Racism On Display Again: Marijuana is only for white people

I hate most sports now and haven’t watched any in years, especially not the profit-driven nonsense of the olympics.  But when these items appeared today….

In a blatant display of hypocrisy and possibly racism, US track runner Sha’Carri Richardson has been banned from participating in the 2021 Tokyo olympics because she tested positive for marijuana.

In 1998, Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati tested positive for marijuana after winning his event, and was thus disqualified.  The penalty was overturned because (at that time) marijuana was not listed as a banned substance, and he did not smoke it while in Nagano, Japan.

Part of Rebagliati’s argument was that marijuana was not a performance enhancing substance.  Quite the contrary, it is a depressant, and in a sport requiring quick responses to situations, marijuana puts the competitor at a disadvantage while using it.  And when not using it (i.e. Rebagliati smoked prior to the olympics, not at the games) any detectable amount in an athlete’s system has no effect.

After 1998, the IOC and WADA declared marijuana a “banned substance” despite the fact it doesn’t help athletes win, and it is legal to possess and consume in many countries.  This was not about “cheating”, this was governments and the IOC dictating morality, extending their “authority” into other nations.

Considering the USOC’s long history of covering up failed drug tests and giving preferential treatment to elite athletes (i.e. actually cheating that helped them win), I’m surprised they backed down so quickly and threw Richardson to the wolves.

U.S. hid failed tests, files reveal

The U.S. Olympic Committee “has something to answer for” says Richard Pound, the head of the World Anti-Doping Agency, after documents were released showing more than 100 U.S. athletes were sent into Olympic and world competitions after failing drug tests.

Among the athletes who were let off the hook with warnings rather than suspensions were Carl Lewis, track and field’s most decorated Olympian, and tennis star Mary Joe Fernandez, according to the documents dated from 1988 to 2000.

“It’s what many people suspected about the U.S. Olympic Committee, that it was being covered up,” Pound said.

[. . .]

Lewis and teammate Andre Phillips also received similar notifications. After they tested positive at the 1988 U.S. Olympic trials, they were told they’d get off with warnings.

All three won gold medals on the track at the Seoul Olympics, which they would have missed had they been suspended. Lewis was handed the 100-metre gold medal that was stripped from Canada’s Ben Johnson.

Racism in Richardson’s case may be arguable.  But in the case of “soul caps” made for swimmers, it definitely is.

Soul caps are a swim cap designed specifically for Black people with sizeable amounts of natural hair.  (I was unsure of what word is polite enough to describe people’s hair.) FINA, the world swimming body, has banned soul caps because they “don’t follow the natural form of the head”.

These caps are designed to contain Black people’s natural and voluminous hair, which no other cap will.  This means Black swimmers with natural hair will either be banned from competing, forced to cut their hair, or have wet hair weigh them down as they swim.

Translation: white people are policing Black people’s bodies again, declaring white as “normal” and everyone else must fit white body types.

Soul Cap: Afro swim cap Olympic rejection ‘heartbreaking’ for black swimmers

Soul Cap say the international governing body for swimming rejected an application for their caps to be certified for use at competitions.

They say Fina told them the caps are unsuitable because they don’t follow “the natural form of the head”.

Soul Cap makes swimming caps to fit over and protect dreadlocks, afros, weaves, hair extensions, braids, and thick and curly hair.

“Using the smaller swimming caps that everyone else would use – it would fit on my head but because I put [protective] oil in my hair, when I was swimming it would just keep sliding off and my hair would get wet,” said Kejai [Terrelonge], who lives in Birmingham.

It’s Hard Not To Laugh: It’s the tenth anniversary of Philip Contos’s Darwin Award

On July 3, 2011, motorcyclists in New York state partook in a “protest” against helmet laws, arguing for “freedumb”.  One of them was Philip Contos, 55 years old at the time of his death.

During the ride, Contos lost control and was thrown from his motorcycle.  His head hit the ground, causing a fatal brain injury.  The doctors and state troopers both said that Contos likely would have survived had he been wearing a helmet.

New York Rider Dies Protesting Motorcycle Helmet Law

July 4, 2011— — A New York man died Sunday while participating in a ride with 550 other motorcyclists to protest the state’s mandatory helmet law.

Police said Philip A. Contos, 55, hit his brakes and his motorcycle fishtailed. Contos was sent over the handlebars of his 1983 Harley Davidson and hit his head on the pavement.

He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

“The medical expert we discussed the case with who pronounced him deceased stated that he would’ve no doubt survived the accident had he been wearing a helmet,” state Trooper Jack Keller told ABC News 9 inSyracuse.

The ride Sunday was organized by American Bikers Aimed Toward Education, known as ABATE, a group of motorcycling enthusiasts who lobby for motorcycle awareness and freedom.

“Mandatory helmet laws do nothing to prevent accidents,” it says on the ABATE of New York website. “The decision on when to wear a helmet while operating a motorcycle should remain with each responsible adult rider.”

