2024: The Year Trump Likely Goes To Jail.

In a few words: New York, Washington, D.C., Georgia, Colorado and ironically, Florida. What is it? 91 felony counts. Nine cases and four trials.

This has been fifty years in the making. You know what they say about them chickens. And it's not only him that could go to jail. I wouldn't want to be part of that family. I'll just leave it at that.

Sure, he'll more than likely be the Republican nominee at that point. And then sentencing could come, right smack in the middle of the primaries. 

If Trump gets acquitted across the board, then he's probably the next president. Biden fucked himself by continuing QE since 2008. That was massively inflationary and as a result, Biden cut his own political throat. End of story.

But if Trump ends up in jail, then who becomes the Republican nominee? More than likely his running mate. It won't be DeSantis and not Christie. Haley? Probably not. You know, the lack of loyalty à la Trump. In Trump's world, LOYALTY is always and only a one-way street. 

So...he better be prepared to shit his adult diapers. Those chickens are coming home to roost. Despite his phony bravado, he must already be scared shitless. That, at least, has the Gods smiling broadly.

  

Gaza: The Canadian Blowback.

I want to say that the death of civilians, whether that happens in Gaza, Israel or anywhere else, should always be condemned. The IDF says its operations are done in accordance with international law. I hope so but tell that to the families of the three hostages killed by the IDF.

Meanwhile, Gaza is now way beyond a humanitarian crisis. I don't know what the answer is, but what I want to see is aid coming in for civilians to the greatest extent possible. People are quite literally starving, and most of them are neither Hamas terrorists nor other combatants. 

What I'm not OK with is demonstrations on behalf of Palestine that are not peaceful in nature. This level of intimidation and threats is not acceptable, period. Police are often there but act like bumps on a log. Not acceptable either. 

To my mind, it has come to this: we need to enforce not only the Criminal Code provincially, but also the Immigration Act federally for those who use threats and intimidation as political tactics. Those who do that and happen not to be citizens need to be investigated and ultimately deported to their home countries. Enough is enough. This is Canada, not some undemocratic totalitarian state, and it's time that we stand up for our democratic values and the rule of law. No one else can do it for us. 

XIV Amendment: You Judge For Yourself.

The text of Section 3 is as follows:

Section 3.

"No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability." [Emphasis added.]

The Colorado Supreme Court has disqualified Trump from the 2024 ballot. It was a 4-3 split decision. I have to say that, IMHO, the court erred in law. On my best day, I absolutely loathe Trump, but this ruling is based on the law. Notice how Second 3 speaks of President and Vice President, but does not specifically enumerate those offices as being covered by Section 3. That's point one. 

Follow up this statement with reading out of those two offices: notice how the section specifically enumerates an executive of any state. Given that the President is the Chief Executive of the United States, one would have thought that lawmakers would have specifically enumerated the Chief Executive and the Vice President, the second-highest Executive Officer. But quite clearly, they did not.

As a result, it's my contention that the SCOTUS will likely reverse this judgment. Treason is pretty much at the top of the pecking order, as is insurrection, so both are more than likely covered by High Crimes and Misdemeanours. However, as such, one would think that each political office would be specifically enumerated. The Colorado justices believe that they are not limited to those mentioned in Section 3.  I have my doubts about that.

How do you see it? 

Ukraine: It All Depends On Republicans Not Becoming Traitors To Democracy And Freedom.

One would have thought that the United States permanently learned its lesson during the Second World War that isolationism at home inevitably leads to war. Put in context, Germany under Nazi control overran most of Europe, leaving only the United Kingdom and her allies to carry on the fight. In short, without American involvement -- or at least military and other support -- that war would have been lost.  The point became moot once Pearl Harbour was attacked. That was totalitarianism pushing the United States into the war and, despite horrible casualties but for that act, would America ultimately have joined the forces of good to suppress and stamp out the forces of evil and tyranny? I can only hope so.

Things became so dire in 1940 that Roosevelt was forced to bring in The Lend-Lease Act. This is what the American President said: “We must be the great arsenal of democracy,” Roosevelt declared in one of his signature “fireside chats” on December 29, 1940. “For us, this is an emergency as serious as war itself. We must apply ourselves to our task with the same resolution, the same sense of urgency, the same spirit of patriotism and sacrifice as we would show were we at war.” [Emphasis added.]

Last year, Congress adopted legislation aimed at helping Ukraine fight off Russia in her hour of need. The Ukraine Lend-Lease Act is set to expire this month, with battles raging in the Senate and House about reauthorization. 

I will put it to you that isolationist Republicans are willing acolytes in the struggle to defeat democracy and freedom, both at home and around the world. These are exceedingly dangerous times, with our enemies looking to take maximum advantage of American weakness, or at least her perceived weakness. 

Authoritarian governments have formed an informal de facto legion of demon seeds bent on undermining democracy and freedom worldwide and so far, they're winning that psychological war by a country mile. These people are the very governments who will sleepwalk all humankind right smack into the middle of WWIII. It's coming, as sure as I'm breathing. 

Meanwhile, naive Republicans who care not about American national security are back at playing with the border Dog and Pony show. You know, the B-O-R-D-E-R, the issue that no American president has solved, and no president will EVER be able to solve. Why, you ask? Quite simply, it would require theoretically walling off all of the border at a cost of tens if not hundreds of trillions to the American taxpayer. So, all this MAGA border bullshit is just that, bullshit, just like when phony-baloney Trump said he would "force" Mexico to pay for the wall. Yeah, right. Such an imbecile, but I digress.

But back to Ukraine: every American already knows that Ukraine is not only fighting for its people and its territory. It's also fighting to prevent NATO and the United States from being forced to join in militarily. In other words, Ukraine is doing our dirty-work against Russia. America and NATO get to see how well our systems perform without the loss of a single drop of our own blood. If Ukraine funding is not renewed by Congress, this conflict will inevitably escalate to a point where NATO will have no choice but to get in. Anyone who thinks that Putin will respect NATO borders in the wake of a victory in Ukraine is dreaming. The Baltics and Poland have already been threatened by Russia. With Putin, the only thing that you can take to the bank is when he says he's going to do something, then believe him. 

Putin is salivating, quite literally praying to his dark forces, for a Trump victory in 2024. He has plenty of personal leverage against Trump and knows how to effectively use it. Nothing can be more obvious. So, if or perhaps when Trump wins, watch for Trump to abandon NATO right on Putin's schedule. And then it's finally fireworks time, WWIII, the big one. Europe will be attacked and will quickly be on the brink of losing. That will force the idiot's hand back in DC after the Trump Administration will have previously defunded, weakened and disregarded NATO.

Trump says he can end the Ukraine War in one day. Right, by taking Russia's side and quite deliberately letting Putin win. That's the MAGA Plan, as traitorous as it is to the concepts of democracy and freedom. 

Just look at the countries who are slowing down if not blocking Ukraine's ascension to NATO and the EU. By and large, they're fucking totalitarian regimes. What a coincidence...

I will say it again until I'm literally blue in the face, but Reagan was right: peace through strength! Biden could end this war in a week, but he and the other NATO dullards won't push Putin to the wall. Ask yourself what Putin would do if Ukraine was fast-tracked to NATO membership? Russia would have no choice but to quickly sue for peace, or ultimately go up against all of NATO. Putin can't win in that context, but the fools in Brussels just can't see it.

But back to Senate and House Republicans: you have only two choices. You can fund Ukraine for as long as it takes to fight off the aggressor and invader, or you can pull funding. Do the latter, and you inevitably will move the needle fast-forward toward the next Great War.

Like I said, don't become traitors to democracy and freedom, because if you do, you will bring on a war that will devastate not only our enemies but also our allies, not to mention the United States itself. And by doing so, you will get to join Benedict Arnold in the history books.

Irish PM Varadkar.

What an I-D-I-O-T!

Makes me regret, at least for one day, that I'm Irish.

Trudeau Is Going Nowhere. Absolutely No Surprise There.

It's so nice to have called this right, but then again it was so predictable: in a word, Valiquette, as Communications Executive Director.

Too funny. HimselfTM once again has proven how he's only driven by inflated pride and ego, just like so many of his ministers. Canadians don't want him there, many in cabinet and caucus want him gone, and ditto among the membership. But this guy knows better, so it's the middle digit to all of them! Again, no surprise there.

So, they'll all get to go down together in a likely swan dive. HimselfTM's world revolves only around him, and so be it. Of course, when the history gets written, somehow, someway, he'll have managed to put the blame entirely on someone, ANYONE else he can think of...

Nope, no way, he's no Harper. Taking personal responsibility for the massive upcoming defeat ain't in his DNA or lexicon. Not now, not ever.

Hospitals In Gaza.

In short, tunnels. Hello! To ask the question is to answer it. I mean, the medical staff aren't crazy. They know exactly what will happen to each of them if they don't sing from the No Tunnels hymnbook. Hamas will fucking kill them in a New York minute. Glad I was able to clear that one up for you.

Palestine: Why Biden Is Totally Out To Lunch.

