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My Unbroken Canada
(Cartoon by Graeme MacKay in The Hamilton Spectator) I find it hard to watch Canadian television these days because at some point the program Pierre Poilievre shows up, telling us that “Canada is broken”. I don’t think we really need an election right now, but honestly, I might welcome one if only because it will…
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Elon Musk – Locomotive, or Train Wreck?
What do you think of Elon Musk? I see him as a compelling figure in today’s world, but, like many of his billionaire caste, he appears to be both brilliant and deeply flawed. His fortune goes up and down depending on the latest quoted value of various stocks that he owns. In November of 2021, he was…
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The Changing Shape of Conservatism
What is a conservative in Canada? There was a time when I would have answered that question in economic, financial terms, and I think many others might have agreed with that. Conservatives are wary of increasing the Federal debt, and insistent on prudently balancing the budget. My father used to inveigh against “spending our children’s…
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The Anti-Woke Pierre
cartoon borrowed shamelessly from the Toronto Star What does it mean to be woke? Well, it’s anybody’s guess, really. The term seemed originally to be applied as a celebration of social awareness. If you were concerned about racial equality, if you were concerned about women’s issues, you were woke. Then it grew. If you were…
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What Limits Our Right to Protest?
(Image from the Ottawa Citizen) I’ve been following, (sporadically and with some limits on how much I can take before I’m either bored to tears or frustrated beyond belief) the inquiry into the government’s invocation of the Emergency Act. Certain impressions come to mind. I was pleasantly surprised by the presence of mind and demeanour…
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The Perils of Populism
On April 3rd, Viktor Orban, a “populist” leader, once again won election as the Prime Minister of Hungary. Orban, described as the most dangerous man in the European Union, is a supporter of Vlad the invader. In the flush of victory following his election he identified Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelinsky, who has been critical of…
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Information Sources in the Age of Trump
Of all the disgusting, infuriating, perplexing and dangerous things that Donald Trump has done since he became a political powerhouse, probably none is as dangerous as the destruction of confidence in the mainstream media. If the President can tell the most preposterous lies and get away with it, then it becomes impossible to rely on…
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Is This Really YOUR Convoy?
Dear Trucker, I feel for you. You’re a regular guy, home-maker, family man, responsible citizen of Canada, and you have a beef with vaccine mandates, especially the one which requires unvaccinated truckers to isolate after they cross the border from the USA. You decided you wanted to register a protest, and you chose to join…
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Politicians Fumble the Freedom Convoy Challenge
I have been angered, shamed, disgusted and frankly a little scared at the nonsense that has been displayed in Ottawa and other major cities this week, and I’ve already written a couple of articles about that subject. This one is a little different. I want to examine what triggered the angry response of the mob,…
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What Freedoms do Truckers Lack?
I’ve vented once already about the awful nonsense being spouted around the so-called trucker’s protest, or occupation of Ottawa, but it irritates me so much that I have to do it again. Truckers and their associated Proud Boys and Western Separatists and whoever else is in Ottawa this week, when they’re not waving swastikas or…
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Truckers’ Protest – Deflected and False
This morning I turned on the TV and watched the highlights of the Leafs’ victory over the Anaheim Ducks. I had watched the game last night, of course. One has to swallow a little chagrin over the fact that they once again severely out-shot their opponents but gave up a 3-1 lead and had…
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An Open Letter to Covid Deniers
An Open Letter to Covid Deniers Recently a close acquaintance of mine advised me that he was “so done with all this Covid BS”. He went on to explain that the precautions we’re being asked to take are seemingly illogical and arbitrary, and in his opinion not doing much to make us safer. And he…