As the old saying goes, it’s not the fall that kills you, it’s the sudden stop at the end.  I’ll agree with ABATE in that helmets and other safety devices don’t prevent motor vehicle accidents, but they do make it more likely you’ll survive.  I won’t get into a car that doesn’t have working belts, like some of the taxis here.

More below.

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And To No Surprise: More backlash against the catholic cult

On Thursday, July 1, paint and messages were splashed on eleven more churches in Alberta and one in Newfoundland.

To reiterate something I’ve said before, in case my intent is misconstrued:

I am not celebrating and cheering painted messages, broken windows, or catholic churches burnt to the ground.

I am saying actions against property should be investigated after the deaths and murders of thousands of children are investigated, after their families and communities are given answers and the killers arrested, if still alive.  Property is not more valuable than human lives.

From the Calgary Herald:

Calgary police investigate after at least 11 Catholic churches vandalized with orange and red paint

Calgary police are investigating after at least 11 city Catholic churches were vandalized.

The acts of vandalism discovered on Canada Day appear to be the latest in a series of recent protests against the church’s historic involvement in Canada’s residential school system.

The vandalism at the churches included spattered paint over a statue of Jesus Christ, painted handprints on doors and text reading “Charge the priests” and “Our lives matter.”

At one church, a window was smashed so paint could also be thrown inside.

[. . .]

“The recent discovery of these graves further supports the tragic and heartbreaking stories that Indigenous people have been sharing for many decades,” the Calgary Police Service release said.

“Given the harm this chapter of our history has caused to Indigenous people in our community, it is understandable that emotions and tensions are running high.”

Police said vandalism like this is illegal, however, adding it creates further division within Calgary. They said they are searching for those responsible.

And yet your focus is on property damage which can be repaired, not murders for which there is no statute of limitations?

The least shocking part is Alberta’s ignorant and racist premier Jason Kenney choosing to throw gasoline on the fire by inciting hate and violence against First Nations people.  The question is, will he suffer any splash damage from his own words?

“This scale of violence attacking a faith community is an attack on constitutionally protected freedom of religion, it is an attack on Canadian values,” Kenney said Wednesday, calling the attacks a hate crime.

That language led to criticism from Alberta’s Chiefs of the Sovereign Nations of Treaty No. 8, who said Kenney’s language will only promote hatred toward Alberta’s Indigenous populations.

“Kenney must recant his statement and apologize for perpetuating harm on Indigenous Peoples, and more specifically residential school survivors,” the chiefs said in a joint statement.

From the CBC:

Red paint smeared on doors, steps of Basilica Cathedral in St. John’s

Red paint was seen splattered over some steps and doors of the Basilica Cathedral in St. John’s Thursday morning, following a series of similar events across Canada after more than 1,000 unmarked graves were found on the grounds of former residential schools across the country.

Paint was seen across the door handle of the church’s parish, along with being smeared across the steps of the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese on Military Rd.

A cleaning crew was on the scene with a pressure washer Thursday morning.

CBC News has asked the Basilica and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary for comment but haven’t received a reply yet.

The most galling part of this second news item is the caption after a picture:

It’s unclear when or why the paint was placed on the steps and door of the cathedral.

“It’s unclear why”?  If you can’t figure this out by now, how did you get a job as a reporter?  Or are you just a stenographer and an apologist?

 

 

The First Nations protesters have carried signs saying Every Child’s Life Matters.

Over the last eighteen months, there have been many attempts to demean, devalue, misuse and misconstrue the Black Lives Matter slogan (e.g. “all lives”, “cops lives”, “black labs”, “black flags”, etc.).

It’s unlikely anyone will object to use of the BLM slogan to protest against racist murders of innocent First Nations children.

There’s Nothing To Celebrate: It’s dominionists’ day

In 1879, July 1 was labelled “dominion day”, and retained that name until 1982 when the constitution was ratified and the name changed to “canada day”.  (The lower case spelling is intentional.)  Considering how white Canadian governments have behaved over the last 150 years, dominionist is a better name for it.  Remember what was done to the Metis in Manitoba?  It turns out we’ve been doing that the entire time, one long, slow genocide of the First Nations people that never ceased.  And current politicians hope a few dollars and a mealy mouthed apology will make up for it or allow it to continue.

John A. Macdonald should not be forgotten, nor celebrated

The recent decision by the City of Victoria to remove a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald from in front of city hall has sparked much discussion about whether statues and other commemorations of historical figures should be removed or replaced.

This is not the first time a statue of Macdonald has caught the attention of Indigenous people.

For many Canadians, there is a fear that removing statues or changing names of buildings will erase the country’s history. Others charge that we cannot judge a historical person’s actions based on contemporary standards.

But even by historical standards, a story by Rachel Décoste in the Huffington Post shows that Macdonald was “way more racist than his contemporaries.”

