Cowardly, pathetic little men threaten a female politician: lock them up

— 02.13.2017 09:14 AM

Read this:

The statistics show that from 2003 to 2015 — a period that saw six different premiers — Alberta sheriffs recorded a total of 55 security incidents involving the premier.

Nineteen of those came in the last half of 2015, which happened to be Premier Rachel Notley’s first months in office. At least three of those incidents required police intervention.

Then in 2016, protection services changed its process of reviewing and monitoring security threats, in part to include more surveillance of social media. That year, there were 412 reported incidents involving Notley, 26 of which were forwarded to police as they were deemed to have approached a criminal threshold.

In the women-hating Trump era, these types of incidents are almost certainly going to get more numerous and more serious, everywhere.  It’s important, therefore, that the Crown and police agencies aggressively investigate and prosecute each and every one of these threats.

Protection is one principle of sentencing that is important here.  But so, too, are deterrence and denunciation.  Canadian society needs to collectively and clearly express its revulsion with these pathetic little men.

And, once we successfully prosecute them, lock them up.

 

 


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The Trumping of Canada

— 02.13.2017 08:40 AM

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U.S. border guards would get new powers to question, search and even detain Canadian citizens on Canadian soil under a bill proposed by the Liberal government.

Legal experts say Bill C-23, introduced by Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, and likely to pass in the current sitting of Parliament, could also erode the standing of Canadian permanent residents by threatening their automatic right to enter Canada…

Michael Greene, an immigration lawyer in Calgary, says C-23 takes away an important right found in the existing law.

“A Canadian going to the U.S. through a pre-clearance area [on Canadian soil] can say: ‘I don’t like the way [an interview is] going and I’ve chosen not to visit your country.’ And they can just turn around and walk out.

“Under the new proposed bill, they wouldn’t be able to walk out. They can be held and forced to answer questions,” said Greene, who is national chair of the Canadian Bar Association’s citizenship and immigration section.

Under the existing law, a strip search can only be conducted by a Canadian officer, though a U.S. officer can be present. Greene points out C-23 says if a Canadian officer is unavailable or unwilling, the U.S. officer can conduct the search.

“So you could have a circumstance where the Canadian officer says, ‘No I don’t think a search is warranted here. I’m not willing to do it.’ But the U.S. officer just says, ‘Fine, we’re going to do it anyway.'”

I’m going to be on The Eric Drozd Show on @570News/@RogersTVWR this morning to talk about this, and voice my objections, as the CBA and others are doing.

You can oppose this Trumpian law, too, by emailing Ralph Goodale at ralph.goodale@parl.gc.ca or by calling his offices at 613-947-1153 or 306-585-2202.  His Twitter handle is @RalphGoodale.

 


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Advance look at next week’s Trudeau Trump summit

— 02.10.2017 09:31 AM

[From next week’s column. The scene: the Oval Office. Justin Trudeau and Donald Trump have just completed their photo-op in the Rose Garden. Gerald Butts and Steve Bannon are present to take notes.]

Trump [Dismissive]: So the Brits cancelled my state visit over there. Would’ve been huge. Huge. When is Canada inviting me to speak to your House of Representatives, up there?

Trudeau [Long, long pause. Trudeau and Butts start eyeing the exits]: Mr. President, with the greatest of respect, Canadians were quite fond of your predecessor, and before there is a visit, we think they need more time to get to know you…

Trump [Unimpressed]: How long?

Trudeau [Looking like he’d rather be somewhere else, balancing babies or boxing, or taking a selfie with someone – anyone. His shoulders drop. He gives up.] Sir, you should not come to Canada. We think it is a bad idea. We think all 35 million Canadians will come out to protest. Even the babies. In winter.

Trump [Unfazed]: Thirty-five million? That’s how many we had at my inauguration, didn’t we, Steve?

Bannon: Yes, sir! Absolutely, sir. [Bannon examines his limited edition Ku Klux Klan watch.] Sir, it’s bedtime. Shall I ask Kellyanne to tuck you in again, sir?


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Trump TV times: terrific

— 02.10.2017 08:56 AM

I was on TV three times yesterday, which was a bit weird. The first time was over at CTV News, to talk about the top Trudeau ministers heading to Washington to, in effect, walk softly and carry a bigly stick. The government was finally heeding Canadians – and those of us – who wanted to see them get tougher with the Unpresident.

After that, I headed over to CITY-TV, this time without Doug Ford. In one hit, we talked about the wonderful, brilliant, perfect Ninth Circuit decision, which – as I put it – helped to hoist Trump and his G.O.P. supplicants on their own petard(s). 

Trump thought he could attack judges, and get away with it. Wrong.

Trump thought he could just sign President Bannon’s Muslim Ban executive order, and no court could question him. Wrong.

Trump thought he could say all manner of hateful, bigoted things about Muslims, and get away with it.  Wrong.

And the lickspittles in the G.O.P. thought they could stop President Obama from appointing someone to the U.S. Supreme Court, and there’d be no blowback on them. Wrong.

If the USSC splits along ideological lines, the Ninth Circuit’s decision holds. Trump, and the G.O.P. loses.

The third CITY-TV hit, however, was the most fun. It was about how Trump’s fart-catcher, Sean Spicer, is even worse that the fabled Baghdad Bob. The clip is here. (I’ve tried to embed it, but the weird coding sends the video off to the side, or makes it full screen. Sorry. If you know how to fix it, Team Propellerhead, let me know.)

What a glorious, glorious day dawned today. As such, I am wearing this.


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