In two words: Abu Mazen. In 2021, Palestinian parliamentary elections and by extension presidential elections were postponed. Mazen has been in power for 18 years, after election to an original four-year term. The level of corruption within the Palestinian Authority is legendary, with close family members of leaders becoming incredibly wealthy. Rumours abound that Mazen himself is worth eight figures. In short, much of the Palestinian people are disgusted with the systemic corruption. Put another way, if presidential and parliamentary elections are ever held, Fatah will likely suffer an intense reckoning at the polls, particularly if Mazen remains as its presidential candidate.

That means that any talk of the PA running things both on the West Bank and eventually in Gaza is dangerous and destabilizing. No wonder Netanyahu views that as a non-starter. The PA needs to clean itself up, but time is running out. Hence, the recent alleged assassination attempt against Mazen, which the PA denies.

Washington and the other Western capitals must tie future aid to systemic and visible reform. No more blank cheques from anyone. Maybe, just maybe, if the West Bank moves towards actual democracy, perhaps there will be hope for a warm peace between Israel and Palestine.  But not before. The autocratic mentality that has flourished in so many other parts of the Middle East is thoroughly entrenched on the West Bank. That's painfully obvious, both in the region and around the world. 

Éric Grenier Said It First Over At The Writ.

Once again, Éric has proven why he's one of the best: he's mused recently about Trudeau possibly going from third right back to third and I, for one, think he's really on target, even if Grenier said we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves. HimselfTM is exactly about only that. Jesus could appear and ask him to resign for the good of his country, party and its members, and it would never happen. Not now, not ever, until the Liberals lose monumentally big, perhaps even in lesser numbers than Ignatieff did. 

Trudeau is all about his humongous ego and overinflated pride, just like quite a few of his ministers, who shall remain nameless. This Prime Minister is well known for overpromising and underdelivering. Blowing smoke is a Trudeau government specialty.

So, Yes, Virginia, Santa Claus is about to bring Trudeau one large holiday lump of coal. Personally, I've never seen a government so good at one thing, digging its own grave. Harper was great at it, but Trudeau has no equal. Simply divine and politically delicious. Why do you think that PhoneyBaloneyTM has already decided to run out the clock and go with the fixed election date? It's because they know that between now and 2025 it’s not recoverable, so they'll painfully stick it out until voters finally kick them to the curb. They think this is 1979 all over again, with an eventual Trudeau rebound in the cards. They're wrong.

Succinctly put, the longer HimselfTM hangs on, the lower Liberal polling numbers will likely go. I really hope Trudeau stays until his mandate runs out. If you think the Conservatives already are in great shape, just wait until we get into 2024 and beyond. No wonder Poilièvre keeps smiling. He has reason to, largely due to this PM and his government's failing and serially adrift policy.  

Taking Them Out.

This is how I expect it to go: the top echelon will be surveilled for at least six months. And then when the first opportunity comes in a third-country, boom, you're dead.

But then again, what do I know?

Trump: If The Left Is Vermin, What Does That Make Him?

It makes Trump the greatest scumbag, piece of shit who ever walked the face of the Earth and that's only on a good day.

Abortion And 2024.

The off off-year election cycle was great for abortion rights advocates in Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia. That quite frankly was a surprise. I wasn't expecting that. Thought inflation and the economy would be the main issues but they weren't. Which brings me to 2024: it won't be independents calling the electoral tune, like usually happens, it will be women, period.

Female turnout will decide who becomes president and that's definitely an unexpected lifeline headed in Biden's direction.

Most of us already wrote him off, against the asshole. But now, it's unexpectedly Morning Again in America with the sun coming out. Meanwhile, said asshole is planning to trample on human rights and wreak havoc on U.S. trade if his fascists once again make it to the White House. God forbid. If only Trump could do the world a huge favour and drop dead. Surely, that's not too much to ask of him now is it?

But back to Biden: he's a dead politician walking right now but what are a majority of women thinking and what will they do next November? Precisely.

My bet is on them both fucking Trump and his sympathetic dimwits in the House. In short, Biden gets re-elected and the Dems take back the House after the pathetic MAGA Clown Show. 

Sure, independent candidates running for president helps Trump but women will massively counteract that electoral trend. Just watch them. 

Women are in the cat bird's seat in 2024. I hope they make the most of it.

Israel: Realpolitik Enemy Number One.

Realpolitik is responsible to a great extent for the underming of Israel's security: it all started with Shalit's release in exchange for over one thousand Palestinian prisoners held in jails.

You see, the national mentality is one of viewing hostages as the highest priority for the Israeli state and that, at least theoretically, is a monumental mistake. 

In war time, your focus should be exclusively on beating and destroying your enemy but not this time. Eliminating Hamas is only Job Two. Hostage return is Job One. The Israeli public absolutely demands nothing less, across party lines.

So, inevitably, national security will be severely damaged if or when the hostages return home. Estimates of Palestinian prisoners run from eight to ten thousand. Just imagine what happens after all of them are released. Not pretty.

Israel is boxed in ahead of time with Hamas coming out as the big winner post the return of Israeli and other Jewish hostages.

You just can't fight the trend and Hamas knows it. We should all hope and pray for the safe return of all hostages but at the same time bemoan this likely precedent. Wait until next time. How much blackmail will Israel have to endure when past once again becomes prologue?

Human life inevitably trumps national security and destruction of one's enemy. Incredibly troubling but a price Israel is seemingly prepared to pay in spades. God help Israel going forward.

Biden's Polls.

As Carville said, these polls are nothing different from most of the others over the last six months. Carville is becoming more and more skeptical that Biden can beat Trump. Meanwhile, Axelrod is not calling for Biden to step aside, but he is willing to speak theoretically on a ticket without Biden. Axe said a third-party challenge from another Democrat will go nowhere.

Distill all of the above, and you get this: few will go on the record hoping that Biden changes his mind and in the end does not run in '24. But it's pretty much crystal clear that most Democratic strategists would breathe one hell of a lot easier if Biden decided to take a powder. 

In short, few believe now that Biden can beat Trump. That remains to be seen if Biden sticks around. Reagan was way behind and came back. Ditto for Clinton. But neither of them had high inflation and an interest rate spike. So, this is sort of new ground, and Biden stays in this race at his peril.

My prediction hasn't changed: I've thought for a while that Biden won't be the Democratic nominee in the end. We'll find out soon enough if I'm a political genius or a total idiot. Stay tuned!

Totally Incredible: Worldwide BLIND Support For Demon Seeds.

Don't give me any more of your fucking bullshit: you're not idiots. You know that he or they are certified demon seeds, agents of evil. You fucking know it, and yet you continue to support him or them. You make excuses for him or them and justify whatever he or they do. What a bunch of demon apologists or active Satan-worshippers. 

And worse than that, when people have the guts to take you on with the absolute truth, you boo, threaten or attack them, sometimes verbally, sometimes not. 

You're becoming fucking Nazis and couldn't care less that you're imitating Nazis. Fucking pathetic. Just wait until you meet your maker. Here's a news flash for all of you. It won't be pretty and definitely won't go as you expect or imagined.

Fucking incredible. That's how Hitler came to power, thanks to people EXACTLY like you, people who behaved the way all of you are behaving. 

Give your fucking heads a shake before it's too late. He and they are going to Hell. If you have any sense left, change your ways now before you ultimately get to join them. 

 

Pence Suspends His Campaign.

In short, the money dried up, which is a crying shame. Pence was both the spoken and unspoken hero on January 6th. Frankly, by his actions, he earned that nomination, but big money felt differently. No question, he would have had my vote in a general if I was an American citizen. I have to hope that Pence is like Reagan: a man who ran twice before he met his destiny.

Good things are to come for Pence. He will keep his faith in God and bide his time. Pence is an American hero, unlike his rivals. That should mean something. Hopefully, Pence will live to fight another day. His country owes him a huge debt of gratitude. But for his actions, it might have once again been civil war time. Americans need to remember that. 

To Pence, I say, look to a better day and God's speed in his political future. 

Israel vs. Hamas.

The IDF has finally gone into Gaza. This is a good versus evil story: take both the Israeli and Palestinian people out of the equation, and then watch what each side has done or continues to do. You will see war crimes, crimes against humanity and other inhuman atrocities. 

Recognize in all cases who committed them first and last. Watch the footage and then tell me with a straight face that Hamas' actions weren't out-and-out terrorism. 

The IDF will make mistakes and kill civilians, but not intentionally. Can the same be said of Hamas? But even Israel as the victim will be held to a high standard on how it conducts this war. 

God is watching. He's already seen what has been done to civilians and he will act accordingly. In other words, an evil end result awaits those who chose to quite deliberately kill civilians. You can count on your God for that. 

Ukraine: Either Way It's WWIII A Coming.

Just love it! I live and breathe solely for the next global war, the one that will destroy the demon seeds and despots who have already aligned with each other in pursuit of the various dictates of evil. In the West, we need to wake up: this won't be a war between one block and another. Rather, it will be a flat out contest for the soul of this planet between the forces of good and those of evil. Full stop, as the Americans say.