Excerpts from the article by Rachel Décoste linked in the item above:

Sir John A. Macdonald: 5 Frightening Facts About Our First Prime Minister

1. During the American Civil War (1861 to 1865), Montreal served as refuge to Confederates ― southern Americans who wanted to keep slavery and secede from the United States union. The Southern slavers found a friend in John A. Macdonald.

2. John A. Macdonald may have named Canada a “confederation” in deference to the Southern Confederates with whom he sympathized.

3. John A. Macdonald was a sinophobe, according to Timothy J. Stanley’s research.

In 1885, PM Macdonald told the House of Commons that, if the Chinese were not excluded from Canada, “the Aryan character of the future of British America should be destroyed.” This was the precise moment in the histories of Canada and the British dominions when Macdonald personally introduced race as a defining legal principle of the state.

4. John A. Macdonald was way more racist than his contemporaries. For John A. Macdonald, Canada was to be the country that restored a pure Aryan race to its past glory. Lest it be thought that Macdonald was merely expressing the prejudices of the age, it should be noted that his were among the most extreme views of his era.

5. John A. Macdonald’s policies of forced starvation helped clear First Nations from the prairies in order to build the railway, according to James Daschuk of University of Regina. An excerpt from his book, Clearing the Plains: Disease, Politics of Starvation and the Loss of Aboriginal Life:

“For years, government officials withheld food from aboriginal people until they moved to their appointed reserves, forcing them to trade freedom for rations. Once on reserves, food placed in ration houses was withheld for so long that much of it rotted while the people it was intended to feed fell into a decades-long cycle of malnutrition, suppressed immunity and sickness from tuberculosis and other diseases. Thousands died.”

The problem is, MacDonald isn’t history.  His attitudes are still modern practice.  Why do First Nations homes still not have adequate water, sewage and construction?  Why do their kids not receive adequate education, which does not include instruction in their own peoples’ languages?

Why are the Racist Corrupt Misogynistic Pricks (RCMP) permitted to murder First Nations people with impunity and pretend they “are not systematically racist” despite their own racist actions?  Racism is as endemic amongst Canadian cops as among US cops.  Pretending they’re any better is part of the problem.

And most currently, why has no one been held accountable for the culturual and bodily genocide of First Nations children at “residential schools”?  Why did Trudeau permanently allow the catholic cult to escape its financial obligations to pay restitution and reparations to First Nations people?  (Probably because he is a fanatical catholic.)  That was not a “legal misstep”, it was intentionally done to protect the cult’s finances and force taxpayers to foot the entire bill.

Why are the government’s and catholic cult’s records being kept secret except to protect the guilty?  Why is investigating property damage (a few burnt churches) deemed the “priority” and not identifying thousands of children who have been systematically murdered in those “schools”?  Why is naming their murderers not a priority?

And on “canada day”, another 182 bodies have been found outside a “school” in Cranbrook, BC.  Meanwhile, the RCMP again display misplaced priorities, more concerned with another burnt church in Alberta instead of identifying the bodies.

Even if these were the only issues, there is nothing to celebrate today.  And I haven’t even mentioned the repeated racism and atrocities perpetrated towards Canadians who are Black, of Japanese or Chinese descent, which are all horror stories unto themselves.

 

 

There have been numerous protest songs over the years, written by or about First Nations people in Canada.  I would like to link to all the lyrics, but most are not available (especially the first, which is impossible to transcribe).  Songs and links are below the fold.

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A Word To Define: Maplewashing

Maplewashing is, according to wikipedia (apologies for not having a better source):

Maplewashing or maple washing (a portmanteau of maple and “whitewash”) refers to a tendency by Canadian governments, institutions, and media to perpetuate the notion that Canada is morally superior to other countries, thus sanitizing and concealing negative historical and contemporary actions.

Institutions includes “education systems”, libraries, public records, chamberpots of commerce, and others.  But that definition fails to include the growing public individual and mob tendency to assume and claim Canada has been and remains infallible.  The country no longer aspires to do better, we wrongly assume that it is better than other nations.

Witness the rise of poppy fascism over the last 20 years, the willingness to ape the worst nationalistic tendencies of the UK, US and other countries. Poppy fascism (the forced wearing of poppies or face harassment and violence) is the Canadian and UK equivalent of US flag fascism (mandatory lapel pins, violence against flag burners).

Noticeably, flag waving nationalism grows in Canada every time Canadian terrorists . . . I’m sorry, “military” have been exposed as committing war crimes and other human rights abuses.  It grew after the Canadian military abused and tortured Somalis in the 1990s, in Serbia where they stood by and did nothing as mass genocide happened, and after Canadian participation in war crimes in Afghanistan. It’s as if people would rather deflect than genuflect.

The fiction of “Canadian do-gooders” likely began in 1957 with then-foreign minister (later prime minister) Lester Pearson’s invention of “peacekeepers” to police the Suez Canal, and Pearson winning a Nobel Peace Prize for it. In reality, the Canadian military in Egypt were there to do the bidding of the UK.  It was all about controlling “our oil under their sand”.  That “peace prize” was as much parody as Kissinger being given one.

