FROLITICKS

Satirical commentary on Canadian and American current political issues

Mar 24

There Are Numerous Signs That People Have Yet to Believe In Seriousness of COVID-19 Outbreaks

by bcurry

The news today is not good in that the COVID-19 outbreaks are continuing to grow exponentially. Yet, a number of activities and behaviours in the U.S. and Canada indicate that many people are not taking this pandemic seriously. For example:

  • A recent survey in Canada about the outbreak indicated that 37 percent of men are either a little or not at all worried about it, compared to 25 percent of women. Only 20 percent of men aged 18 to 29 years old are very worried about the virus.
  • This past weekend, people of all ages could be seen in parks strolling in large groups, sunning on beaches, sipping beverages together, etc., etc. This despite multiple warnings from health authorities to “socially distance” from each other for up to 2 metres apart (6 feet for Americans).
  • Among essential businesses not closing in Ontario are liquor and beer stores. Go figure!
  • Given a multitude of concerns expressed by IOCs around the globe, Japan has finally been forced after much pressure to postpone the summer Olympics until 2021. Meanwhile, the Olympic flame sits idly by in Tokyo.
  • The American President stated publicly that two old anti-malaria medications are being considered as potential treatments for the virus and he considers them “game changer.” This despite the fact that his top infectious diseases advisor says that the evidence is flimsy and may even be dangerous and they are not without serious side effects.
  • Instead of declaring that the outbreak could take months to get under control, President Trump continues to express his policies in terms of weeks, preferring to unrealistically bank on reassessments at the end of March 2020. He appears to be more concerned about the stock markets.
  • A lot of scams are surfacing which rely on taking advantage of the fears of people, including some that market themselves as cures or treatments for the coronavirus.
  • Some returnees to Canada and the S. are not going into a 14-day self-isolation period upon their return as per the requirements of each national government.
  • The Canadian Prime Minister, himself in self-imposed isolation, has had to once again strongly reiterate to Canadians that, unless absolutely essential, they should “go home, and stay home.”

These are just a few of the examples of how people and governments are responding to the COVID-19 emergency. I hope that we can do much better in the coming weeks and months!  For the time being, like a lot of citizens, I am now practicing “social distancing” from home while greatly appreciating the work of those who are essential workers caring for us, our loved ones and our neighbours.

Canada COVID-19 US

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Mar 23

Pandemic Has Serious Implications For The Mental Health Of Children

by bcurry

The schools have been shut down indefinitely. In place, where possible, children have been asked to participate in e-learning during these uncertain times.  Recreation facilities, including arenas, pools and playing fields, have been closed.  Many privately-funded extracurricular activities have been suspended.  Children, other than siblings, have been placed into social isolation and are unable to communicate with their friends and relatives except through social media.  Some of their parents have been laid off and/or forced to socially isolate from home.

Nothing of this magnitude and duration has ever happened in recent times, certainly not in my lifetime. While adults have developed certain coping mechanisms, children can still see and hear the resulting stress in our eyes and voices.  What is particularly difficult is the fact that the adults can offer no clear explanations or time lines for this outbreak.  Everyday we are bombarded with ongoing updates and disturbing news about the spread of this apparently unstoppable virus and the reactions of the authorities.  This is enough to cause serious anxiety among adults, never mind the children.

When all is said and done, the real casualties of the pandemic will be the mental health of children. To understand what happened, many children will ultimately require not only counselling, but treatment to deal with the traumatic outcomes of the war on COVID-19.  Interim measures such as social distancing are fine for now, but societies will have to implement longer-term help for their recovery and a return to some semblance of normality.  In the interim, what we as adults must do is to not only protect their physical health, but also take precautions regarding their mental health.  Give them the information that they need about the pandemic and avoid all the misinformation that exists out there.  Try to not candy coat the situation, but try not to overly alarm them.  Clearly, your reassurance and love is what they so terribly need right now and in the near future.  After all, as the old adage goes, the future is in our children.

