Category Archives: United States

President Trump, a Dangerous Man

01 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by in Terrorism, United States

≈ 9 Comments

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The Infant Samuel by Joshua Reynolds, 1776, Musée Fabre, Montpellier (Photo credit: wikiart.org)

Condolences

I would like to express my condolences to the people of Britain. On 22 May 2017, only two months after the 22 March Westminster  bridge attack, the Manchester Arena was targeted. Twenty-two (22) persons were killed, including 8-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos, and 53, perhaps more, were wounded. The victims were attending a performance by American singer Ariana Grande.

The killer has been identified as 22-year-old Salman Abedi who was born to Libyan parents in Manchester, England, on 31 January 1994. French and British authorities have confirmed that Salman Abedi travelled to Syria and was radicalized.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/26/everything-know-manchester-suicide-bomber-salman-abedi/

Islamophobia as Provocation

Once again, it would be my opinion that the attacker, 22-year-old Salman Abedi, who has been described as a “regular kid,” may have acted in response to the current wave of Islamophobia, in the United States especially. The President’s professed Islamophobia may be incitement to murder.

On Monday, 29 May 2017, “two men were stabbed to death on an Oregon train trying to stop an anti-Muslim rant.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-muslims-portland-idUSKBN18N080

Saudi Arabia and President Trump

President Trump was in Europe last week, but he first visited Saudi Arabia. After his visit, the Saudis suggested that President Trump’s Islamophobia was a ploy aimed at attracting votes. He, Donald Trump, would not allow would-be killers to enter the United States.

This was a callous response to the European Migrant Crisis[1] and, contrary to the Saudis’ view, Mr Trump “made good” on his campaign promises. On 27 January 2017, a newly-inaugurated President Donald J. Trump issued Executive Order 13769 restricting the entry of Syrian refugees[2] into the United States and imposing a travel-ban affecting seven countries of the Middle East: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. (See Executive Order 13769, Wikipedia.)

In late March, the Canadian government passed an anti-Islamophobia motion in an attempt to protect its Muslim citizens. I would never have suspected the government of my country would have to resort to a forceful measure to discourage discrimination.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/m-103-islamophobia-motion-vote-1.4038016

President Trump is a dangerous man.

The Istanbul Attack

I should also note that the New Year’s eve attack on Istanbul has revealed a reëmergence of a fear, and probably dislike, of the United States in Turkey.

Turkey is an officially secular country, but at birth, citizens of Turkey are registered as Muslims. (See Religion in Turkey, Wikipedia). Istanbul, the former Constantinople, was the capital of the Ottoman Empire, which was defeated during World War I.

Since the 15 July 2016 coup d’état, harshly repressed by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, there has been a shift away from the West in Turkey. On 4 January 2017, New York Times journalist Tim Arango reported that: “instead of unifying to confront terrorism, Turkish society is fracturing further with each attack. The West, symbolized by the United States, is the perennial bogeyman.”  

Turkey is a member of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, l’Organisation du Traité de l’Atlantique Nord, l’OTAN (see Member States of NATO).

Conclusion

I will conclude by quoting writer, journalist and commentator Fareed Zakaria. On 4 May 2017,  Mr Zakaria wrote that “Trump is turning other countries against the United States.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-is-turning-other-countries-against-the-united-states/2017/05/04/40bbe7a6-310b-11e7-9534-00e4656c22aa_story.html?utm_term=.6c2f4ec2bbcb

President Trump is now attacking Germany, and Adam Taylor of the Washington Post reports that  “even Angela Merkel’s political rivals are on her side against Trump.” Of course!  President Trump is attacking Germany, all of Germany!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/05/29/even-angela-merkels-political-rivals-are-on-her-side-against-trump/?utm_term=.37340eae58b2

In fact, Europe is folding back. On 28 May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke in no uncertain terms when she stated that the continent, we, “really must take our fate into our own hands.”

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/29/politics/merkel-trump-europe/

Once again, I offer my sincere condolences to the family and friends of the Manchester bombing.

RELATED ARTICLE

Love to everyone ♥

______________________________

[1] William Lacy Swing, Head of the International Organization of Migration, reports that people smugglers make $35 bln a year on the Migrant Crisis.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-portugal-migration-idUSKBN18R26H

[2] Refugees from the Middle East are Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans. Most are Muslims, but Canada has also welcomed Christians, Armenians and Assyrians  (Syriacs) and Yazidis, whose faith combines a number of beliefs.  The persecution of Yazidis by ISIL was genocidal.