That circus in DC is making Republicans look like idiots generally and fascists specifically when it comes to those who no longer support funding for Ukraine. It's almost an action of out-and-out traitors. That's why the dipshits want to split the aid bill to bring succour to the head of the evil empire. These dolts are actually stupid enough not to realize that Ukraine is only the first stop on the road of the head demon seed. Withdraw funding gets you to WWIII one hell of a lot faster than funding does, but either way, we'll get there.

Under the first scenario, Putin will post-Ukraine take on NATO and decisively lose. All the more reason to stay all in with funding to delay as much as possible the inevitable. The Russian capacity to wage effective war needs to be degraded as much as possible. That can't happen if Ukraine funding is pulled. Another reason for continuing funding is quite simply because it's the right thing to do. Ukraine needs quite literally all the matériel, armament and other things it can get to win on the ground, or at least prevent Russia from winning. 

In short, WWII was such a war. WWIII won't be any different. So suck it up, buttercup, and stand with the forces of good. In the eyes of God, that's the only possible choice.

Israel: Glad I'm Not Bibi.

It's not going well for Netanyahu. There's a bit of good news, but the rest is mostly bad: most Israelis don't want to change horse in midstream as total war is waged against Hamas. It's a fight to the finish, and Bibi is secure in his position as Prime Minister.

But polls show that over sixty percent of Israelis want someone else as PM once the war against Hamas is won. They also indicate that his party could lose as much as one third of their seats in the Knesset. Then there's the accountability for a massive Israeli intelligence failure, having missed the terrorist attacks. After the October 1973 war, Meir resigned as PM as Labour was divided. So it could happen again, eventually.

Then there's the matter of Netanyahu's view of Hamas as a counterweight to Fatah and the Palestinian Authority. By allowing Hamas to rule in Gaza, the PA was undermined as settlements increased in The West Bank, and that in effect put the kibosh on the establishment of a Palestinian state. It was a divide and conquer strategy. Ultimately, it perhaps incited tragedy as terrorism was unleashed on Israel by Hamas.

Fortunately, most of the civilized world is standing full square with Israel. It will be a long, hard, bloody slog with significant military and paramilitary losses on both sides. Israel and Palestine have already experienced huge civilian losses and unfortunately, a lot more are to come. But the IDF will do its job in Gaza. They're confident they can root out Hamas. The odds are likely in their favour, but the finality of destroying Hamas is not a certainty. That remains to be seen as this war against terrorism continues.   

Hamas Terrorism.

No question, what has happened is akin to, if not quite literally, war crimes and crimes against humanity. None of this can be undone, unseen or unsaid. As has been noted elsewhere, this is the greatest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust, and it needs to be, at the very least, thoroughly condemned. This is a no-excuses zone, a place where qualification is not in order. It is quite literally a test of each person's humanity.

To think of the suffering and death related to this tragedy is almost too much to bear on an individual, family and even societal level. These were indeed vile, indecent and inhumane deeds. No question about that. 

It will get far worse long before it gets better, as the IDF enters Gaza in search of the terrorists. Military casualties along with civilian ones are likely to be of an order infrequently seen in previous regional conflicts. The IDF will pay as heavy a price as is necessary to destroy Hamas in Gaza. In fact, the resolve of all Israel expects nothing less. So, the IDF will do what it has to do. Going in, no one really knows how it will turn out. But the justification is there, and that's all that matters now.

Both collectively and individually, the strain is almost too much to bear, especially in Israel and for civilians in Gaza. The grieving process will be long, bitter and life changing. For those of us in the West, difficult days, weeks and months lie ahead as well as the fight continues. But Israel is confident it can accomplish its mission, and few doubt it. 

For my part, after a week of roller coaster emotions and incredible sadness, I have a binary choice ahead: either detach mentally or quite literally risk going crazy. Far be it from me to tell others what to do, but in my case, the time for almost complete emotional investment must necessarily come to an end. 

None of this changes the fact that this is indeed a war between good and evil. That is an ever present constant in all of this, coupled with who started this war, Hamas. I will let the IDF do its work, as it must, while hoping for a minimum of civilian casualties on both sides. 

Hamas opted for terrorism and a war on Israel. The IDF will finish it.

Hamas Attack On Israel.

This attack must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. Diplomatic and economic sanctions must be the order of the day. The minute civilians are the target of attacks, you lose all credibility and justification for initiating attacks. Hamas has hurt itself far more than it could ever potentially hurt Israel. This puts the final nail in the already distant prospect of seeing a Palestinian state. Without a doubt, Israel will close ranks and win this war. Hamas already knows that, and yet they proceeded with these terrorist attacks anyway. 

House Republicans: They're Passing For Dolts That Can't Properly Run A Lemonade Stand.

Too funny. McCarthy is out and God knows who's about to come in. The Gang of Eight preferred to blow up the place than to get on with the nation's business. Scalise vs. Jordan. They say it's a tight race, but that's bullshit: most Republicans are pissing mad at what Gaetz pulled. So that can only benefit Scalise, you know, the only true adult in the race. One moron has even nominated Trump. What a dipshit. Well, actually, two dipshits.

McCarthy thought Democrats would save his sorry ass in the end. That wasn't ultra-bright to coin an expression. So now, the bitter fool is moving to take away Democratic offices. Classy as hell. Petty. I won't miss him as speaker, not one minute.

Anyone with a brain has already figured out that this soap opera has only narrowed the majority's chances of remaining the majority in 2024. So, it was a good day for Democrats. No question. 

House Republicans better get their shit together and fast. Otherwise, it's likely back to minority status. They have one week to begin the process which will potentially restore their credibility. Better get it right and then keep their eyes on the prize: governing responsibly. If they don't, the future will be an inevitable repeat of the recent past. That's what keeps Democrats smiling.

English Canada: Happy Now?

It isn't bad enough that I've had to be screaming at you all by my lonesome since 1982 to repair the constitutional obscenity. But No, you collectively decided to respond Fuck You.

Well now, them chickens have finally come home and upended Quebec politics for good. The Quebec Liberals are finished, never to form government ever again. They're now nothing more than an anglophone rump party. Think Reform or Canadian Alliance.

In short, the CAQ is already dead. It's not a question  of if but only a matter of WHEN. The PQ will form the next government with a new referendum more than likely in a second mandate and this time, they will win it.

Like the Yanks say, you snooze, you lose. The fools have been collectively snoring since 19 fucking 82! Now, it's the beginning of the end. The piper has started to play and must be paid.

So...Yes, I will be petty as hell. Told you, until I was blue in the face so many times I lost count. 

The boobs in Ottawa need a reality check and this should just about do it. Mulroney was right. All of you were wrong. We're finally getting what we so richly deserve. Boo, hoo, hoo.

Victoire Du PQ Dans Jean-Talon.

Ce n'est que le début de la fin pour la CAQ.

Trump: Pond Scum.

Enough, is fucking enough! This is what Trump said about the retired CJCS:

 “This guy turned out to be a Woke train wreck who, if the Fake News reporting is correct, was actually dealing with China to give them a heads-up on the thinking of the President of the United States. This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!”

Mr. Bone Spur isn't fit to be in the same room as Milley, a war hero, who served his country with distinction to the best of his abilities -- a man who gave 110% every day while in the top job.

So...to MAGA Republicans and the Republican cowards, with a few exceptions, running against Trump, I say HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH? Will you keep making excuses for this POS? Try being an American patriot for a change, like Milley, rather than a partisan lackey and excuse-maker. The United States of America should mean everything to you, and preserving the union should be your number one priority. The politicians should always mean next to nothing, whether Republican or Democrat. Just imagine all those veterans who are looking down from heaven for making the ultimate sacrifice and preserving worldwide democracy. They must be practically ashamed in unison that a so-called man like Trump ever made it to the White House.

Remember the old saying: If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.

Trump's life story. Il Duce, America's jackass.

McCarthy: The Paper Tiger Is Likely Going Down.

McCarthy said he would put America first, and that's what he did. The can got kicked down the road again for at least 45 days, thanks to Democratic votes. Ninety Republicans voted against it. McCarthy earlier had suffered a defeat as his appropriations bill meant primarily to deal with border issues was voted down by Democrats along with twenty-one Republicans.

And how did Mr. Spine respond? None of those twenty-one will be kicked out of the HRC caucus. No kidding. McCarthy reminds me of a bagpipe player. No matter what he does, the bag gets squeezed tighter and tighter. Next up, a motion to vacate the speakership, courtesy of Gaetz and company. If all Democrats and five Republicans vote aye, then McCarthy is gone. Do I think the MTV is coming? I sure do, and I expect McCarthy may go down. They say the votes aren't there to remove him. I don't believe that.

For my part, I'm pretty much with Burchett: why hasn't Congress passed a budget for thirty years? Sure, budget cuts are absolutely necessary. They should be done across the board with no sacred cows: no exemption for DOD, the border or anything else. But Congress will never do that. 

As for Ukraine funding: dissidents are playing into Putin's hands, the guy who has Trump in his pocket. Ask yourselves why? To ask the question is to answer it. Blackmail. Just look at Trump's body language whenever he was in the room with TheHeadDemonSeedTM...