Canada COVID-19 US

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Mar 18

The COVID-19 Global Pandemic Was Predictable Given Past Experiences

by bcurry

Years ago I read a book published in 2006 by Andrew Nikiforuk entitled “Pandemonium”. What is fascinating was that the author clearly and correctly outlined all of the factors which would lead to a future pandemic.  So here we are in 2020, which now has what must be the worst pandemic since the Spanish Flu of 1918-19.  He laid out the three primary conditions needed to foster a pandemic.  These were: “a just-in-time global economy, unprecedented urban crowding, and unparalleled human mobility.”  He noted that reports by several sources, including the U.S. Congressional Budget Office, concluded that a severe pandemic with a 2.5 percent death rate would “shock the economy” and turn the health-care system completely “upside down.”

Indeed, this is exactly what is happening world-wide. In both the U.S. and Canada, the health-care systems were already at full capacity — and even at over-capacity — because of the usual seasonal influenza outbreaks. The almost total shutdown of the Chinese economy has thrown a huge wrench into normal supply chains and seriously lowered China’s growth rate as the second largest economy in the world. The stock markets are tumbling and growing recession speculation is dominating financial news.  While China may appear to be slowly recovering from its outbreak because of its draconian measures, the rest of Asia, North America and Europe are now in the process of just starting to come to grips with the resulting economic and health impacts.

What’s most worrisome is the fact that we were so caught off guard by the pandemic’s emergence, despite our earlier experiences with avian flu and SARs. There are already shortages of testing kits, personal protective equipment and ventilators needed by health-care workers to do their jobs.  For now, the authorities’ strategy is primarily aimed at simply slowing down the spread of the virus by enforcing the shutdown of businesses, restricting or eliminating travel from other countries, and encouraging “social distancing” by people at large.  The hope is that such measures will limit exposure to the virus and allow the health-care system to cope with the more seriously infected patients.

What is particularly disappointing is the daily news coming out of the U.S.  There you have an administration that started out by understating the impact of the novel coronavirus and a President who even talked about it as a “hoax”.  For a country that is supposed to be an example and leader to the rest of the world, the U.S. has done anything but inspire confidence in its ability to tackle such a formidable foe. The result could be catastrophic for many Americans and for the rest of the world.  Simply calling the impact of the outbreak a “national emergency” may unfortunately be too little and too late for many Americans already in dire straits.

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Mar 14

From SARS to COVID-19, What Have We Learned?

by bcurry

Having lived through the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in the early 2000s, I can safely say that we have learned about a good number of notable and useful factors which led to the current coronavirus global pandemic called COVID-19. Scientists had learned a great deal from the epidemic of SARS that began in November 2002 and ended in June 2003. Health researchers and authorities eventually came up with very sensitive diagnostic tests and new treatments to fight any further SARS outbreak, and the knowledge gained helped them find and treat previously undiagnosed human diseases caused by other coronaviruses.

We also learned that such viruses can quickly be transmitted across the globe because of international travel and trade. Our ability to cope with the impact of new viruses in our health care systems will be even more challenged by COVID-19 than was the case with SARS.  The fact that the new virus is so easily transmitted, makes its containment even more difficult.  For this reason, makeshift hospitals and quarantine centres will be needed to shore up a health system that has virtually no give. The most vulnerable, seniors and those with underlying health issues, will have to be particularly protected.  This time, a much broader community approach will have to taken in comparison to SARS which primarily hit frontline hospital and emergency services staff in North America. People are being asked to “socially distance” themselves and to self-isolate in the event that they become symptomatic or have been exposed to the virus.  Numerous countries, including Canada and the U.S., have enacted international travel restrictions and mass closures of sporting, entertainment, and other major events to limit the potential exposure to the virus. Unlike SARS, the economic impact of such measures will be severe and will lead to a global recession.