“Heritage minutes” is a long series of propaganda designed to create the fiction of a “noble country” that can and has done no wrong.  Or when we did, “that wasn’t us”.  Apparently the propaganda I and others learnt in public high schools wasn’t enough in some people’s eyes.  They wanted millions of public money to pay for national indoctrination.

Heritage Minutes: History, culture, and propaganda

Accounting for Histories: 150 Years of Canadian Maple Washing

What does a racist look like, as the anti-racist protester asked in the item below?

Me.  We’re all racist, and we had better acknowledge and stop pretending.  If you benefit from systems of racism, you are one, even if you know it or not, actively participate or not.  You can’t solve a problem if you don’t admit to having one, and Canada’s problem is a history of racism as bad as any nation in the world.

The Conversation: Dear white people, wake up: Canada is racist

Approximately 4,000 people gathered at Vancouver’s City Hall on Aug. 19 to protest an anti-immigration and anti-Muslim white nationalist rally. They far out-numbered the white nationalist demonstrators. Later, one counter-protester interviewed by CBC-TV news said: “I’ve never seen a racist.”

Did that counter-protester come to the rally hoping to see a racist? What do racists look like, anyway? Are they easily identifiable? Perhaps he was imagining a stereotypical neo-Nazi?

Although his statement was naive and problematic, it actually reflects common misunderstandings of white supremacy and racism in Canada.

It also reflects the mythical Canadian narrative of inclusivity and diversity. Canadians widely believe their country to be a peaceful, multicultural country without racism.

The University of Toronto published the following document (PDF) on the racist systems within Canada during the first half of the 20th century, what they are how they were constructed.  From the inside front page:

COLOUR-CODED: A LEGAL HISTORY OF RACISM IN CANADA 1900–1950

Historically Canadians have considered themselves to be more or lessfree of racial prejudice. Although this perception has been challenged inrecent years, it has not been completely dispelled. In Colour-Coded,Constance Backhouse illustrates the tenacious hold that white supremacyhad on our legal system in the first half of this century, and underscoresthe damaging legacy of inequality that continues today.

Backhouse presents detailed narratives of six court cases, each givingevidence of blatant racism created and enforced through law. The casesfocus on Aboriginal, Inuit, Chinese-Canadian, and African-Canadianindividuals, taking us from the criminal prosecution of traditional Abo-riginal dance to the trial of members of the ‘Ku Klux Klan of Kanada.’From thousands of possibilities, Backhouse has selected studies thatconstitute central moments in the legal history of racism in Canada. Herselection also considers a wide range of legal forums, including adminis-trative rulings by municipal councils, criminal trials before police magis-trates, and criminal and civil cases heard by the highest courts in theprovinces and by the Supreme Court of Canada.

The extensive and detailed documentation presented here leaves nodoubt that the Canadian legal system played a dominant role in creatingand preserving racial discrimination. A central message of this book isthat racism is deeply embedded in Canadian history despite Canada’sreputation as a raceless society.

Constance Backhouse is Professor of Law at the University of WesternOntario and author of Petticoats and Prejudice: Women and Law in Nine-teenth-Century Canada.

And this is without addressing Canada’s role in the ongoing environmental collapse.  Canadian consumption and waste of energy and resources is among the highest per capita in the world, the worst among any country with more than 10 million people.  We have been labelled “hewers of wood and drawers of water” to describe our dependency on natural resources which overlooked the mining industry: oil, metals, uranium, and asbestos which have poisoned the planet.

There are some useful images below the fold.

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Let’s Backtrack: “Dragonslayer” at 40

Yes, more frivolous stuff.

The film “Dragonslayer” was released on June 26, 1981, forty years ago.  A box office failure at the time, it has gone on to be a cult classic. Its titular dragon, Vermithrax Pejorative, is considered one of the greatest dragons in film history, all done with practical effects.  The film scores highly on Rotten Tomatoes.

The movie raised eyebrows in 1981 for its partial nudity because this was a Disney co-production, alongside Paramount. It stars Peter MacNicol (Ally McBeal, Numbers) as Galen, a sorcerer’s apprentice; Caitlin Clarke, a widely regarded stage actress; and Ralph Richardson, one of the three giants of British stage theatre (along with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier). MacNicol actually hates the movie, and doesn’t list it on his CV. But many in hollywood love the film, especially for its special effects and believable fictional medieval setting.

A review found on wikipedia says:

Dragonslayer is a compelling and often brilliant fantasy film; it is also, however, a movie which is at odds with the normal internal structure of the typical “hero myth”. It first tries hard to evoke a certain time and place and then tries just as hard to reject the necessary, and expected, limitations its particular setting and historical era impose. To put it bluntly, Dragonslayer is not content to conform to the strictures of the genre and to tell a rousing good story; it seeks, as well, to impose modern sensibilities on its medieval characters and plot—twentieth-century political, sociological, and religious sensibilities which only serve to dilute its particular strengths.