Tchaikovsky – Hymn of the Cherubim

24victims1-blog427

Saffie Rose Roussos

© Micheline Walker
1st June 2017
WordPress

President Trump & the Judges

23 Tuesday May 2017

Posted by in Election 2016, United States

≈ 4 Comments

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“I expected this to be an uneventful few weeks,” Sally Yates said, of her role as the acting Attorney General. Instead, she was embroiled in two of the biggest controversies of Trump’s early Presidency. PHOTOGRAPH BY CHIP SOMODEVILLA / GETTY

On 26 January 2017, the acting Attorney General of the United States, Sally Yates, expected an “uneventful few weeks.” President Trump had just been inaugurated and usually Presidents of the United States do not infringe upon the laws of the land. By and large, human beings expect what I will call “normal” circumstances. However, Ms Yates soon informed the President that United States Army Lieutenant-General Michael Flynn  “was vulnerable to blackmail by Russia.”

Our Interview with Sally Yates on the Russia Investigation – The New Yorker

“I expected this to be an uneventful few weeks,” Yates said, of her role minding the Justice Department until Jeff Sessions was confirmed by the Senate. Instead, she was embroiled in two of the biggest controversies of Trump’s early Presidency. On January 26th, Yates informed the White House that Michael Flynn, then the national-security adviser, was vulnerable to blackmail by Russia. Four days later, she wrote in a letter to Justice Department lawyers that she was not convinced the travel ban was lawful.

In the photograph below, taken in 2015, Lieutenant-General Michael Flynn is sitting next to Russian President Vladimir Putin. That Russia had interfered with the United States Presidential election, held on 8 November 2016, was common knowledge almost as soon as the votes were counted, but talks began earlier. (See Michael T. Flynn, Wikipedia.)

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In December 2015, Flynn and Jill Stein attended RT’s (Russia Today) 10th anniversary gala. Flynn is sitting next to Vladimir Putin during the dinner. (Caption and Photo credit: Wikipedia)

President Trump failed to take seriously Sally Yates’ findings seriously. In fact, on 27 January 2017, he complicated his relationship with the acting Attorney General by issuing Executive Order 13769, a travel ban affecting seven Muslim-majority countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, but not Saudi Arabia, where President Trump just travelled. Executive Order 13769 provoked anger and indignation among Muslims and the more tolerant citizens of the United States, but it was a violation of the American Constitution.  As a result, a temporary restraining order saved the day. More consequential, however, was the Russian connection: heads fell, so to speak.

Dismissals

Sally Yates, 24 January – 30 January 2017
Michael T. Flynn, 20 January – 13 February 2017
James Comey, 4 September 2013 – 9 May 2017

Sally Yates was dismissed on 30 January 2017. Yet, she was the acting Attorney General of the United States. As for Michael T. Flynn’s tenure as national security advisor, it lasted 24 days. Mr Flynn was in office from 20 January 2017 until 13 February 2017 (see Michael T. Flynn, Wikipedia), which takes us to James Comey, the Federal Bureau of Investigation who broke with protocol by reöpening the investigation into Mrs Clinton’s emails on the eve of the November 2016 United States Presidential election and may still have been examining Mrs Clinton’s email when he was fired, on 9 May 2017. It is as though President Donald Trump were dismissing the ‘judges.’

The Russian Connection

Dismissing the judges? Not quite. Mr Comey was merely investigating possible collusion between Michael Flynn and Russia. At any rate, there was a private dinner at which President Trump asked for James Comey’s “loyalty.” President Trump wanted Mr Comey to “let this go,” ‘this’ being his investigation into Michael T. Flynn and Russia. Not only did Mr Comey continue investigating the Russian connection, but he also kept notes of his conversations with Mr Trump and prepared thoroughly for his meetings with the President.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/comey-prepared-extensively-for-his-conversations-with-trump/2017/05/18/e53b1734-3bf1-11e7-a058-ddbb23c75d82_story.html?tid=pm_world_pop&utm_term=.608c5611148d

Behind Closed Doors

Given allegations of meddling in the 8 November 2016 United States Presidential election; given also that the President fired Mr Comey on 9 May 2017, why did President Trump meet behind closed doors with Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, and Russian ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak on 10 May 2017?

The strange Oval Office meeting between Trump, Lavrov and Kislyak – The Washington Post, right, meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the White House on May 10. (Russian Foreign Ministry via Associated Press)

The Investigation

The Justice Department has therefore appointed former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, Mr James Comey’s predecessor as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mr Mueller has been asked to conduct a thorough inquiry into the Russian connection, including possible interference in the 8 November 2016 American Presidential elections. Will President Trump also dismiss former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller? There is a pattern. President Trump dismisses the judges.

For instance, President Trump has given his daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, too important a role. There has not been a significant public outcry, at least not in the United States. She is the first daughter. However, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has used the word “nepotism” with respect to Ivanka’s prominence in President Trump’s administration. Moreover, during President Trump’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia, Jared Kushner negotiated a $110B Saudi arms deal.

https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/04/29/german-minister-calls-out-ivanka-trump-nepotism/22061514/

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/19/politics/jared-kushner-saudi-arms-deal-lockheed-martin/index.html

So one wonders. Will Mr Mueller be the judge of President Trump, or President Trump, the judge of Mr Mueller? I think Mr Mueller will be the investigator and ‘judge,’ and that no one will manipulate his findings.