Governments are hoping that by closing down much of social and business activity, they will be able to mitigate the impact on the health system and provide more needed time for researchers to develop a vaccine and treatment for COVID-19. However, as we now know, doctors finally beat the deadly SARS, but it did not happen overnight.  Indeed, it took three years from the SARS outbreak for scientists to develop a simple therapy that promised to decrease the extraordinarily high death rate from the disease. At this time, no one really knows how long we will have to continue the shutdown of social and business activities in the battle against COVID-19.  On the ground, there are already greater concerns around supplies of gowns, gloves, masks, oxygen, drugs, ventilators, and laboratory capacity for virus testing than was in the case of SARS.

Since the outbreaks of COVID-19 are much more wide-spread than SARS, a greater national and global approach is required. Mitigation efforts must be more community based involving the cooperation of each and everyone of us.  By implementing social distancing and good hygiene practices, there is a good likelihood that Americans and Canadians can reduce the impact on our health care systems and the overall number of COVID-19 related fatalities.

Canada COVID-19 US

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Mar 9

As if in a “war”, we must prepare to battle COVID-19

by bcurry

With an estimated 100,000 people confirmed to have COVID-19 in a 100 countries, including over 500 cases in three dozen U.S. states, it’s time that countries begin to tackle the continuing spread of the virus as if it were a war. All essential resources at the federal, state, provincial and local levels must be diverted to preparing for the worst scenario.  Our policies need to shift from containment of an outbreak to “mitigation,” which means acknowledging that the tried-and-true public health measures of isolating the sick and quarantining their contacts are no longer enough. The virus is quickly spreading.  So steps must be taken to minimize deaths from the disease and to slow its spread so that hospitals are not overwhelmed.  Furthermore, priorities must be directed to protecting the most vulnerable, especially the elderly with underlying health conditions.

The first and foremost policy is to ensure that good and reliable information about the virus and prevention is made continuously to the public. Avenues of misinformation must be dealt with in order to avoid a panic and the hoarding of medical supplies by persons at less risk to the health impact of the virus.  Front line medical and other emergency personnel must be provided with the proper equipment and logistical support to deal with outbreaks.  Facilities must be set up to deal with extensive testing for COVID-19 and mandatory self-quarantine in homes or designated facilities must be enforced.

As in the cases of quarantining persons on military bases coming from cruise ships or hot spots who may have been exposed to the virus, the military may need to be activated to assist in enforcing policies and practices. Hot spots will have to be treated as if they were war zones.  No one is suggesting at this time that we shut down complete cities as was done in China, but various options will have to be considered to mitigate any larger local outbreaks. Hopefully, given timely and accurate information by the authorities, every citizen will do their share as part of an overall mitigation strategy.

COVID-19 has been in the U.S. and Canada for some time, and the likelihood of its spreading is certain. Much of the news lately has tended to concentrate on the global and domestic economic impacts.  However, the time has come to lay out coordinated and enhanced national strategies to combat this increasing threat to the public’s health at large, and the most vulnerable persons in particular.  Every available resource that countries have must be used to buy more time for the development of a vaccine and for the research to be done for treatments. Comforting words no longer suffice.  What one needs now is deliberate and speedy action.  After all, we are at war.

Canada COVID-19 US

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Feb 14

Treating Tweets By Donald Trump As Gospel And The Impact on Governance

by bcurry

At no time in American Presidential history has technology created serious concerns regarding the separation of powers and the obstruction of justice. When the American President tweets out something, his administration, his followers and the general public treat it as gospel.  Gone are the normal press conferences of the past, only to be replaced instead by tweets and short media scrums.  The problem is over how to draw a line between the ad hoc public declarations of the President and perceived interference in the justice system.  Remember, the justice system is expected to be an independent part of governance and rightly so.  Besides Congress and the Executive, the justice system through its various branches is designed to ensure independence and impartiality in its decision making processes and in enforcement of the law.