– Von Gunden, Kenneth Flights of Fancy: The Great Fantasy Films, McFarland, 1989

I disagree.  As allegory, it makes brilliant political and social commentary of today without breaking the fourth wall.  The willingness to challenge the audience and make them think without relying on tropes is a breath of fresh air.  Why should movies set in fictional lands (especially fantasy tales) follow real-life medieval history?  This was a far more interesting and better made film than most “swords and sorcery” films of the era (e.g. Conan, Krull, Clash Of The Titans).

This was one of the film’s trailers.

The full film in was uploaded (illegally) to youtube, in widescreen format:

It Never Ends: Canadian government racism, again

FACE?  Farce would be more like it, because it’s an absolute joke.  Individuals and entities like FACE do this because they were permitted to do impose their personal bigotry and racism upon Black Canadians.

Yes, permitted, because the government didn’t explicitly instruct, train, threaten, and warn them not to do it.  When people are left unsupervised without accountability, they can and will impose their own personal bigotries where they have no right to put them.

 

Black business owners raise concerns about government loan fund

Community members claim lack of transparency, intrusive questions and lack of government oversight

Some Black business people say a new government program meant to bolster Black entrepreneurship is hard to access, offers unclear repayment terms and asks invasive questions about applicants’ sexuality.

[. . .]

The government contract to administer the fund was awarded to the Federation of African Canadian Economics (FACE), a non-profit incorporated in late January. The newly formed organization is headquartered in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Montreal riding of Papineau and is an umbrella organization for five black community based groups.

[. . .]

Toronto-based clothing designer Julz Ossom, who also applied for funding, said he was shocked when the online application form asked him to state his sexual orientation.

“Whether you are gay, whether you are bi, heterosexual, I’m like, am I coming for money?” he said. “Because the established banks, RBC, TD, Scotia, don’t ask you these questions.”

Talent agency owner John Campbell said he was also alarmed by the question about sexual orientation. “We found many of the questions infringed upon the Canadian Human Rights Act, for example, sexual orientation and preference,” Campbell wrote in an open letter to FACE he shared with CBC News.

“The purpose of the loan was to help the community; however, the process is negatively impacting mental health.”

Privacy Died: It’s called ‘digitization’ because their fingers are into everything

The Canadian government is intent on eliminating paper currency, forcing everyone to use electronic cards without choice.  There is only one potential benefit of government issued banking cards, but only IF it’s part of the plan: the end of user fees.  Currently, people and businesses are charged fees to use electronic payments.  You have to pay money in order to pay money.

Cash is free and anonymous, unlike card payments.  Making electronic money mandatory and still charging fees is worse than the current situation.  (Never mind the vulnerabilities of an insecure, flawed and unwieldy system that almost inevitably will be hacked.)

Bank of Canada: The road to digital money

We’re looking ahead to imagine how we’ll pay for things in the future.

Do you use cash?

How often does the cashier just hand over the debit machine when you pay for your morning coffee? Some even seem surprised if you give them cash.

Last year in Canada, people used cash for only 1 in 3 transactions. That’s down from more than half just 10 years ago. And Canada’s not alone. In many countries, people use cash less often.

It’s hard to imagine this trend reversing—especially since cash isn’t an option when people shop online.

There is no privacy when your money can be tracked to every purchase.  Everything you buy, every company you do business with, everywhere you go and what time you were there will be tracked and that information stored.  And likely, collected and distributed without your consent.

Why is this a concern?  Because governments can use data mining to monitor citizens and their actions.

Protesters: People who travel and partake in protests against the G7 and other events could be tracked.  Imagine job loss due to false charges, false arrests, harassment by the RCMP.  Governments already film and photograph protesters to identify them at rallies.  Imagine being able to match purchases and locations with people already “suspected” of supporting human rights (e.g. gas stations, plane travel, restaurants, hotels, etc.).  Spooks and cops wouldn’t have to show up and mingle in crowds anymore.

False assertions and damage to reputations: Trans people buy clothes that don’t match the assigned gender at birth.  Some adults buy sex toys for private enjoyment.  Would a right wing government false equate these these people with pedophilia and enter them into criminal databases?  Of course they would.  And once you’re in such databases, you’re permanently assumed guilty even if you’re exonerated, never charged or convicted of a crime.

Predictive policing: And what about governments connecting dots that are unrelated?  Imagine a sports trainer buying cold packs or a farmer buying fertilizer, things which contain nitrates, and these people own diesel vehicles.  They could be falsely assumed to be making and ANFO bomb, especially if they’re muslim.  “Predictive policing” is an abysmal failure and a violation of human rights made even worse when it’s not “crime” cops and governments target but human rights, free speech, “other religions” and vulnerable minorities.

Collaboration with foreign governments: What if Ottawa decides to “share” information to foreign countries?  If foreign nationals temporarily within Canadian borders buying things that the other country deems “illegal” (e.g. alcohol)?  For example, South Korea will criminally charge their citizens if they test positive for marijuana, even if it was legal in the country where it was smoked.  Or what about an LGBTQIA foreigner living openly in Canada who returns home to a regime that will imprison, torture or kill them based on data they were given?