It has all been so strange that I must close and return to Reynard the Fox after a long, unavoidable and unintentional interruption. I apologize.

Love to everyone ♥ 

Bach – “G Minor” (Luo Ni)

Robert S. Mueller (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

© Micheline Walker
22 May 2017
WordPress

Expulsions & Fear

23 Thursday Feb 2017

Posted by in Refugees, United States

≈ 5 Comments

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Many Canadians fear refugees and some politicians oppose our providing free medical care to refugees. However, Canada’s Prime Minister has reversed a decision not to pay for the medical treatment of refugees. Some lost fingers. Moreover, Canada cannot allow refugees to bring diseases into the country.

In other words, the RCMP (the Royal Canadian Mounted Police) is overworked at the moment and so are civil servants. Everyone entering Canada must apply, but given that they may be deported, border-crossers may apply after they have entered the country to avoid the risk of being deported. Refugees who are not “criminals” will have a home in Canada. They now live in shelters and are fed properly.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/asylum-crossings-canada-1.3993540

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A deported immigrant paused while crossing back into Tijuana, Mexico, after being returned by the United States immigration authorities in 2013. John Moore/Getty Images

Expulsions

Under President Obama, the first to be deported were “people who had been convicted of dangerous crimes.”[1] Matters differ at the moment. First, there is a large number of undocumented “aliens” in the United States, and as Amy Davidson writes, “[t]he Trump executive order starts with the idea that criminal aliens are the problem, but then widens the definition of criminality and blurs its edges.”[2]

Various incidents, such as vandalism, point to a degree of anti-Semitism in the United States, which Mr Trump condemning. Yet, anti-Semitism is a form of xenophobia, fear of foreigners, and xenophobia is what is driving Mr Trump to deport “aliens.” These are not necessarily criminal aliens. The refugees who cross the border illegally know that Canada does not allow criminals to enter the country.

Among refugees crossing the border, many are not Muslims, but Mr Trump is planning another ban. Islamophobia on the part of the United States could lead to acts of terrorism. So, ironically, President Trump is fostering the violence he fears.

At this point, we return to fairy tales and pretty pictures. I have a niece who would say: “Tante Micheline, just pour yourself a glass of very good wine and enjoy.”

Our unexpected refugees just love Montreal!

Love to everyone ♥

RELATED ARTICLE

[1]   Amy Davidson, “President Trump’s Fear-Based Immigration Orders,” The New Yorker, 21 Feb 2017.

[2]  Amy Davidson, loc. cit.

José Lemos Countertenor “Se l’aura spira” (Frescobaldi)

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The Good Samaritan by Ferdinand Hodler, 1885 (WikiArt)

© Micheline Walker
22 February 2017
WordPress

Justin Trudeau goes to Washington, P.S.

17 Friday Feb 2017

Posted by in Canada, Refugees, United States

≈ 8 Comments

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aamuumm

Prime Minister Trudeau in Washington (MSN)

Concerns: the Environment

After posting my article about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to Washington, I started feeling uneasy. Had I intimated that I supported President Trump? No, I fear Mr Trump and Canadians feared the first meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Trump. Would Mr Trudeau sell the country? No, but Canada is a signatory of the Paris Agreement. Yet, Trudeau and members of his government agreed to re-open the Keystone XL Pipeline. That worried me. Would our prime minister agree to another arrangement that could cause an environmental accident? The pipeline is in need of repairs. Will this be done? With respect to climate change, experts have determined that we are about two minutes before midnight. (See Doomsday Clock, Wikipedia.)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/what-canada-agreed-to-in-paris/article27742735/

Washington: a Successful Meeting

Prime Minister Trudeau managed his first meeting with President Trump successfully. He achieved this victory by stating that he had not travelled to Washington to “lecture” President Trump on how to govern. He also stated that Canada and the United States had lived in harmony on their respective side of a border that stretches from sea to sea. Canada’s motto is A Mari usque ad Mare (see the Canadian Encyclopedia). Moreover, Americans and Canadians had fought together and died together on various battlefields. D-Day is the foremost example of a combined effort. In short, we have respected one another so Canadians have earned the right to welcome refugees while fighting terrorism.

“One swallow does not a summer make”

No, I have not turned into a supporter of Mr Trump. I fear Mr Trump and reject his belief that all Muslims are terrorists.

