A Frightening US President

29 Sunday Jan 2017

Posted by michelinewalker in Aboriginals, Middle East, United States

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Avoiding an Armed Conflict, Biblical Israel, Embassy moving to Jerusalem, provocation, Safety, Security Council Resolution 2334, the environment, the Keystone Pipeline

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/

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.

bust_hadrian_musei_capitolini_mc817_cropped

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.

RELATED ARTICLES

Israel & the Growth of Nationalism (7 January 2017)
Israel & Palestine (3 January 2017)
Nationalism & Genocides (28 September 2016)

Love to everyone ♥

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

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

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

The Keystone Pipeline revisited

27 Friday Jan 2017

Posted by michelinewalker in Aboriginals, United States

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Apologies, Keystone Pipeline, Saskatchewan Oil Spill, The Economy, the environment, United States

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.

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

Keystone Pipeline: Canada Complicit

26 Thursday Jan 2017

Posted by michelinewalker in democracy, United States

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Tags

Buffy Sainte-Marie, Canada Complicit, Keystone Pipeline, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the environment, Trudeau agrees

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.

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 Evan Osnos 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.

RELATED ARTICLES

A Quebec Incident (24 December 2016)
The Arctic: Paul Nicklen (22 December 2016)

Love to everyone ♥

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

Respect for life: on anti-abortion extremism

28 Friday Oct 2011

Posted by michelinewalker in Sharing

≈ 35 Comments

Tags

anti-abortion extremism, education, Mississippi, the death penalty, the environment, WordPress

The Lady and an Ermine Leonardo da Vinci (Google Art Project)

It is rather perturbing to think that, in Mississippi, all abortions might be considered illegal on the grounds that a child is a human being from, just about, the very second an egg is fertilized. It is also perturbing to think that, on the same basis, the law would make certain forms of birth-control illegal. It seems that our anti-tax extremists are also anti-abortion extremists, people who oppose “big government” while playing “big government.”

A Case Story

Let me create a case story. A fourteen-year old girl, born to an impoverished family, is raped and gets pregnant. Because life begins the moment an egg is fertilized, under this new legislation, she would have to carry and to give birth to the child of her rapist.

As I like to say on such thorny issues,

… morality ends where inhumanity begins.

I can appreciate that taking a firm stand against abortion might get politicians a few more votes, but if that poor girl cannot obtain an abortion and, subsequently, when she is older, cannot use the form of birth control she, her husband, and her doctor think is best for her to use, we are facing callousness. Who would want to be elected into office using so narrow a view of abortion and birth control? And who would vote for such a person?

Gun control

American medical doctors who perform abortions may be killed by a deranged anti-abortion extremist. Is the life of a medical doctor so unimportant that he or she should be killed?

Let us also look at the right to bear arms. Guns kill. If you fear an enemy is lurking, phone 9-1-1. Besides, there’s self-defense and self-defense. Don’t shoot the person who is at your door because you do not know that person. Again, life is sacred.

The Death-penalty

What baffles me is that anti-abortion extremists are frequently the persons who support the death-penalty and oppose social programs as well as any legislation that would curb pollution. If such people allow the execution of individuals who may be innocent, can they speak of respect for life. And if such people cut down entire forests and also let the planet melt, can they speak of respect for life. How can they be anti-abortion extremists?

Killing animals

I have also noticed that anti-abortion-extremists tend to trivialize the life of animals and cause the extinction of species: vegetation, fish, etc. For them, all is fair in the pursuit of money. That is Machiavellian.

Conclusion

In short, it would be my opinion that instead of contemplating passing tyrannical laws, we should provide young adults with an education that will allow them to act responsibly. There is more to an education than job-training. Make it possible for the young simply to think out everything. Chances are they will adopt values that will translate into a better world, a world where abortions are performed on the basis of medical issues, and where mothers and fathers spend more time looking after their little ones. There are several medical requirements that fully legitimize an abortion.