective countries:  Mussolini in Italy starting back in the early twenty’s and soon Trump in the U.S.  Supported by nationalist sentiments, Trump’s campaign slogan was to “make America great again”. Mussolini wanted to establish a “new Italian Empire” and restore Rome’s former glory. Mussolini praised Germany’s Adolph Hitler, just as Trump has praised Russia’s Vladimir Putin as a strong leader.

Mussolini developed a cult of one-man leadership that focused media attention and national debate on his own personality. As a former journalist, Mussolini proved highly adept at exploiting all forms of mass media.  Remind you of anyone!  Mussolini had quickly gained a reputation for his magnetism and remarkable rhetorical talents, inspiring large disenchanted crowds with populist slogans. Trump adeptly worked his campaign rhetoric to galvanize his supporters at large orchestrated gatherings.

Influenced by Hitler, Mussolini instituted discrimination policies against the Jews in Italy. Trump intends to go after Latinos and Muslims through various bans on immigration and deportation policies.  Mussolini also attacked the existing Italian establishment in Rome, helping his fascist party to eventually establish his dictatorship by eliminating parliamentary elections.  Trump’s platform went after the so-called Washington establishment. Thankfully, the U.S. continues to be a democracy, at least for now!

Mussolini carried out an extensive public works program and reduced unemployment, making him very popular with the people. As an isolationist, he introduced tariffs, particularly in the agricultural sector, and government subsidies to farmers. Trump wants to eliminate certain free trade arrangements, including renegotiating NAFTA, to better favour American manufacturers and create jobs in the U.S.

In 1935, determined to show the strength of his regime, Mussolini used the Italian military to invade Ethiopia. Trump has indicated that he intends to do the same against ISIS in Syria.  However, Mussolini privately admitted that Italy’s ability to fight a major war on its own was seriously limited.  Trump has implied that NATO’s allies have to provide greater financial support to that organization given the already heavy U.S. military spending.  Trump, just as Mussolini did decades ago, will pursue a strong military presence in support of American foreign and economic policies abroad.

A lavish cult of personality centered on the figure of Mussolini and was promoted by the Fascist Party and regime, just as the Republican Party is now apparently tied into President-elect Trump’s cult of personality. Finally, Mussolini was married several times and was reported to have had several mistresses and many brief sexual encounters with female supporters.  Remind you of a current day ‘misogynist’?  When I compare photos and video pictures of Benito Mussolini and Donald Trump in terms of their body language and facial expressions, the similarities are incredibly striking. Let’s just hope that future outcomes under President Trump aren’t the same and as disastrous for the world as they were for Mussolini and Italy.

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