 

 

Would the Canadian government sell out people’s privacy to foreign governments?  It already does, part of the “Five Eyes” spy network.  What’s one more as part of a trade deal?  Trudeau has done nothing to get Raif Badawi out of Saudi Arabia and end his torture; if the regime asked for data on his wife or others as a condition of an oil trade, do you think they wouldn’t?  With a database of people, they could easily sell what other countries want.

When money and “national interests” are involved, the human rights of individuals go out the window.  “The human rights of a few dozen people is part of the cost of doing business” isn’t far from the truth.  That’s how China operates now.

 

 

If I were back in Canada now and had significant wealth, I would seriously consider getting C$10,000 to C$20,000 in cash.  I expect a grey and black market to form, with people storing currency and trade cash for things they want to buy without trace.  Paper currency won’t disappear overnight as India’s incompetent government did a few years ago with its banknote demonetization.

Ottawa would likely phase out bills and coins over several years, so it will still be traded.  Pennies were permanently phased out a few years ago, but can still be deposited as cash at banks right now and into the future.  So once paper is completely eliminated from “legal” trade, I don’t expect it to disappear.  It could become the new Crappy Tire money, still accepted by many on those grey and black markets.

Selectively Enforced: Canada’s new hate speech law

Bill C-36 is allegedly an anti-hate speech law.  But given the history of Dustbin Trudeau and his regime (trying to criminalize criticism of Israel, criminalize BDS or labelling it an apartheid state), one should expect it to be misused and applied to those the government disapproves of.

Canada didn’t need a new hate speech law. It needed the existing one to be enforced.

From the CBC:

Ottawa outlines new legislation to define and crack down on online hate speech

The Trudeau government is proposing legal changes intended to curb online hate speech and make it easier for the victims of hate speech to launch complaints.

The proposed Bill C-36 includes an addition to the Canadian Human Rights Act that the government says will clarify the definition of online hate speech and list it as a form of discrimination.

“These changes are designed to target the most egregious and clear forms of hate speech that can lead to discrimination and violence,” said Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti at a Wednesday evening news conference.

“They do not target simple expressions of dislike or disdain that pepper everyday discourse, especially online.”

The amended act would define hate speech as “content that expresses detestation or vilification of a person or group,” including over the internet.

The new definition is said not to include offensive language more broadly. It also excludes content that hurts, humiliates or expresses dislike or disdain. Private communications are also exempt.

How likely will this be used against environmentalists criticizing corporations?  Against First Nations people criticizing the catholic cult and its mass murder of children?

 

The Ups And Downs Continue: What’s happening locally

The Ups: Taiwan’s dire water shortage has levelled off, though it could happen again.

I’ve mentioned Taiwan’s drought before and its effect on the semiconductor industry.  Without rain, chip supplies worldwide would have ground to a halt.  Thankfully, the Plum Rains and a minor typhoon have passed over and refilled our reservoirs.  But have the government and industry learnt their lesson, accepted climate change, and the need for producing Taiwan’s water instead of depending on rain?

With a few exceptions, all the major reservoirs in Taiwan are now at 40% capacity or higher, most of them well over 60% or better.  Some of those now full were at less than 20% at the start of May, most notable Sun Moon Lake which had turned into a mud flat.  Unfortunately, the largest reservoir at the south, Agongdian, serves Kaohsiung, the second largest city.  It is currently at 0.3%.  That’s not a typo.

And predictably, some people are whining about all the rain.  Fer crying out loud, we’re under lockdown and nobody can go anywhere, so why complain?  Speaking of lockdown. . .

The Up: Taiwan’s COVID-19 numbers have vastly improved.

A month ago, new cases were numbering 500 and deaths as high as 34 every day.  Because of many closures and limited movement, the numbers have improved to the point where schools and businesses could fully reopen by September 1 or earlier.

Unfortunately, there are selfish and arrogant people still around.  A massage parlour (read: hand job parlour) was operating illegally, and fined NT$300,000.  The owner refused to pay and to his dismay, the banks obliged the government by turning over the money from his multiple accounts.

Gambling dens have also been operating, with large numbers of bettors present.  Normally the police turn a blind eye to gang related activity such as this, but the spread of COVID-19 has made them willing to crack down where (for reasons I won’t say aloud) they otherwise wouldn’t.

There are still a number of selfish people causing minor outbreaks, but most get the message.  One of the biggest problems is what to do with the homeless because many have tested positive but the government can’t justify simply locking them up without having committed a crime.

Millions of vaccines doses have landed in Taiwan over the last few weeks, enough that half the population should be inoculated by the start of the school year.  The locally produced Medigen vaccine is also awaiting approval and could be available within a month.

The Down: Financial hardships are hitting many people.