However, until President Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met, I believed that solidarity and résistance were the United States’ and the world’s only way of surviving the Trump era. One swallow does not a summer make, but last Monday I saw a relaxed and happy Mr Trump. He was not the man who had been issuing no end of executive orders, as though he did not have an administration and the United States had lost its government. But there had been a dialogue and an acceptance of differences. In other words, Canada could continue to welcome refugees.

Many refugees have now entered Canada illegally and to my knowledge, none have been returned. Two men were outside in the bitter cold when finally a trucker stopped and picked them up. The trucker called 9-1-1. The men were frost-bitten and no one can enter Canada illegally.

To my knowledge, however, refugees have not been returned, but Canada has to amend its immigration legislation to accommodate circumstances it did not expect. President Trump’s Islamophobia and xenophobia are driving people out of the United States.

At the moment, refugees to Canada are applying for refugee status after entering Canada. The Canadian government has yet to amend its immigration laws, so applying after entering is a temporary policy. Authorities are also making arrangements so frost-bitten refugees can be hospitalized at no cost.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/13/americas/refugees-flee-united-states-for-canada/index.html

Conclusion

No, I have not become a Trump supporter, but it would be my opinion that Justin Trudeau shaped events skillfully. There are times when humans are powerless and times when humans can configure reality. At the moment, Canadians are probably configuring reality.

However will President Trump stop building a wall to keep Mexicans out of the United States ? Will he stop thinking that all Muslims are terrorists and attempt to prevent them from entering the United States, in defiance of the American Constitution and the decision of courts. I don’t know and we don’t know.

On Wednesday, President Trump asked Prime Minister Netanyahu to “hold back” on settlements and told him that it was for the Israeli and the Palestinians to decide whether they would be one state or two states.

“I’m looking at two-state and one-state and I like the one that both parties like. I’m very happy with the one that both parties like,” he said.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/israeli-settlements-trump-presidency-1.3983943

Love to everyone ♥

RELATED ARTICLE

Nocturne Opus N° 2 – Frédéric Chopin

aamq7r6©Micheline Walker
17 February 2017
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Justin Trudeau goes to Washington

14 Tuesday Feb 2017

Posted by in Canada, United States

≈ 6 Comments

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aamtdy1

President Trump welcomes Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (AP Photo/Andrew Harnick)

Justin Trudeau goes to Washington: a Mouse and an Elephant

Years ago, when Pierre Elliott Trudeau or Trudeau père, was Prime Minister of Canada, he compared Canada to a mouse and the United States, to an elephant. One does not put a mouse and an elephant in the same bed. The mouse would be crushed.

Well, the mouse, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, travelled to Washington to meet the elephant, President Donald J. Trump. Canadians were afraid but all is as well as it can be, under the circumstances.

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/anxiety-runs-high-as-trudeau-meets-trump/ar-AAmRYNO?li=AAadgLE&ocid=spartandhp

Difference, but Respect

However, when President Trump met Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Mr Trudeau won his heart, so to speak, and the heart of Canada’s neighbours to the south. Trudeau noted that Canada was very different from the United States but that both countries respected one another despite differences. Canada has welcomed 40,000 refugees from the Middle East: Syrians, Iraqis, Afghans, etc. mostly Muslims, but a few Christians. Canada is nevertheless committed to ending terrorism as are the United States and other countries. Canada did not welcome refugees without the RCMP, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, first looking into their background.

Terrorism is a reality. Justin Trudeau spoke truthfully. He saw the World Trade Centre towers crumble and he knows ISIL has attacked Europe countries several times, France in particular. However, Canadians welcomes refugees and mourned when Muslims were attacked at Quebec City’s main mosque. The shooter was Laval University student Alexandre Bissonnette, a French Canadian who was not associated with an Islamic terrorist organisation. Mr Trump would prefer to prevent all Muslims from entering the  United States. This matter was not discussed on 13 February.

A Common Border from the Pacific to the Atlantic

There are differences between Canadians and Americans but Trudeau stated that Canadians and Americans respect one another and that past events have joined them. Americans an Canadians fought together and  Americans and Canadians on D-Day. Many died on Normandy’s beaches and steep cliffs.

Mr Trudeau quoted Winston Churchill who praised Canadians and Americans, and vice versa, for sharing peacefully a border that stretches from sea to sea, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Such words invite the continuation of a good relationship between Canada and the United States.

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Winston Churchill, December 30th, 1941 (Yousuf Karsh)

Common Values

The two leaders, the mouse and the elephant, spoke about another common values. Both want to create jobs that will ensure that citizens of both countries will have an income without which they cannot put bread on the family table. Creating jobs was a matter Mr Trump emphasized during his campaign and it is a common value. The maintenance and prosperity of the middle class is important for Mr Trudeau. Canadians and Americans have been good trading partners for a long time and they will continue to work together for the welfare of their nations. Both nations will strive to create jobs.