Wake up Republicans! Here are your only two choices: you can keep funding Ukraine now, or stop and then get to fight Putin later. Because as sure as I'm breathing, if Ukraine doesn't stop Russia, the United States inevitably will have to. It's either a war via proxy, or WWIII in the end, with all the Western democracies in. So, pick your poison. Remember that isolationists are absolute and naive fools on their best day. That's how Pearl Harbour got attacked, thanks to isolationism in America.    

For Greg.

I'm not a member, just to be perfectly clear. But one of my friends is a 32nd. I keep telling him that God and providence will make him a 33rd soon enough. He doesn't seem to have any faith in my prediction.

Thank you, Greg for all that you've done on your website, blog and interviews to truly help people. I can give you no higher compliment than that. 

Notice How Freeland Isn't Resigning.

Rota. The fall guy. Plain and simple. No accountability for Freeland. Imagine that.

Phoney assholes. Like I said, there's no way Freeland hadn't heard of the First Ukrainian Division. Not a chance.

So, Freeland gets a pass. Tell that to the Ukrainians, Poles, etc.

Oh and by the way, when's the Chinese inquiry starting? Exactly.

Hunka, Rota And Freeland.

What a national disgrace. Those fools giving a standing ovation in Parliament to an alleged Nazi. Rota, is backtracking now and apologizing for his and his staff's personal stupidity, not to mention incompetence. Is this the kind of guy we should have as Speaker? Seriously. The mind quite simply boggles. He really is a perfect representation of his Prime Minister, but that's a post for another day.

Various Canadian and international Jewish groups demanded an apology. They got a half-hearted one, you know, the kind that tries to put lipstick on a pig. In other words, a Justin Trudeau type apology. Not fucking good enough! Rota needs to take personal responsibility and resign. The thing Trudeau cabinet ministers never do. I'm surprised they haven't yet managed to blame it on Poilièvre, or Harper. Their usual playbook.

As for Freeland, word has it that she's at least half Ukrainian-Canadian. Come on, a journalist who specialized in foreign affairs policy, not previously aware of what The First Ukrainian Division was and with whom they sided in the war. Simply not credible. Freeland also needs to resign yesterday.

Things are going just great for the IdiotGovernmentTM. One time bomb after another. No one deserves it more. Just think of all those sub-Ignatieff number of seats they'll get in the next election. How fitting.

PQ: Le Parti De L'Avenir.

Bref, le Parti québécois a déjà le vent dans les voiles: il est le seul parti qui sonne la cloche du renouveau. Ce parti monte de façon systématique dans les sondages et risque fortement de remporter les élections dans la circonscription de Jean-Talon, le 2 octobre prochain. Je mets mon argent sur la candidature de Pascal Paradis dans ce comté.

En anglais, on parle du big picture. Le début de la fin du fédéralisme canadien est déjà enclenché: dès le moment où le Parti libéral a perdu l'appui de la pluralité des citoyens francophone québécois, c'était un moment charnière ou les libéraux perdait la position de l'alternative naturelle au gouvernement sortant, plus précisément, la Coalition avenir Québec. 

Le gouvernement Legault est, pour être charitable, un gouvernement fatigué. La CAQ est encore en avance dans les sondages avec une marge confortable, mais la pluralité des québécois ont déjà envie d'autres choses, de l'air frais, si vous voulez.

Il est fort probable que cette tendance ira en s'accélérant dans les prochains mois, même pendant les prochaines années. En conséquence, le PQ devient le parti de l'avenir. Selon moi, il formera le prochain gouvernement au Québec en 2026. 

Le temps des faux souverainistes tire tranquillement vers sa fin. Personne n'est plus conscient de ça que le chef du PQ, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon. Il a entièrement raison. Les dés sont déjà joués.

As Of Now Biden Needs To Do An LBJ.

Look, as sad as it is to say, Biden and his people are at best D-E-L-U-S-I-O-N-A-L. Biden is just like the Maginot Line. Their re-election strategy is akin to the French using WWI tactics to defend France when she was invaded by Nazi Germany. They think momentum on the right to choose (abortion) will re-elect them. They're wrong. 

Biden's economic agenda is doing nothing to narrow the gap: one poll has Trump, as presumptive nominee, ten points ahead in a face to face matchup next year. Why? Because it's all about perception, baby and using that metric, Biden is already perceived as worse than a lame-duck. That won't change: the Misery Index is killing Biden politically, not to mention the huge influx of asylum seekers at the border.

So, normally, one would conclude that the next election is already lost as far as Biden is concerned. But there is one chance that just might turn things around. Remember that Republicans, and particularly Trump Republicans, almost never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Think Government Shutdown. McCarthy is doing all he can not to go there. He well remembers what happened to Gingrich. But the MAGA Crowd, or at least some of them in the House, aren't in a compromise mood. That means if the government shuts down, Trump Republicans in the House will very likely pay the political price. As a result, Biden's only lifeline depends on Republicans once again shooting themselves in the foot. No wonder, Senate Republicans are mad as hell at their House colleagues.

Watch McCarthy. If he goes down, or if the shutdown takes place, Biden will have made a Hail Mary pass thanks to House Republicans. But otherwise, Biden is already, politically, a dead president walking.  

Bibi And MBS.

Comprehensive normalization is the name of the game. Both parties want it but as usual, there's more than one rub: read a Palestinian state and settlements. Those are no-goes concession-wise for much of the Israeli right.

So, for Bibi, the road to electoral hell is likely paved with good intentions. Where people get it wrong is thusly: which is what Bibi wants most? Normalization with the Kingdom or staying in power? These negotiations, shepherded by Biden, can't go anywhere other than being inconclusive. Because...when push comes to shove within his own cabinet and coalition, Bibi will cave on this entire process. No wonder he remains cautious. He should be. Talk about an understatement.

Nijjar: Where's CSIS?

It's one thing for CSIS to have briefed the Prime Minister and BC Premier but what about the rest of us? Nijjar, a Sikh activist, was assassinated, and the PM alleges that somehow India was involved. I find it extremely troubling that CSIS has not corroborated any of the allegations made. 

It's not like CSIS is a stranger to backing up politicians: we can go all the way back to 2010, when then Director Fadden made allegations about alleged Chinese control over various politicians, primarily provincial ones.

So...CSIS has been out there in the past. Of course, no one wants CSIS to compromise sources and methods, but to leave Trudeau, Poilièvre and Singh dangling there on a limb makes me wonder what the hell is really going on?

Tit-for-tat expulsions of each other's diplomats isn't helping, either. It's my impression that a generic colour of things has been presented to Eby without getting into the nitty-gritty of this case. That's why Eby is asking Trudeau for more answers. Again, it comes off as if there's very little verifiable meat on the intelligence bones. 

The other plausible explanation is that Canada was tipped by foreign intelligence sources, and they're now mad as hell for Trudeau to have gone even this far. Hence, no backing up from Allies either.

The longer this goes on without collaboration of the story, the more we should be concerned. I want something on the record from our intelligence services. Will we ever get that? Who knows.

UPDATE: Both Canadian officials and the American ambassador to Canada have confirmed Five Eyes involvement. So, this is pretty much as SOLID as solid can be. Now what does Canada do next after already expelling an Indian diplomat? We won't break relations, that's for damned sure. But Trudeau could potentially have the means to identify the alleged Indian perpetrators, perhaps even by name. If that's accurate, you can bet that an extradition warrant is already in the works. That'll ramp up the pressure on India but good and if Biden privately pushes Modi hard on extradition, watch out. So, India potentially already is between a diplomatic rock and a hard place. Glad I'm not Modi.

Canadian Natural Resource Stocks.

Most people won't have a clue what to look at when the bull market comes. So here's some interesting plays:

Oil and Gas: Cenovus and Suncor;

Gold: Agnico Eagle and Franco Nevada;

Silver: Pan American and First Majestic;

Uranium: Cameco and Sprott Physical Uranium Trust.

Romney.

Well, you could say that they all get brave when they're not running again, but in this case that would be beside the point. After all, Romney voted to convict Trump at the impeachment trial. Like Murkowski.

But the Pence thing was interesting: you know, an evangelical who supposedly did Ungodly things, or if you prefer, Trump's bidding. I have a two-part answer for that: first off, he was Trump's VEEP, so what else did Romney expect? A Pence resignation? Not likely or realistic. Secondly, Pence, even then felt called by God to the presidency. You can take that one for what it's worth, one man's impression.

I'm glad Romney is calling it quits. He has well served his country and always honorably. Wish Mitch would do the same. Time for Senate and House term limits but I digress.

With Trump continually shooting himself in the foot, his specialty, the road is open for the other candidates. Today the genius said newborns could be killed after birth in some Democratic states. In short, Trump is in dire need of a shrink and it shows. He can't tell reality from fiction anymore. So comforting in a potential future commander-in-chief. What a loser. But hey, he's THEIR loser. Way, way, beyond pathetic.

But back to Romney: he's doing the right thing by leaving. Both the Senate and House are desperately in need of new blood. Younger generations are where it should be at. 

So, maybe the Gods will be nice in the end with Biden not running and Trump dropping dead. Now that's what I call the ultimate dream scenario! 

Paxton.