However, Attorney General William Barr has now stated that President Trump’s criticisms of the handling of his friend Roger Stone’s sentencing has undermined the legal system, and he is not able to do his important job. Although there may be no direct evidence of interference by Trump, his tweeted assertions that the Justice Department’s Prosecutors’ push for a sentence of up to nine years for Stone’s convictions was too harsh could only be perceived as an attempt to influence the Attorney General.  Subsequently, the AG decided to overrule his own prosecutors and withdraw the sentencing recommendation, giving the appearance of caving in to Presidential pressure.  Instead, the AG’s office suggested that the prosecutors instead lay out factors for Judge Amy Berman Jackson to consider in sentencing Mr. Stone but defer to her on the length of the final sentence. With this outcome, the four prosecutors resigned from the case in protest, with one actually leaving the Justice Department.

As the New York Times notes, speaking up could have put Mr. Barr at risk of losing the backing of the President, but remaining silent would have permitted Trump to continue attacking law enforcement and all but invited open revolt among the some 115,000 employees of the Justice Department. Previously, the President had made it difficult for Mr. Barr to maintain the appearance of independence, threatening the AG’s credibility by repeatedly calling for federal investigations of Trump’s perceived enemies.  Trump had suggested to the president of Ukraine that he work with Mr. Barr and the President’s personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani to investigate for personal political benefit some of Mr. Trump’s political opponents: i.e. Joe Biden and his son. This action of course formed the whole basis for the impeachment hearings and trial against Trump in Congress.

Even more serious, is the fact that public statements by any President, in whatever format, are considered as the administration’s official position. Despite the fact that the President’s staff often is forced to follow up with a further explanation of just what the President’s assertion was, Trump’s initial tweet will always be taken by his followers as gospel.  This may play well with Trump’s base of support, but will often undermine the credibility and sanctity of the three separate legs of governance and democracy.  Even the Republicans in Congress are now beginning to realize that the powers of the President have to be restrained as intended under the Constitution, given the importance of the intended checks and balances provided by the three arms of government.

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Feb 8

Trump Administration’s “Industrial Militarism” Highlighted In Attack on China’s Huawei

by bcurry

Nowhere is it more clearly demonstrated that President Trump is using industrial clout to carry out “industrial militarism” than in his attack on Huawei to block the tech giant’s global 5G expansion. 5G stands for fifth-generation networks which are essentially a faster and more reliable version of wireless connectivity and mark a massive leap forward in such wireless technology.  Numerous industrialized countries are moving to build a 5G network, such as Canada whose 5G network could be in place around 2020. Huawei is the largest global company in 5G development and installation and is involved in 140-plus countries around the world. In Canada, companies such as Telus and BCE, or Bell Canada, are partnering to build 5G technology along with Huawei. Their Canadian rival, Rogers, is working alongside Swedish telecom Ericsson— a main Huawei rival. As a result, Ottawa has come under increasing pressure from the U.S. to block Huawei from developing its 5G technology in Canada, as critics warn it could present a national security risk.

Recently, U.S. Attorney General William Barr made the case for an all-out economic war on China’s Huawei in order to block the tech giant’s global 5G expansion. He even called on America’s “allies” to join what amounts not only an international strategic offensive against Huawei but also against China itself. He further suggested that the U.S. and its allies, including Canada and Britain, align their financial and technological forces to support European firms, Nokia and Ericsson, Huawei’s major 5G competitors. By getting governments to become involved in a business sector, such as the telecom sector, this position would contradict the traditional American principle of supporting free-market enterprise.  It would be blatantly perceived as causing a geo-strategic economic confrontation with China, similar to what occurred during the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

So far, a number of countries, including Canada and Britain, have rejected the idea of participating in any U.S. takeover of Nokia and/or Ericsson. Interestingly, although use of Huawei equipment has been banned in the U.S. since 2012 over fears it’s a security risk, some two dozen U.S. telecom companies have used Huawei’s equipment to provide services in remote regions. In Canada, a number of communities in provinces such as British Columbia and Saskatchewan, are using Huawei equipment to service non-core 4G in rural regions in particular. So far, there is no evidence that China has used network equipment for cyber-espionage.