Moreover, the United States and Canada will promote the importance of women as leaders, women who share raising a family and working outside their home. Several women are the CEOs of large companies and organisations.

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Ivanka Trump (MSN)

 

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Prime Minister Trudeau and President Trump, 13 February 2017 (MSN)

Conclusion

One cannot tell what the future will bring. President Trump has started to deport illegal immigrants, separating  families. A daughter watched her mother being led away. Will President Trump continue to build his wall between the United States and Mexico?  During the weekend, 22 asylum seekers entered Manitoba at Emerson. They had to call 9-1-1 for help. At this time of the year, the cold weather could have killed them. It seems refugees will be able to enter Canada safely and officially. Canada will remain what it has become: multicultural.

President Trump has found a congenial neighbour in Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The Canadian leader did not utter a word that could be interpreted as divisive during his visit to Mr Trump’s Washington. His meeting with President Trump was in no way confrontational. It was a friendly meeting as I hope further meetings will be.

Justin Trudeau may not be the polished intellectual his father was. But he has a sunny disposition, in two languages, and, during his visit to Washington, his disposition may have served Canadians well. The welfare of the middle class was mentioned, but I believe Wall Street was on many minds. At any rate, President Trump knows that all’s well in Canada and that ‘Justin’ is a mere phone call away. I believe both President Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were reassured. Ivanka sat at the presidential desk, an agreement having been reached to empower women. That is now on an official agenda, but I suspect Justin Trudeau proposed this agenda to please Ivanka.

Would that her father stopped issuing executive orders as though he were an absolute monarch. Would that he relented on deporting people, forcing them to risk their lives to enter Canada. Would that he no longer looked upon Muslims as terrorists. And would that he could see climate change as a major risk. 

A Happy Valentine’s Day. My page entitled “Love celebrated” contains the story of Valentine’s day. ♥

John Lennon and Yoko Ono meeting with Trudeau père

untitled

Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau

 

© Micheline Walker
14 February 2017
WordPress

President Trump inciting Violence

08 Wednesday Feb 2017

Posted by in Migrant Crisis, Terrorism, United States

≈ 11 Comments

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Europa and bull on a Greek vase. Tarquinia Museum, circa 480 BCE (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Changing Computers

Changing computers is a challenge. One has the feeling one is entering a store. One no longer buys Office. Every year Office 365 takes money from your credit card and renews itself. Pressure is put on users to choose Microsoft Edge as one’s default browser. Etc.

Fortunately, WordPress was not a problem except that my one image disappeared and my past post, which I started writing on 6 February, but did not post until 7 February, is dated 6 February 2017.

—ooo—

That post contains important information.

The RCMP, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, has determined that Alexandre Bissonnette, the Quebec City shooter, was influenced by Donald Trump, the President of the United States, and Marine Le Pen, the leader of the Front National, a nativist, far-right French political party.

The media wanted to link Alexandre Bissonnette, the shooter in the Quebec City mosque attack, to a Muslim terrorist association. Investigators found no evidence linking the shooter, Alexandre Bissonnette, to a terrorist organization. But his Facebook account reveals that he admired President Trump and Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s National Front. Both Donald Trump and Marine Le Pen are nativists.

So a young French-Canadian student killed and wounded Muslims because he was influenced by President Donald Trump’s Islamophobia and by the President’s hatred of foreigners, which was spread by the media and in particular the social media. He was also influenced by Marine Le Pen’s nativism or xenophobia (fear of foreigners).

The Quebec shooting is case number one, but there could be more shootings if Donald Trump does not abandon all plans of barring Muslims from entering the United States. 

President Trump’s Islamophobia and the media conveying his message have caused one young man to kill Muslims, which means that Mr Trump and the media, including the social media, are endangering the life of North-American Muslims.

President Trump should be impeached on the grounds that he is inciting violence.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/quebec-city-mosque-shooter-was-a-criminal-extremist-rcmp-commissioner/article33920071/

Love to everyone ♥

90

© Micheline Walker
8 February 2017
WordPress

Quebec shooting: “Criminal Extremism”

06 Monday Feb 2017

Posted by in Canada, Terrorism, United States

≈ 4 Comments

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aamehzc

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/march-held-to-honour-mosque-attack-victims/ar-AAmCXHX?li=AAadgLE&ocid=spartandhp

 The Shooter in the Quebec City Attack

The notion persists, in President Trump’s mind, that all Muslims are terrorists. Moreover, it had been suggested that the shooter in the Quebec City attack was supported by a Muslin terrorist organization, but such is not the case..

The shooter in Quebec City is Alexandre Bissonnette, a student at Laval University. He loved guns and, according to his Facebook account, he was interested in nativist Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front, a far-right French political party, and nativist Donald J. Trump, the President of the United States. After the attack, he phone 911, the emergency telephone number, to alert the police and tell where he could be picked up.