Acquitted at trial. No kidding. This was perfectly predictable. In an ideal world, Clinton, Trump and Paxton all should have been convicted at trial. Like I said, ideally. But impeachment has become a political farce, and this is just the latest example of that. 

Iowa: My Name Is Trump And I'm A Moron.

What a fucking idiot...I mean, doesn't this genius already know that Iowans want hands-on politics with candidates seeking a nomination? They want to see them, yes, but far more importantly, they want to talk to them in small groups and get an individual measure of each man or woman. 

This moron actually thinks he can skip debates, glad handling with individual Iowans and far more incredible that he can snub evangelical events. Doesn't this oaf understand that evangelicals are by leaps and bounds the biggest and most influential group in Iowa Republican politics? Brain-dead, to say the least.

And funniest of all -- I mean almost a riot -- is that this doofus will be floored when the polls slowly start to turn in Iowa and elsewhere. He ridiculed DeSantis when the floor fell out, but just wait until it happens to him. So funny! And it will.

Like I said, Pence will be the nominee. All of this is just the beginning of the end for this fool. Can anything be more fitting? Quite literally, how sweet it is.

Haley Needs To Go Back To Foreign Policy School...

Can you believe that Haley was actually an American UN Ambassador? Frightening, to say the least. So, she views China as an enemy now, does she? What an idiot. Of all people, a former diplomatic representative should never speak like that unless they can show cause, which clearly Haley can't. What has China done to deserve such contempt as that which comes with publicly being labelled as an enemy? Certainly not invaded Ukraine. And even more important than that, if Haley gets the nomination and becomes President, what logically flows from that ridiculous statement? I'll tell you what: War. Because when you call China an enemy, you better damned well be ready to go to war with them, more likely sooner rather than later. Her comment is the ultimate provocative statement, and it could quite literally cost the lives of American service personnel, maybe even her own husband's. Foolish in the extreme. One would have thought she actually knew better. Apparently not. At least it gives Ramaswamy a good laugh.

The CPC Convention And Trans Issues.

I strongly oppose the two trans-resolutions adopted at the convention. The first one would “restrict gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth”. This is going at this the wrong way. First off, sure, parents should be advised and consulted where youth under 18 which to proceed with transgender treatment. But parents should NEVER have a veto if the child is 16 or over. The law allows 16-year-olds to drive, without parental consent, and this is no different from that.

Secondly, “[A]nother opposes the inclusion of trans women in women’s spaces such as on sports teams and in bathrooms.” Ask yourself what is the thinking behind this resolution. Quite simply, trans people are automatically presumed to be potential perverts and they went through this life-changing decision so they could sexually abuse others of the same gender. Absolute nonsense that is based on the usual suspect, ignorant people who don’t care or bother to get informed on these issues. Trans people are no more prone to be sexual offenders than either of the two traditional genders.

So, Pierre had better stay far away from these two resolutions. If he doesn’t, the vote subtraction process will begin in earnest and it will be giving the Trudeau Liberals their first lifeline, thanks to the collective ignorance of a plurality of CPC members.

And by the way, why do you think more and more secondary schools are having to convert some bathrooms for trans people? Here’s why: because some fellow students are choosing to beat up trans people when they try to use their gender-affirming bathroom and even when they try to use the bathroom of their birth gender. In short, an increasing number of trans people are being beaten up and ridiculed at school by fellow students. Why do you think some trans people opt for suicide? Wake up people! Get properly informed. Quite literally, lives depend on it.

G20: Where's Xi?

Sometimes, Xi must wish he was back slopping the pigs. I know I wouldn't want his job, what with him having to deal with the late Jiang's security services' repeatedly trying to off him and what not. Something tells me that when Jiang died, perhaps he did not necessarily finally go as voluntarily as people may have been led to believe. If so, interesting payback.

This is an illustration of Scenario 1 where Xi is facing a rear-guard action to remove him. It explains why changes have been made at the top as Xi increasingly stacks the deck with allies. But is it really working? What about all those reports of Xi going missing for extended periods of time? Is that because of more threats to his life? Hard to say.

There certainly is at least grumbling within the party and rumours of plans to remove him. If accurate, no wonder he decided to stay in Beijing. Taking an airliner suddenly may not have been a good idea, or perhaps he might be overthrown while abroad. Again, who knows. Xi has been consolidating his leadership, but is he really secure? Time will tell.

That brings up to Scenario 2 which is a logical extension of the first one. What if there's a leadership litmus test and its name is Taiwan? Will internal politics necessarily force Xi to take an uncompromising stand on the renegade province? To consolidate his leadership, will he have to take some form of military action against Taiwan?

I think it's safe to say that relations with The West and the United States, in particular, are probably at an all-time low, post-Deng. This is exceedingly dangerous and raises the bar of global instability. So, a conflict with the United States could come over or in the Taiwan Straits and more than likely, it would come somewhat accidentally due to some kind of unforeseen provocation by either side. 

It's not exactly peaches and cream time in Beijing, especially with the Chinese economy already taking quite a hit. The masses are, at the very least, discontented and that could also threaten Xi. No wonder Xi either decided not to or was forced not to be a consistent enthusiast of the travelling skies. Definitely glad I'm not in his shoes.

Not A Good Time To Be A Liberal MP.

It ain't heaven to be a part of the good ship HMCS Trudeau these days: morale is said to be very low, with plenty of disillusionment to go around. MPs are frustrated, scared and looking for answers. The big beef seems to be with the PMO: they're seen as giving Poilièvre a pass, just as support for the CPC continues to surge in polling. They want wrecking ball ads in the can against Pierre, but so far, that hasn't happened.

Then there's grumbling about Liberal communications out of the PMO and the ability of the current chief of staff and her boss to right the ship. Some believe Telford is out of her depth, while others even suggest that Trudeau should go for the good of the party and country. 

So, the next caucus retreat is bound to get interesting: MPs are prepared to groan and moan and, to some extent, take on Trudeau, but this Prime Minister seemingly is not known for listening to unsolicited advice, or taking criticism from anyone lightly. MPs report that Trudeau prefers to cut them off rather than hear them out when things get tough.

But in the end, they're likely either to mute their criticisms already made in the press, once they're at the caucus retreat or give up on them entirely. 

Let's face it, there's only one clear ultimatum that can work: MPs would have to give Trudeau at least thirty days to announce his resignation and coming political departure. If not, those same MPs would then have to leave caucus and sit as independents. That's the only way for Liberals to get it done and surprise, surprise, almost no one thinks any of them will actually have the stomach to move it forward when they meet next week in London.

Pierre Is Ready To Lead Canada Now!

I'm about to do something here that I normally never do: divorce myself from the content of one of my posts, so what you read now in this paragraph will be a preface. It will be the only place where I fit myself into the mix. Those of you who I've had the good fortune of having as regular readers will know this all too well -- O'Dowd is neither a natural nor convenient ass-kisser or bootlicker, so what I write in future paragraphs will be both as short as possible and, hopefully, more compelling to the reader than anything else I've ever written.

There was no way that I was going to miss The Speech In Quebec City. Going into it, it was my impression that a non-politician named Anaida had incredibly natural political instincts and gifts on stage. What authenticity, charm and a way to connect strongly with people in three languages.

What I discovered tonight is that Pierre has come a long way, baby! This speech, is the best speech he's ever delivered, bar none. It was chock-full of relatable content for Canadians and reflected their hopes, dreams, and expectations. And the delivery was, quite frankly, magical. It was as good as Charest's speeches and far better than most, if not all, of Harper's. Not a whiff of anger in the entire speech. In short, a masterful performance that proves beyond a doubt that Poilièvre will be ready on Day One to govern both effectively and with common sense.

So, in closing, I'm asking people to allow me to be as short as possible in this post. What I hope you will see is how Pierre resonates with average Canadians and how determined he is to make life better for all those people who are suffering economically. I humbly ask all of you to seriously consider giving the CPC your vote in the next election, no matter when it comes. Pierre will be there, ready to make Canada a far better place for all of us. I hope you decide to join us on our journey. Thank you.

 

Poilièvre: Leader Never Bound By Convention Policy Resolutions.

This made me laugh. No kidding. Pierre can ignore as many policy resolutions as he wants that come out of the CPC convention that starts tomorrow, on Thursday in Quebec City.

This is nothing new. Harper never felt obligated to implement any or all of them so in a sense they are nothing more than backroom noise, which is likely good, electorally speaking.

Of course, the mainstream legacy media will be looking for off your rocker whoppers that can be pretzeled against the Conservatives. 

God knows most of the media already genuflect at the Trudeau Liberal altar so that won't be much of a surprise.

For my part, I remain hopeful that a positive outcome will come out of the convention. Pierre's comments only reinforce my impression. In short, he's already in place as the party gatekeeper against dogmatic nonsense or outright policy insanity. And thank God for that.

Enjoy the convention.

Feinstein And McConnell.

To begin, I want to salute Feinstein and McConnell for their incredible dedication to public service. Both of them have been distinguished senators but not above partisanship, but that goes with the territory. Each of them has really made a difference, and their country is far better off than it otherwise would have been without their service.