As critics of “industrial militarism” argue, is it really up to Americans to fight the People’s Republic of China and its authoritarian regime — with its state-run enterprises and dirigiste economic policies — by adopting some of the same statist interventions? As one expert rightly noted, an extended trade war between the U.S. and China and threats by Trump to ban certain Chinese tech firms from the American supply chain, could further divide the global tech scene. Left unchanged, that could result in a world where technological progress among countries is far less uniform, cost-effective and integrated.  In Canada, competition in the telecom sector is alive and well. Huawei, Swedish telecom Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung and others are all being allowed to compete freely in pursuit of the lucrative market.  This is expected to greatly improve telecom services to Canadian consumers, especially in rural and remote regions.

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Feb 4

Trump’s Latest Visa Restrictions Will Have A Negative Impact On Canadian Immigration

by bcurry

Well, here we go again! The Trump administration has just introduced restrictions on immigration to include six more countries, including Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation. You may remember that President Trump first introduced a travel ban in 2017, closing U.S. borders to citizens from seven countries, most of them with Muslim majorities. He is now targeting Nigeria, Sudan and Eritrea, already among the largest sources of refugee claims lodged by people crossing irregularly into Canada from the U.S.  The 2017 decision also signalled the end of the American program giving Haitians a reprieve from deportation.  That move prompted thousands of Haitians to seek asylum in Canada, with sometimes hundreds crossing at unmarked border points in a single day.

According to the most recent data available from Canadian authorities, Nigeria is currently the largest source country for border crossers, making up 14,621 of the 50,635 claims lodged between February 2017 and September 2019. The bizarre thing is that many of those crossing irregularly from the States are applying for refugee status in Canada, often as a result of lapsing temporary visas in the U.S.  There is little doubt that the latest visa restrictions are part of Trump’s attempt to do his level best to ensure that more refugees stay out of the U.S.  However, the policy has prompted thousands from these countries to seek asylum in Canada. Imagine, seeking asylum from government policies in the U.S.

Unfortunately, Canada shares one of the world’s longest borders with another country. The situation in the U.S. means that Canada has to devote more resources to policing its borders. In addition, the onus is now on Canada to physically accommodate and financially assist the thousands of new asylum seekers while their request for refugee status is reviewed and adjudicated by the Immigration and Refugee Board. Needless-to-say, the process is costly and time consuming, sometimes lasting months and even years.  For example, in 2017 according to the Immigration and Refugee Board, over 8,000 Haitians sought asylum in Canada. In 2018, that number was only about 1,500.

Homeland Security argues that the past and new restrictive visa measures were the result of failures by countries to meet U.S. security and information-sharing standards. Perhaps, what the Americans should be doing is to discuss with those countries ways and means to meeting such requirements.  Instead, the U.S. appears quite content to carry out exclusive policies when it comes to immigration and travel, most often targeting countries that they simply don’t like for one reason or another. Meanwhile, Canada, with its laws and its Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program for refugees seeking protection from outside of Canada, has to deal with the overflow of desperate individuals and families fleeing the Trump Administration’s inhumane and extremist policies. Go figure!

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Jan 26

Liar. Liar. Lie Your Pants On Fire.

by bcurry

Do you remember this little rhyme when you were a child? I do.  Having listened to Donald Trump’s speeches and having read his tweets over the last three years, one cannot believe that it doesn’t apply to the current President of the United States? I don’t need to go into outlining each and every account since most major American news media has clearly recorded the hundreds of outright lies.  Now, the President’s staff do try to downplay Trump’s lies and inaccuracies but to no avail.  They suggest that the President was misquoted or misunderstood.  Indeed, no one has ever apologized for his “gross misstatements” or downright “lies”.  Interestingly, the Democrats are focusing on Trump’s character as they argue in the impeachment trial for his removal from office.