But we now have news.

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RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson waits to appear before the Senate Committee on National Security and Defense, Monday, February 6, 2017 in Ottawa (Adrian Wyld/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Alexandre Bissonnette: “non-classic” terrorism

Alexandre Bissonnette is considered a “criminal extremist,” which is a crime that is somewhat new to criminologists. I will quote RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] Commissioner Bob Paulson.

RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson is warning about “non-classic” terrorism that feeds on hate and controversy on social media, blaming growing political polarization for the deadly shooting at a mosque in Quebec City.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/quebec-city-mosque-shooter-was-a-criminal-extremist-rcmp-commissioner/article33920071/

An Early Report: a Witness not a “Second Man”

  • a man shoveling snow heard shots
  • Alexandre Bissonnette

It was first reported that two men were suspects, one of whom was a Muslim. This Muslim, the “second man,” was not the shooter. He was shoveling snow outside the mosque, heard shots, and entered the building. He saw bleeding bodies and dialed 911, to report that an attack had taken place.

After Mr Bissonnette was taken into custody the “second man” was released. There is no evidence that some Islamic terrorist organization supported Alexandre Bissonnette. Therefore, Alexandre Bissonnette is unlikely to face terror charges.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/terror-charges-unlikely-in-quebec-city-mosque-shooting-lawyer-1.3274551?autoPlay=true

President Donald Trump
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Quebec City
Alexandre Bissonnette

 

Setting the Planet Ablaze

  • President Trump’s Islamophobia is dangerous
  • President Trump searching the White House

President Trump’s Islamophobia and the influence he exerts on the media are extremely dangerous and could set the planet ablaze. The Quebec City attack is an example of the harm President Trump’s Islamophobia and xenophobia can cause. Mr Trump is now fuming because, despite the ban, he is hanging on to his conviction that all Muslims are terrorists. Rumour has it that President Trump is also searching the White House to eliminate traces left by President Obama whom he still sees as a Muslim and, therefore, a terrorist.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/us-politics/trump-immigration-ban-what-we-know/article33822491/

The Injured

  • three released
  • two in intensive care
  • Dr Julien Clément

Three of the injured have been discharged from the L’Enfant-Jésus Hospital, one of three teaching hospitals affiliated with Laval University. Two, however, remain in intensive care. It seems their life is not threatened, but there are complications. Dr Julien Clément was called in. He is a former military surgeon and a trauma specialist who served in the Middle East. Dr Clément originates from Windsor, Ontario, and studied medicine in Sherbrooke, Quebec, and British Columbia. He and his team had difficulty operating because the victims bled profusely. Dr Clément didn’t think he would ever see such carnage in Quebec City.

We must resist President Trump and other nativists and extremists. Allow me to repeat that the suspect in the Quebec City attack is Alexandre Bissonnette, a French-Canadian Laval University student.

I will close by saying that the brutal loss in Quebec City of innocent lives has saddened Canadians “from coast to coast.”

Love to everyone ♥

Gregorio ALLEGRI – Miserere Mei, Deus (+ Lyrics / OXFORD, Choir of New College)

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The Outcast by Sandro Botticelli, c. 1496 (Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

© Micheline Walker
7 February 2017
WordPress

A Frightening US President

29 Sunday Jan 2017

Posted by in Aboriginals, Middle East, United States

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More on the Keystone Pipeline

  • The Keystone Pipeline
  • If the planet dies, we all die

These are frightening times. The Canadian economy could use an infusion of money, but the Keystone Pipeline should be safe before crude oil travels to the United States. I hope President Donald Trump is not considering using the very pipeline President Obama had to close because it wasn’t safe. If that pipeline has been closed, exporting crude oil is not advantageous to Canadians until the pipeline is safe. I am certain former President Obama asked experts to assess the safety of the pipeline before closing the project. If it isn’t safe on the Canadian side of the border, the side Canadians control, prudence dictates vigilance and the construction of a safe pipeline, one that will not leak or threaten the environment in any way. So I had to edit my views. Exportation of crude oil may benefit Canada, but not if it uses an unsafe pipeline.

The First Nations and other Canadians must make sure they are drinking uncontaminated water and protecting the life of animals and the soil. Canada ratified the Paris Agreement. If the planet dies, we all die.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-formally-ratifies-paris-climate-accord/article32267242/

keystone-pipeline-route

Israel

  • building in the occupied territories
  • moving the American Embassy to Jerusalem
  • scriptures vs international laws

President Trump is also endangering relations between Israel and Palestinian authorities. According to Isabel Kershner of the New York Times, Israeli are feeling “emboldened” by Mr Trump’s election to the presidency. Israel is therefore beginning to build housing units in the “conquered territories.” Naftali Bennet, Israel’s education minister, is encouraging Prime Minister Netanyahu to begin “a process of annexing the West Bank settlements to Israel.” Annexation would be a violation of the United Nations Security Council’s resolution calling for an end to the encroachment of land not allotted Israel. The United States did not veto the United Nations Security Council‘s resolution 2334 (23 December 2016) condemning encroachments by Israel on territory it was not given in 1948, when Israel was created.