I'm not among those who advocate for term limits for public office holders -- elected representatives should come and go only at the whim of the electorate -- as opposed to judges who should be term-limited.

Feinstein has already indicated that she won't be running again, and that's both a medically and personally sound decision. McConnell seemingly wants to stick it out, and that's a mistake. There comes a point where a combination of work stress and wear and tear goes from sending warning signs to something much worse. Clearly, McConnell's symptoms are secondary to his recent fall and a likely concussion, which provokes these seizures. So, Mitch should hang it up in 2024, if not for his own sake, then at least for Elaine's. There should be no double standard here. Use your head, Mitch, like Dianne did, and just go for your own well-being.  

The Cowardly MAGA Bullshit: From Trump To Palin All The Way To Floyd.

I'm not going to shit on Trump supporters, either collectively or individually. They live in a still free country and can support whomever they like, Trump included.

But jeez Louise, there are repeated patterns there: it started with using his supporters as dupes to try and disrupt the election certification. In other words, Trump wanted MAGA supporters to do physical dirty work that he himself would never do. Start of a pattern. Next case: Palin. Well, by golly, Palin says a civil war is coming if prosecution of Trump is not stopped. Clue in Sarah, not you, not anyone can impede the rule of law and the judiciary playing their proper role. Grand juries aren't idiots. So, it has to fully play out, whether you and your supporters happen to like it or not. All your bullshit about this leading to a second civil war are the words of cowards who will run and hide as soon as any kind of skirmish breaks out. Cowards galore, and No, this won't get YOU the VEEP nomination if Trump is renominated. Too bad, that, for YOU.

The American people aren't bloodthirsty fiends who will start a second civil war because they can't get their way. Nope, not happening. The average American is too intelligent and patriotic for that. Their loyalty, is not to Trump, or to Biden, or to anyone else. Their loyalty is to the United States of America, so fucking clue in. Like I said, your ridiculous arguments are bullshit and par for the course where you're concerned. End of story. Run and hide from your collective stupidity. You've embarrassed yourself enough already.

Now, let's go down the Floyd road, you know, the guy still rotting in the Georgia jail. Too funny, LOL. Notice how he can't make bail. Notice how the MAGA SuperPac and none of the others are rushing in to bail their soldier out. Interesting. Notice how Trump isn't lifting a finger to get him out, either. Hum. Interesting. 

Here's a news flash for you, Sarah: Trump doesn't spend one red cent on his own legal bills, not to mention on those of anyone else who did his bidding. Nah, he lets the SuperPacs and MAGA supporters themselves foot the bill for the unfortunate billionaire. Classy as hell, but what can I say.

So Sarah, keep fronting for Trump by all means, but again, you won't be getting the VEEP spot if Trump is renominated. Not a chance in hell that you'll get it. Remember that Trump showed us all how talk is cheap. When it comes to taking action, guess who is always and predictably MIA? Oh right, some guy called Trump.

Pence: The Trump Antipode Will Be The Republican Nominee.

Take Mike Pence. First off, he showed his honourable and decent character by serving as a loyal vice-president to someone who was the exact opposite of him. There were no Pence intrigues during the Trump Administration. (By the by, Mike, I would drop references made by you to a Trump-Pence Administration. It can only hinder and tarnish you in the general. Pro-tip.)

Mr. Five Indictments with 91 felony charges stands for pretty much everything that Pence is not. That's to Pence's credit. Trump is entitled to the presumption of innocence, and that's how it should be. However, most Trump supporters and a lot of other Republicans are missing the shifting sands that are slowly moving against Trump in a big way: in their heart of hearts, almost all the party draws the line at a potential Trump conviction. If that happens, Trump is finished, period. 

The other elephant in the room is election viability: they can dream as much as they want, but Trump can't and won't beat Biden (and maybe not even Harris) in a general. He just won't.

Pence has two (forgive me, but I can't resist) TRUMP cards: first off, he followed his oath to the constitution and almost all of his rivals give him credit for that. These are the same people running against him for the nomination, and that speaks volumes and quietly shifts minds and later support in his direction.

You see, what a plurality of Americans are slowly figuring out is that Pence represents them: faith-based, honourable, decent, hard-working and compassionate. That's who the American people are, and have always been. In short, Pence is the next Reagan, short of the charisma. 

The next shoe to drop will be developments in the trial processes, if not the setting of actual trial dates, long before the nomination race is over. That will finish Trump off with independents, and everyone whose even remotely sentient knows that no Republican nominee can take the presidency without at least a plurality of the independent vote.  That's just how it is.

So...Mike Pence could run on a platform of "Hang Mike Pence!" and WIN. Pence showed himself to be nothing more than a genuine and true American on January 6th and that is sinking into the minds of Republicans and Republican voters. Pence is quite literally Mr. Osmosis, and it shows. As the Trump train wreck continues to grow by leaps and bounds, the party will necessarily at first at least distance itself from Trump and ultimately break those bonds, to win with someone else. And when that Aha! Moment inevitably comes, most Republicans will figure out that the Trump Antipode is the candidate for them. 

That's Pence, quite conceivably, the next President of the United States. He's certainly not God's chosen candidate, but he is the finest representative of good works and dedication to duty running in this race. And that should, and will mean, something highly significant down the road. The man who, quite literally, never, ever, shirks in his responsibility to speak truth to power, not to mention fellow Republicans. That's guts for you.

[For the record, I'm Democrat-leaning since Obama.]

 

Willem Middelkoop: BRICS Expansion Is A Step Closer To WWIII.

Absolutely, no doubt about it. This is a crystal-clear trend going forward. There will be a Good block and an Evil block. Some countries need to step back now, or they will ultimately pay the consequences when Good ONCE AGAIN defeats Evil in the next World War. It's coming pretty fast.

(1802) BRICS expansion is a step closer to WW3: We’re moving into very dangerous phase – Willem Middelkoop - YouTube

Vivek Ramaswamy.

Ramaswamy is a twerp and a sad joke. End of story.

Milwaukee: Republican Debate.

I just watched the Republican debate. Frankly, I thought they all did well. Most of them were as good on offense as defense. Ramaswamy looked out of his league: some of his positions were ridiculous, amateurist and seemingly improvised. He showed, quite obviously, how he knows nothing about foreign policy, hence his nutty position on Ukraine. 

But one guy fared worse than Ramaswamy and his name is Trump. It was a big mistake not to show up. He got blasted but good by Christie and others. 

You could tell by the booing of Pence, Christie and others that the Trump lustre is rapidly fading, even among some Republicans. It wasn't the whole room that booed for Trump. Far from it. That means Trump is already in trouble and you can bet your last dollar that what happened tonight will make damned sure that Trump shows up at the second debate. It's the beginning of panic time for the Trump campaign. Good going, genius...it's starting to slowly slip all away. [Smiling.]

Bye, Bye, Prigozhin.

Is this a surprise? Nope, not at all. I was expecting it from Day One, but now the fun will be trying to find fingerprints. Maybe the plane was shot down by Russian air defences and maybe not.  Could it be an accident? That's theoretically possible, but that's not likely to be what most people will think or assume. 

And if Putin is involved, does Prigozhin's untimely demise strengthen Putin's hand or weaken it? Well, the big positive is one less traitor that Putin has to deal with. Follows the death of several Russian generals recently. Sure, it sends a message, but that message is old hat. It's been sent so many times already that it has no practical effect in reality. That's why these deaths keep happening.

Does Prigozhin's death leave an impression of Putin being in control or losing control? Sure, in the short run, it consolidates his power by getting rid of a major adversary, but over time it diminishes Putin's hold on the leadership. Not a plan I would have advocated or pushed for. 

Putin has potentially gone out of his way to make 50,000+ Wagner Group enemies. Can all these people be corralled, much less controlled? I doubt it. So...some people will likely be gunning for Putin and looking for a way to get even. That's at least 50,000 fighters. If Putin is involved, this was a big strategic mistake. Why go out of your way to create a legion of determined enemies? To Putin, I would say, not good. His future could get interesting, fast.

Jean-Talon: Sondage Léger et le PQ.

Il semble que le gouvernement Legault n'est pas sur une piste d'accélération pour annoncer la date de l'élection complémentaire partielle, dans la circonscription de Jean-Talon. Quelle surprise. Un sondage Léger démontre que c'est potentiellement une lutte serrée entre la CAQ et le PQ, avec ce dernier en avance avec 32% des intentions de vote et la CAQ devancer par deux points. QS est au troisième rang avec 17% et le PLQ est à 16%. Le PCQ finit loin derrière à 5%.

À mon avis, il faut voir qu'il y a deux histoires parallèles dans ces chiffres: premièrement, la montée de l'effet cendrillon du PQ et ensuite un reflet du déclin naturel du PLQ, par rapport au vote francophone. Oui, c'est uniquement un sondage, mais la trace des événements est déjà longue depuis un certain temps. Pour le chef du PQ, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, c'est au moins une victoire morale. Pour le PLQ, c'est une autre indication que les libéraux ne sont désormais plus l'alternative naturelle au gouvernement sortant. Le PLQ est en voie de devenir une tierce-partie avec un château-fort seulement sur l'ile de Montréal. Pour le PQ, la couronne nord et sud de la Métropole devient un terrain possiblement fertile aux prochaines élections.