Taiwan has finished its sixth week of lockdown thanks to selfish individuals (pilots, lions’ club members, a hotel that did not follow health protocols) who believed they were exempt from rules that others have to follow.  I really hope they get prison sentences, not just fines.

The closure of many service businesses has left people without income.  Some financial assistance is being offered to people, enough to last a month.  Either the government expects this to be under control soon or doesn’t want people see this as lasting months.

The government’s first priority is, of course, Taiwanese citizens and businesses.  That was expected, so was their priority of those with permanent residency permits.  What wasn’t expected was the complete abandonment of all other labour.  It is only after much uproar amongst foreigners that assistance is finally being extended to them.

Another issue causing outrage is the treatment of factory labourers and other blue collar workers, many of whom come from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc.  They are not allowed the same freedom of movement as white collar workers from wealthier countries, being labelled a form of apartheid, and I agree with that label.  These people are being locked into their dorms and homes when not working, barely given any time to shop for food let alone move about the way I or other white collar workers can.

Personally, I could last without work until November or December, then I’d have to think about leaving.  (I’d like to ask for a handout, but that would just be a debt I’d have to repay.)  Many of my friends and people I know are reaching the breaking point. Without immediate income in the next few weeks, they and probably thousands of others will have to pack up and leave.  This is a brain drain that will place the cost of replacing skilled workers on employers instead of keeping them here at much lower cost.

One more positive: My employer has submitted the paperwork for me to be vaccinated.  Now I wait for the call.  Most foreigners are supposed to do it themselves, but for those who cannot speak the language and the registration system is online only, getting on the list is difficult.

Let’s Backtrack: Steve McQueen’s film “Le Mans” turns 50

In a week of appalling news everywhere, I feel guilty for talking about something superficial, but. . . .

“Le Mans” was released on June 23, 1971, and (depending on whom you ask) is the greatest motorsports film ever made.  It was McQueen’s pet project, a film that almost drove him into personal bankruptcy to produce.  His dialogue in the trailer is legendary:

This isn’t just a thousand to one shot. This is a professional bloodsport. And it can happen to you. And then it can happen to you again.

[. . .]

A lot of people go through life doing things badly. Racing’s important to men who do it well. When you’re racing, it’s life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting.

 

McQueen plays Michael Delaney, driving for the Porsche team, under orders to ensure one of the team’s cars wins, whether his or another.  After a crash in which his car is destroyed, Delaney takes over for a driver in another team Porsche (which in real life would not be permitted) and continues the race.

The film is remarkable for how it was filmed: during the 1970 Le Mans race as well as post race filming.  McQueen, a competitive driver who finished second at the 12 Hours of Sebring in spring 1970, was a registered entrant at the 1970 Le Mans race in a Porsche 917K.  Much of the film used in the movie came from this and other cars.  Other scenes (crashes, head to head competition against his rival) were filmed at other locations using mock-up cars similar to Le Mans entrants.  The racing and practical effects crashes are some of the best ever filmed and have aged well.

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They Can Wait: Let’s get our priorities in order

In British Columbia during the last week, four catholic churches imposed on First Nations land have been burnt down, two of them on Monday or Tuesday, and two more on Saturday.  This, after the doors of a catholic cathedral in Saskatchewan were painted with hands and the words “WE WERE CHILDREN”.

I won’t condone or condemn the arsons or “vandalism” in Saskastchewan.  But I have no patience for anyone who views “property damage” as a priority for investigation.  I have no patience for anyone who views a victimless “crimes” as more important than the identification and naming of a thousand dead (and probably murdered) children.  Buried in mass graves, the families were likely never told that their children died, let alone when or false claims of how.

Worse yet, the catholic cult committed a crime by removing the headstones of the graves, to prevent identification.  They wanted not only to cover up their crimes but to take away those children’s names and make them unidentifiable.

From The Guardian, June 22:

Two Catholic churches destroyed by fire on First Nations reserves in Canada

Two Catholic churches on First Nations reserves in western Canada have been destroyed by overnight fires that investigators are treating as suspicious.

Early Monday morning, fires consumed both the Sacred Heart church, on territory of the Penticton Indian Band and the St Gregory’s church, on the territory of the Osoyoos Indian Band. Both churches, constructed largely of wood, were more than a century old.

The fires, which occurred hours apart, happened on National Indigenous Peoples Day – and come nearly a month after the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation found what they believe are the remains of 215 children in unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school.

From CBC, June 26:

2 more Catholic churches burned down in B.C.’s Interior

Two more Catholic churches on reserves in British Columbia’s southern Interior burned down Saturday morning.

Lower Similkameen Indian Band Chief Keith Crow says he received a call at about 4 a.m. PT that the Chopaka church was on fire. By time he arrived about 30 minutes later, it had burned to the ground.

[. . .]

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, previously told CBC News there are “mixed emotions” about the Catholic Church among Penticton Indian Band members.

Phillip said some members of the community have “an intense hatred for the Catholic Church in regard to the residential school experience.”