The New York Times also quotes Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s “hard-line” defense minister: “We are going back to normal life in Judea and Samaria[.]” These are the West Bank’s biblical names. Israel seems to be claiming Palestine, on the grounds that it was home to Israelites two thousand years ago. In fact, the Jewish diaspora started before the Jewish-Roman wars, the last of which was fought by Emperor Hadrian (24 January 76 – 10 July 138). There is no Judea. The only territory Israeli can claim is the territory it was allotted by the United Nations in 1948. With respect to annexing territory, priority is given international laws, not scriptures. (See Jewish diaspora, Wikipedia.)

Yet, last Sunday, 22 January 2017, the Jerusalem City Council approved 566 new housing units in East Jerusalem. Oded Revivi, who represents the more than 400,000 settlers in the West Bank, says that settlers “hope that this is just the beginning of a wave of new building across our ancestral homeland after eight very difficult years.” President Obama was cautious, but President Trump could be helping Israel provoke Palestinian authorities, the United Nations and the Arab world.

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Bust of Hadrian Musei Capitolini MC817 cropped (Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

Conclusion

The United States may also move its Embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. People are protesting. The Middle East is a very sensitive area. At the moment, the conflict in Syria is abating but it could be reignited if the United States supports expansion. Peace is the main goal. Former President Obama was simply very cautious. Isil is the target of the Coalition fighting terrorism.

Millions have fled the Middle East creating a crisis in Europe. Peace and reconstruction are the current objectives.

Having made his views regarding Muslims and Mexicans public knowledge, President Trump’s only option is to help stop the crisis. I fear a resurgence of terrorist attacks. In fact, war could erupt. Europe cannot accommodate every refugee and Europe must not be imperiled.

President Trump is impetuous. Climate change and peace in the Middle East are sensitive issues. The new President should be careful.

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Love to everyone ♥

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-embassy-jerusalem-stoffel-1.3946938

tel-aviv-embassy-protest-agaisnt-trump

Demonstrators protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv against President Donald Trump on Jan. 21, 2017. Among their messages: don’t move the embassy to Jesuralem (Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images)

Amazing Grace

 

 

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Moses breaking the Tablets of the Law by Rembrandt, 1659 (Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

© Micheline Walker
29 January 2017
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The Keystone Pipeline revisited

27 Friday Jan 2017

Posted by in Aboriginals, United States

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trudeaujpg

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

When Advantages outweigh the Risks…

A dear friend, John, tells me Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and his government have studied the matter of exporting crude oil to the United States. It appears advantages outweigh the risks by far. Most of the Keystone Pipeline is in the United States and Canada’s economy is ailing, so Canada is exporting.

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Voltaire at Postdam by Pierre Charles Baquoy after N. A. Monsiau (Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

« Quelques arpents de neige »

I therefore stand corrected. Prudence is essential, but Canada’s economy dictates measured risks. Voltaire (21 November 1694 – 30 May 1778) called Nouvelle-France a “few acres of snow” (« quelques arpents de neige ») (Candide, Chapter 23). He may have been criticizing the French government. Nouvelle-France had lost its Huguenots, Calvinist Protestants, its merchant class, when Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes, an edict of tolerance towards Protestants.

My Bourbeau ancestors were well-to-do citizens of New France. They were not farmers, but Huguenot businessmen. Huguenots fled to the United States when the Édit de Nantes was revoked, in 1685. They feared persecution and death. Some converted to Roman Catholicism and stayed in New France. They were good businessmen and prospered.

When François-Xavier Garneau (15 June 1809 – 2 or 3 February 1866) wrote his Histoire du Canada, he bemoaned the departure of Huguenots. His book was censored by the Church in Quebec and he had to remove his statement regarding French Huguenots. New France was an expensive venture, but there is wealth beneath our “few acres of snow.”

It may that the Prime Minister and his cabinet took a leap of faith to protect the economy.

Exporting and the Economy

Canada is committed to protecting its environment, but I am told Monsieur Trudeau needs to export some of its natural resources or take us the poorhouse. Precautions must be taken, but families should be fed. Poverty is one of the great ills of the world.

In short,  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is working for the people and he and his cabinet must protect Canadians. We have taken in a large number of refugees and more may arrive. In fact, a number of Americans are buying real estate in Canada. We may be their refuge. There are no foreigners in Canada, just plain Canadians of every ethnicity and creed.