Pour le premier ministre François Legault et la CAQ, les sondages récents ne sont pas glorieux. Les jours où la CAQ avait une avance de quarante points sont loin d'arrière pour eux. La CAQ mène encore dans les sondages récents, mais avec une avance typiquement entre dix et quinze points. Théoriquement, c'est encore assez fort pour former un nouveau gouvernement majoritaire aux prochaines élections, mais, mais, mais, si la remontée du PQ continue? En d'autres termes, les feux jaunes sont déjà allumés dans l'esprit de beaucoup de Québécois. C'est un signe qui devrait provoquer un sens de prudence et de réflexion dans l'esprit du premier ministre. Peut-on parler d'une renaissance du PQ? Pas encore, mais

le moins qu'on peut dire est que le PQ est sur une piste montante. Cela est déjà très clair.

Are The Latest Iowa Polls The Beginning Of The End For Trump's Candidacy?

To me, things are starting to look like a Republican iceberg, with most of what's next to come seemingly below the water line. You could also potentially call it the first break in the Trump dam. If you really want to know where it's at when it comes to caucuses and primaries, the thing to do is track local polls closely to see if the centre holds or if the sand is shifting.

The Iowa polls have been all over the place -- with Trump leading others with percentages as high as 67% (against Pence) and as low as 42% (three times, against DeSantis) -- but the latest poll from The Trafalgar Group has Trump leading DeSantis 42-16%, that's a twenty-six point lead. But the real story is the remaining 42%. They aren't yet moving as a block toward anyone else, but they don't want Trump either. Looks and smells like an iceberg to me.

Mind you, the national numbers aren't reflecting the change: Trump is ahead of his rivals by forty-six points in the latest CBS News/YouGov poll, which puts him at 62%.

As for the politicians, Christie is attacking Trump at every opportunity, telling reporters that Trump is a coward and scared of him. That's apparently why Trump will skip the debate stage next Wednesday. Meanwhile, Cassidy, who voted to impeach Trump in the second Impeachment trial, is calling on Trump to leave the race. Cassidy says Trump can't beat Biden, according to polling. He also doubts that if Trump was convicted, that the latter could then go on and win a presidential race. 

And if all of this isn't enough, the icing on the cake is the supposed automatic disqualification from running for president as per the 14th Amendment. Only a fool wouldn't believe that January 6th wasn't an insurrection intent on keeping Trump in office, but there's potentially some wiggle room for Trump, whether he was an actual participant. Did he really engage in the insurrection? Well, he did call for people to go down to The Capitol and told them to fight like hell for their country. He never explicitly called for violence but was planning to go there himself until The Secret Service decided otherwise. So, in my mind, it isn't a lead pipe cinch linking Trump to the engagement process, but it isn't a totally unreasonable conclusion to draw either. Time and process will tell.

It's for sure that with a lot of legal balls in the air that that, in and of itself, doesn’t exactly strengthen Trump's grip on the nomination, so his re-nomination is not a certainty. Is it still probable? Sure it is, at least for now, but polls will ultimately tell the tale. Trump has to fear a massive coalescing around another candidate and IF that happens, then Trump likely will be done as dinner, much to the surprise of his most rabid and loyal supporters.

Keep your eye on the prize and watch for unexpected developments as the race unfolds. Sometimes, a debate performance actually changes the dynamics in a race while other times, a candidate has a good to great debate but then still loses. In short, anything, quite literally, is possible down the road. It remains to be seen if Trump is somehow once again destined to be the Republican standard-bearer against Biden. Don't take anything for granted. That's what the Iowa polling is telling us, at the very least. 

   

 

 

Trump: This Made My Day.

The Constitution bars Trump from holding public office ever again (msn.com)

DeSantis' Only Milestone.

Making Trump look good! What a riot. I pegged this guy early on as a Class1Asshole, and it looks like I wasn't off the mark. DeSantis has all the charisma of a shrivelled up leaf. I mean, can you think of any other Republican politician who can make Trump actually look good in comparison? Like it almost says in the bible: the self-exalted will be humbled, and DeSantis is getting plenty of that. Serves him right for sending immigrants to sanctuary cities without dishing out a cent to help them on the way, or when they get there. In short, a loser.

So...for once and only once, I'm siding with Trump. What belly laughs he must be having. And the plane thing in Iowa was perfect. Too precious. Once in a while, Trump can actually come up with something that doesn't suggest he's a blithering idiot. Once in a while.

I'll make it easy for DeSantis: stop wasting everyone's time by continuing your joke of a candidacy. For God's sake, suspend your campaign before you come off even more stupid than you already look. Is that even possible?  LOL.

DeSantis, the gift that keeps on giving to Trump, not to mention the Biden campaign. 

Twitter Postings: Trudeau-Grégoire.

Good God. I don't even want to read this stuff, it's that bad. Endless speculation about who allegedly slept with whom, and stories galore about both of them. I mean, everything you can think of, conjure up, has literally been thrown into the mix. It's already a fucking tsunami...

I've never been known as a Trudeau fan, per se. Basically, I tolerated him as leader during my Liberal Party membership days. In short, what I wrote was for the team, so that we could increase our chances of winning, period.

But Jesus, this is too much. In the words of Joseph Welch:

Telford: Tilting At Windmills.

You know Telford, there's quite literally nothing that she wouldn't do to save the sorry ass of the most incompetent and phoney prime minister this country has ever had. She has less than nothing to work with, but that doesn't stop her: making up things about CPC policies and what her so-called crystal ball sees if Pierre forms the next government.

Just call her Tilting At Windmills Telford. Sums it up pretty nicely. Whatever cred she had, in the beginning, is long gone. Everyone knows that. But that won't stop Telford. She is already way beyond desperate to save this imbecile, not to mention her own job. There's no litmus test for her, and it shows. Whatever HimselfTM does automatically is always perfectly dandy for her. After all, you know, the only thing that authentically concentrates the mind is the job in DC. Madam must lick her lips and her mouth must water at the prospect. So...in the end, the ever-dutiful servant will do whatever it takes to get there. Remember how the old man Trudeau got his last patronage licks in just before the hapless Turner took the wheel? And we all know how that story turned out. 

Sanity, fiscal responsibility and good ethical government are on the way. No wonder Telford is desperate to propagate her foolish stories and outright fictional scenarios. Let's just say that she and her boss are made for each other, politically speaking. It's way, way, beyond a perfect match. Too bad for them that most Canadians see past their bullshit. But hey, by all means, keep trying.

 

The Big Tough Guy Is Scared Shitless In Private.

Too funny. I'm surprised that Trump hasn't already repeatedly shit his pants. Yeah right, "I'm" going to be coming after you. Right. Not this coward. All this idiot does is serially manipulate his followers and disciples, hoping like hell that a minority of them will do dirt work for him. 

Every candidate has deranged and psychotic supporters, but anyone with a brain does their utmost to keep these loons and crazies under control. Not Donald J. Trump. Not him. Egging them on is definitely not the way to go. 

He loves the conspiracy theories, the bullshit that Biden is not president, all of it. And he cares not, to use a Kennedyism, what serious consequences might flow from his behaviour. 

These crazy fuckers are great at intimidation, making death threats, and mailing strange things to politicians, strategists and other party operatives. One day, some nut bar will go too far and Trump will have to live with the consequences. 

The Big Man is well on his way to locking up the Republican nomination. But only the most delusional TrumpANon actually believes that an election win realistically is in the cards. So, by all means, let Trump get it and then watch that fucker more than likely go down in flames in the general, as he so richly deserves. 

Marriage: Don't Let It Be Dangerous.

A lot of people have poor judgment. They either don't see the serial red flags, or they prefer l'aveuglement volontaire. What can I say?

Anger, when not controlled can be dangerous for oneself and those around them. 

That's why it has no place in a marriage. Canadians know that would be dangerous.

An unsound marriage is not who Canadians are. Canadians put love and respect above all else, so not to ever go there. Good on them. That's always instinctively the right thing to do.

Kinsella: What A Tribute To His Mom.

For those of you who are Canadian, please take a moment and go to WarrenKinsella.com to listen to his wonderfully moving tribute to his Mom, who passed away recently. It's really worth a listen, as his mentor might say: it comes Straight From The Heart. KinsellaCast 270.

http://warrenkinsella.com/

Welcome To American Fascism.

You know, it's not just important to pay attention to what people say, read politicians, but also watch what they do. Yes, indeed. When people show you exactly who they are, please, please, believe them. 

What used to be skirmishes on cultural issues has now morphed into a fascist crusade, with proponents trying to tell people and companies who they can be, who they can mix with and what they can say. That's what Hitler did, at least in the beginning. 

I don't know about you, but I certainly won't live my life based on what some cowardly and hypocritical politicians have to say -- you know the kind, the ones who try to score cheap political points at the expense of the marginalized, desperate and the underclass. Nice. Classy. Typical fascism. These assholes like to put a target on the back of people who happen to be some kind of minority and then walk away and deny any responsibility for their words and actions, when violence against that minority ultimately ensues. 