751 dead is likely a fraction of the real number.  The catholic cult held sway and controlled not just the “residential schools” but also the entire public school system in some provinces.

Dustbin Trudeau is issuing mealy mouthed apologies to avoid any meaningful action on this (e.g. raiding the cult’s offices, seizing documents, properties and bank accounts).  The cult has previously stolen money intended for victims of its abuses.  And it was Dustbin’s previous majority government that intentionally (it wasn’t an “error” or “misstep”) let the catholic cult off from ever paying reparations to First Nations people.

Legal misstep lets Catholic Church off hook for residential schools compensation

The landmark settlement agreement required 50 Catholic groups that ran the schools, known in court documents as the Catholic entities, to pay a combined $79-million for their role in the abuse.

Of that, $29-million was to be paid in cash, most of which was to flow to a now-closed Aboriginal Healing Foundation. Another $25-million was to be donated in unspecified “in kind” services. And an additional $25-million was to be raised for healing programs through the “best efforts” that the entities could make at fundraising.

In an attempt to make the Catholic Church pay the full amount of the $29-million cash settlement, the government inadvertently released it from any obligation it might have had to continue with a dismal fundraising campaign.

“When you have a deal, it needs to be implemented,” said Bill Erasmus, the National Chief of the Dene Nation who handles the residential schools file for the Assembly of First Nations. “So the Church should be paying up. The church agreed there were harms. That’s why people were to be compensated.”

But, as of last summer, the Catholic entities were legally off the hook.

In a March 19 letter to Ron Kidd, a concerned citizen from British Columbia who has been following this case, Andrew Saranchuk, an assistant deputy minister within the Indigenous Affairs department, explained that a court settlement reached on July 16, 2015 “released the Catholic entities from all three of their financial obligations under the settlement agreement, including the ‘best efforts’ fundraising campaign, in exchange for a repayment of $1.2-million in administrative fees.”

This wasn’t incompetence, it was complicity.  Dustbin Trudeau is a catholic cultist himself.

At Least One Good Thing Happened Recently

Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for murdering George Floyd, a man he knew personally and had conflicted with in the past.  They were not strangers, it was a personal vendetta.  That sentence is insufficient, but it’s better than nothing, which is what cops usually get despite committing murders far more egregious.  Other charges against Chauvin are still pending, and if those judges want to send a message, make them consecutive sentences.

Chauvin deserves the worst possible detention.  Put him in a SHU cell, solitary confinement with no human contact except for guards, lawyers, and doctors.  I doubt he’ll get family visits after his 40%er wife left, but ok.  Make sure it’s a suicide proof cell, don’t give him an easy out like Ariel Castro.  Sadly, Minnesota has banned the serving of nutraloaf, or I’d recomment that as his diet.

“Cruel”?  Hardly.  He took Floyd’s life out of personal revenge and believed he could get away with it.  His prison sentence is more life than he allowed George Floyd.

Deny, Lie And Decry: Cue the blame shifting and gaslighting

Another thought on the thousand First Nations children found mass murdered and buried by the catholic church at “residential schools” in the last few months:

I have no doubt some will ignorantly and dismissively ask, “why didn’t the parents say something or call the cops if their children were missing?”

Their children were kidnapped at gunpoint by the Canadian government, by the Racist Corrupt Misogynistic Pricks (RCMP) and forcibly placed into those rape camps…I’m sorry, “residential schools” against the will of the children and parents.  Any parents who resisted would be arrested and sent to jail, their children taken anyway. Who, exactly, were they going to appeal to for help?

What do you think would happen if the parents of the missing children asked for their return, asked to contact or visit them?  They would have been denied, the uncivil servants at best ignoring them and at worst using the violence of the system to silence the parents and families.  As if they would ever get an honest answer from the provincial and federal governments which kidnapped children.

And that’s assuming they didn’t try. Unless I hear otherwise, I will assume and believe that they DID try to get answers but were ignored.  They are human beings who cared about their children, they wouldn’t abandon them if they went missing.  They asked for investigations, asked where their children were, and were never given an answer.

These people were powerless to do anything, confronted, blocked and threatened by a racist system of racist cops, racist governments, and racist, rapist and mass murdering catholic cultists.  Argentina had “death flights”, Chile and Spain had the “disappeared”, and Canada had children at residential schools.

It’s times like this I wished I believed in a hell.

Don’t Even Try: You can be sure to hear misplaced ‘outrage’

A recent picture of St. Paul’s Cathedral in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan:

Cue the religious fanatics and their faux outrage, calling this “vandalism” and saying “we must address this before dealing with a thousand dead First Nations children”.

Imagine how quickly the federal government would be responding if a thousand dead white children were found on or around First Nations lands in the span of three months. Probably with guns, pepper spray and nightsticks in hand, as they did in 2020 when the Wet’suwet’en people protested against the Coastal GasLink pipeline project.

Instead all we’ve heard from Dustbin Trudeau is a pathetic “please apologize” to the catholic cult, the same cult he let off the hook in 2016 from ever having to pay reparations.