Trump has come up with every excuse under the book. He frequently claims that he doesn’t know people who he has had business with or have had their pictures taken on several occasions with him.  His number one co-liar is of course Rudi Giuliani who claims to be Trump’s personal lawyer.  Indeed, the impeachment trial has shown just how Giuliani is the President’s personal henchman.  The problem is that Giuliani has a tendency to open his mouth before first thinking about what he is saying.  Even Fox News has questioned why Giuliani was working in Ukraine as the president’s attorney, instead as a government official or an appointed presidential envoy with an official title. The impeachment proceedings have made it very clear that the President was initially withholding military aid to the Ukraine as a club to get the Ukraine authorities to launch a fraud investigation into past dealings by Joe Biden and his son with the Ukraine. Of course, despite all the evidence, Trump denies the allegations, seconded by Giuliani who proclaims that the President did no wrong. Instead, Giuliani is on record as proclaiming that “Joe Biden is a crook and he sold out the United States of America — in Iraq, in Ukraine, in China” without ever offering a thread of proof.

Meanwhile, despite being on trial, the President is calling the shots for the Republican Senators in the impeachment trial. The President’s defense has yet to offer any new evidence or witnesses to counter the charges that were brought forward.  All you get are “conspiracy” theories and deny, deny and deny some more.  After all, Trump did nothing wrong as the President has publicly declared a hundred times before.  Can one really believe him?  Unfortunately, with a Republican controlled Senate, there isn’t any chance that the President will be impeached.  Too bad!

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Jan 13

American Assertions of Imminent Iranian Threat to Attack U.S. Embassies Appears to be Questionable

by bcurry

Trump’s claim made to justify the decision to kill Iranian general Qasem Soleimani that attacks were being planned to attack four U.S. embassies has not been verified by actual intelligence. Even his Defence Secretary Mark Esper stated that he ‘didn’t see’ evidence of an Iranian plot to attack four U.S. embassies. Kind of reminds you of another President’s rationale for invading and occupying Iraq after 9-11.

16 years ago on February 5, 2003, then Secretary of State Colin Powell delivered his infamous presentation at the United Nations making the case for war with Iraq. Remember that Powell insisted that the Iraqis, and in particular their dictator Saddam Hussein, were behind the attacks on 9-11 and had “weapons of mass destruction (WMD)”, including tons of the deadly nerve agent VX. This despite the fact that Iraqi insiders and American intelligence sources had confirmed that the Iraqi regime had secretly destroyed the nerve agent soon after the Gulf War in 1991. Indeed, legitimate sources concluded that all WMDs — biological, chemical, missiles, nuclear — were subsequently destroyed.  Following the occupation of Iraq and an extensive search, the Americans did not find any WMDs. The result was that over four thousand Americans and coalition troops died and almost 32,000 were wounded in action in the Iraq War.  In addition, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that about $1.9 trillion would be the long-term price tag for the war.

Unfortunately, Congress never investigated Powell’s use of the intelligence he was given. Furthermore, based on misinformation regarding the actual intelligence, most members of Congress supported the decision by President George W. Bush to invade Iraq. Now, history may have just repeated itself.  President Trump decided to kill a top Iranian commander without providing clear and unquestionable facts to justify the action.  On top of which, Congressional leaders were not consulted beforehand because Trump has accused some as being “corrupt”.  We have also now learned that Trump reportedly okayed assassinating Soleimani seven months ago.

Whether or not you agree that Soleimani should have been assassinated is not real question. Let’s face it, he will most likely be replaced by one of his underlings.  However, we now have increased the instability in the region and raised the risks to Iraqis, Iranians and foreigners.  This is unfortunately demonstrated by the tragic shooting down of the Ukraine International Airline flight 752 by an Iranian missile, resulting in the deaths of all 176 passengers and crew.  Hopefully, all sides will attempt to deescalate these new tensions and Congress will do a better job of overseeing the President’s actions then it did in the past.

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