That's Un-American, to put it mildly. Fortunately, what has morphed into culture war fascism has virtually no appeal with the American people, as the head asshole and hypocrite is now finding out. At least the other guy is actually smart enough to give these issues a wide berth because he already knows that they are ballot-box poison across America. But not the culture wars chump. Too funny.

As the saying goes, what goes around, inevitably comes around, Yes, even in politics. The United States of America is the greatest country on Earth, and it's certainly not because of its politicians. Far from it. It is the world's jewel and beacon of light because that's what it means to be typically American. Its institutions are its strength, along with its constitution. But far more important than that are the plurality of its people: decent, hardworking, fair-minded and willing to give the average next guy a chance to learn, grow and eventually prosper. That's what being American is all about. Nothing is more typically American than her people. The American Experience can never fail unless fascism implants its ugly and despicable roots across the country. Most Americans are far better than that. Their bullshit alarm meter is on and what the current crop of fascists are now selling, fortunately, America ain't buying. God bless the United States, the only constant force for good in this world that can and has actually made a substantive difference worldwide. America, quite literally, saved democracy and decency twice before. May she have the continued strength to do her God-given work and destiny again in the future. Without the United States of America, this planet is doomed to extinction. The Axis of Evil is forming, both at home and internationally. Americans, for the most part, are vigilantly watching and will move heaven and Earth against that, when the showdown ultimately comes.  Peace is already in the last innings, largely due to totalitarian fascists. Americans instinctively know that. When the call that summons eventually arrives, Americans will once again heed that call for the battle of Good versus Evil. And thank God for that. 

Hello: It's Called CRITICAL THINKING, Jesus!

Just go on the internet, TV or radio and listen to all those hypocrites and phoneys. Why anyone on planet Earth believes a word that any of them says is way, way, beyond me. You want to know why? Let me tell you, because most people are gullible fools who're ideologically fixated. You can't get any stupider than that.

I don't care if you're a Liberal, Conservative or a Social Democrat in Canada, or a Republican or Democrat in the states because baby, you're all exactly the same. From the get-go, you suspend your ability to critically think: your side is always right -- never wrong -- and the other side is always wrong, never right. You consider your side perfect and infallible, while the other side is evil and the devil incarnate. Talk about morons.

But there's so much more: you go out of your way to justify each and every thing that your side does, and then tear down each and every thing the other side does. Then you actually believe what all the lying politicians come up with but again, only on your side. The other side's politicians are, of course, always wrong while yours are always right. Think idiots, for those who actually fall for that.

And then there's protecting or justifying the actions of every POS that happens to be prominent in your party or whose ideology matches yours. Hello, Trump supporters are the most prominent example by far, but cults of personality also exist among Democrats, not to mention Liberals here in Canada.

What I say is, screw all of them! At least independents have the brains to self-adjust and move their vote from one party to the other after determining who is the best candidate for such and such a political office. Thank God for independents.

There should be no place in this world for political dumbasses who happen to be sheep. What an incredibly pathetic world this has become, politically speaking. Can people get any more gullible or stupid? You bet they can!... 

What's Behind "That Little B"?

What exactly is behind the feud dynamic between Marjorie Taylor Green and Lauren Boebert? Interesting. Green has been a staunch ally of the leadership, more particularly, Speaker McCarthy, and remains totally loyal to Trump as well. Is she really angling for the VEEP spot on the Republican ticket, as some reporting has already claimed, or is this more about moving up in the leadership? Probably both, with leadership in the House as a consolation prize. Either way, she seemingly can't lose.

So does she really give a shit about being ousted from The Freedom Caucus? Probably not. Boebert, on the other hand, has been doing a lot of campaigning with surrogates, most notably Don Jr. Does she also have VEEP ambitions? Maybe. So, it appears to be far more of a political fight than a cat fight, as so much of the press have already labelled it.

All of this is incredibly amusing, but I think Trump, who thus far appears likely to win the nomination, will more than likely want a woman on the ticket. But in my book, rival candidate Nikki Haley would likely have the inside track there. Normally, it would be smart to do a Reagan-Bush for the general, but the antipathy between Trump and DeSantis now makes that impossible. They quite literally appear to hate each other.

Once again, I think convention wisdom is complete bullshit: Republican strategist after Republican strategist has taken to the airways to say that if Trump wins Iowa, then it's all over. Nope. Mind you, if Trump wins both Iowa and New Hampshire, then yes, he'll probably become the nominee.

As for the general, if Biden and Trump are the nominees and Biden remains mired at 40% in the polls, then Biden more than likely loses to Trump, incredible as that seems. Registered independents will call the tune in 2024 and right now, at least a plurality of them quite literally hate Biden's guts because of inflation and the bad economy, you know, the economy they laughably pretend is a good economy.

So Trump has The Big Mo right now. Let's see how long it lasts. 

NATO: Article 5 Needs To Be Invoked Now.

I understood the argument previously made on multiple occasions as to why NATO could not and would not invoke Article 5 to defend Ukraine, a NATO strategic enhanced opportunities partner. NATO also refused to begin the membership process, as doing so would likely widen a regional war into a full-blown war affecting most of Europe.

That was then and this is now. I absolutely disagreed with both those arguments and felt Ukraine's membership should have been put on the fast track, even before the war broke out and definitely following the Russian invasion. 

Unfortunately, even today, NATO can't see the forest for the trees: remember the strongman called Putin? The guy who specializes in poisons and flying oligarchs? Well, I was of the view that Putin's grip on power was never as all-encompassing as most intelligence agencies believed. I suspected that the real politik mentality was far more WWI based than WWII, but that is pure speculation on my part. That's what the gut told me.

But now, circumstances have drastically changed post Wagner and Prigozhin. Seize the moment. By all accounts, both foreign and domestic, Putin is demonstrably weaker and his total grip on power is no longer almost assured. The other problem Putin has is the search for traitors: you know, high-ranking military leaders who were at least sympathetic to Prigozhin, if not low-key allies. Putin has to ask himself how many traitors are in his midst. My guess is far more than he, the GRU and the FSB can weed out. So, Putin could be on borrowed time politically, not to mention related to his current health status.

I wouldn't want to be in Putin's shoes going forward. The road ahead isn't clear and is fraught with both national security and personal landmines. It's been clear for quite some time that Putin is not sure who he can trust 100%. Given the Wagner rebellion, that interrogatory can only be far more substantial now. In short, personal peace of mind has now definitely gone by the wayside.

But back to Article 5: if Ukraine's membership was finally fast-tracked, Putin would suddenly find himself with only two choices: continue the war against all of NATO or begin demonstrable troop withdrawals to limit or preferably end the occupation of Ukrainian territory, actual or previously held. Given the weakened state of Russian forces in theatre, it would be highly advisable for Putin to choose option 2. But NATO sees none of that re: a forced retreat by Russian forces. Some argue that Putin, personally, simply can't go there because he fears an eventual or likely prosecution in The Hague. An interesting argument, but IMHO not sufficiently substantive to deter Putin from ending this war.

Putin knows very well that if it becomes an all-in NATO war, Russia has no chance of winning, period. So, once again, NATO is snatching potential defeat from the jaws of eventual victory. A case in point: just look at F-16s, the link below pretty much says it all.

Ukraine Shouldn’t Count On the F-16 Before 2025: Are There Any Alternatives | Defense Express (defence-ua.com)

SCOTUS: Christian Web Designer And Marriage Planner.

Now, this is an interesting case. I'm not going into specifics here but want to paint a general picture for analysis purposes: in short, the majority ruled that the Christian, faith-based web designer and marriage planner did not have to offer her services to same-sex couples, given her personal view in opposition to same-sex marriage.

In this case, the web planner's speech right, which takes the form of written speech, was upheld as opposed to the speech right of a same-sex couple. Her right of expression is personal in nature and cannot be regulated by compulsion or enforcement. That makes sense. But then there's the written expression right of a potential client, which would normally be reflected by the written output of the designer and marriage planner that was hired. So yes, the client's speech right is being infringed and not just at the margins. 

I'm not for forcing people to do X, if not doing X is not illegal or a crime. So I understand the majority reasoning, but also can resonate with the minority opinions. 

But in the final analysis, the elephant in the room is the state's position on same-sex marriage. Has that adequately been addressed in the majority opinion? I don't know. In Colorado, same-sex marriage has been legal since 2014. So, how much legal weight should be given to that -- the law in Colorado -- and should it in any way sway the justices' legal opinions?

This is a private sector dispute. If it was about someone who provides public sector services, either governmental or judicial in nature, I think the case would likely have gone the other way. But again, this is in the private sector and compulsion is hard to justify to enforce one party's constitutionally protected speech rights. Sure, the web designer serves the public. But it's far more of a business than a public service, so where to adequately draw the line?

And for you lawyers out there comes the debate over who precisely does or does not have legal standing in this case and the affirmative action case. But when the court attributes legal standing to a plaintiff or intervenor, how can that not be seen as legal, even if its appropriateness can be called into question?

So, what this case proves is that even in the area of free speech, courts are ready to rank that right and even create a hierarchy as regards expression, or lack thereof, of those same rights.