The Environment: Saskatchewan Oil Spill

Environmentalists are concerned and I am one of them. There are oil spills. Recently, on 23 January 2017, a pipeline leaked 50,000 gallons (200,000 liters) of oil on land belonging to the First Nations, Canada’s Amerindians.

http://www.businessinsider.com/a-canadian-oil-pipeline-leaked-more-than-50000-gallons-of-oil-on-aboriginal-land-2017-1

Bernie Sanders used his Twitter account to comment on the oil spill:

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/01/23/saskatchewan-oil-spill_n_14350146.html

Pipelines leak occasionally. A small crack may cause a catastrophe. One worries. It could be that pipelines are affected by very cold weather. If such is the case, we need better pipelines.

I once lived in Saskatchewan and loved it. I worked in public relations for a year, but teaching was my profession. I accepted a teaching position at St Francis Xavier University, in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Yet, the accident happened in a place I called home.

Conclusion

My apologies to Prime Minister Trudeau. I hope sincerely that President Trump will respect Canadian policies. They differ from American policies.

I fear President Trump.

Love to everyone ♥

—ooo—

Buffy Sainte-Marie sings Universal Soldier

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© Micheline Walker
27 January 2017
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Keystone Pipeline: Canada Complicit

26 Thursday Jan 2017

Posted by in democracy, United States

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On the first day…

It has begun! President Trump was sworn into office and on that very day, 20 January 2017, in the early evening, he required his administration to find conditions that would not be covered under a health plan. I presume President Trump was referring to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, passed on 23 March 2010. It could be that Mr Trump has asked his administration to design a new Health Care Plan, but I doubt it.

Presidents of the United States are not as powerful within their country as Canadian Prime Ministers, except the new President who is a dictator and sick. No, President Trump cannot abolish the so-called “Obamacare” in its entirety. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a federal statute. Usually, amendments to a law are governed by societal needs. Laws are not amended impetuously. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has helped millions of Americans who could not otherwise afford medical treatment.

Repealing the Affordable Care Act is an injustice. It allowed millions of Americans to receive the medical care they required, but could not afford given extremely high insurance premiums. President Trump is playing with fire.

And now, Canada is complicit in Mr Trump’s assault on the environment.

keystone-pipeline-route

The Keystone Pipeline & Canada

President Trump has reopened the Keystone Pipeline, a decision that involves Canada. It “became a symbol of the battle over climate change and fossil fuels, and in 2015 was rejected by then President Barack Obama.” (See Keystone Pipeline, Wikipedia.)

The Keystone Pipeline begins in Alberta, Canada, and could not be reopened without the consent of the Canadian government which, surprisingly, complied with President Trump’s request. The Keystone Pipeline is a danger to the environment but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has agreed to revive the project. In a Calgary town hall, he was harshly criticized. Reopening the Keystone project will enable President Trump to create jobs quickly and Canada will also benefit financially, but at a cost to the environment and to Amerindians. They are the First Nations.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/01/25/cheers-jeers-for-prime-minister-justin-trudeau-at-calgary-town-hall_n_14380422.html

A few weeks ago, Prime Minister Trudeau agreed to suspend drilling, an imminent danger to the Arctic in particular. What happened? Was Prime Minister Trudeau intimidated?

Trudeau’s French answer to a question asked in English may be considered understandable, but he must respect the rights of English-speaking Canadians. Quebec is unilingual, but Canada is a bilingual country. It is a problematical situation. Yet, all Canadians are protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Israel

Israel feels emboldened and will build in the conquered territories. President Trump is also about to move the American embassy from Tel-Avid to Jerusalem. Mr Netanyahu has President Trump’s full support. That could result in nothing less than a world war. Mr Trump should remain out of the Middle East. What about the two-state solution?

Immigrants

Mr Trump is building his wall separating the United States and Mexico. “No human being is illegal.” I am quoting a student. He is also expected to deport millions and to prevent Muslims from entering the United States. The process has begun.

Donald Trump is a dictator.

—ooo—

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley is a place where some “are getting ready for the crackup of civilization,” writes  of the New Yorker.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/01/30/doomsday-prep-for-the-super-rich

If Silicon Valley is afraid, I’m afraid.

It was “no” to Mr Trump, and I am now asking Justin Trudeau not to change Canadian policies because of pressure from the United States. We cannot amend our decision to protect the planet.

If Mr Trump phones our Prime Minister, Mr Trudeau can say that he cannot give answers until he has spoken with Canadians. It’s an old trick.

I will close here because my computer “crashed.” I repaired the old one and I am using it, but it is dying. The new one should arrive today or tomorrow.

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Love to everyone ♥

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Canadian songstress Buffy Sainte-Marie

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/01/24/buffy-sainte-marie-interview_n_14268182.html

Buffy Saint-Marie sings Where We Belong

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© Micheline Walker
26 January 2017
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