Russian roulette.

There is no doubt in my mind that  Russians interfered with the U.S 2016 elections, but had no effect on the ultimate results, In fact all powerful countries have interfered in other nations elections in one way or another. So why are we focused on collusion rather than democratic interference?

The whole idea of collusion comes from the Democrats who still cannot believe that the ‘shoe-in’ presumptive President Clinton lost the election to a political neophyte. From the first morning after Trump’s election the drum beat about collusion was started. Ever since then we have seen the appointment of a Special Counsel to investigate the Russian interference. Despite the fact that people have been indicted, there still has been no evidence of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. Instead what we have seen is a slew of incriminating evidence of bias within the FBI and the so-called ‘deep state’ against Trump.

On July 16, 2018 Trump met with Putin in a summit which is being demonized in many quarters. The Democrats called for the summit to be cancelled because, among other things, it was disclosed by the DOJ that 12 Russians, members of the Russian Intelligence Agency GRU were being indicted for interference in the 2016 elections. These operatives will never see a day in jail. The timing of the DOJ’s statement came just before the summit. Was it another deliberate attempt to sabotage Trump’s meeting?

There is also the continued debate about Trump’s reluctance to openly condemn Putin for the interference while dissing his Western allies. The irony is that while he does not condemn the Russian government, he is actually imposing enormous sanctions on some 700 Russians businessmen and companies. His bluster and language does not reflect his actions, in fact he has been tougher on Russia than his predecessor. As a result this brings me to my thoughts on the Russia/U.S relationship.

It is said that one should keep one’s friends close and one’s enemies closer. I believe that is exactly what Trump is doing in his relationship with North Korea and Russia. Trump was elected in November 2016, but the previous administration was aware of Russian interference and did nothing to stop it. Furthermore, those who criticize the Trump approach to Putin should remember how Obama dealt with the Russians. One there was the stupid ‘reset button’ presented to Russia by Secretary of State Clinton. Two there was the famous off-mic recording of the conversation between President Medvedev and Obama that went like this:

“President Obama: On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it’s important for him to give me space.

President Medvedev: Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you…

President Obama: This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.

President Medvedev: I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir.”¹⁰

Oddly, Obama on a trip to South Africa gives a speech, a veiled criticism of Trump, and opines about the rise of ‘strongman politics’. In a recent study it was found that lemurs of Malagasy can smell fear. It is not only animals that have these characteristics. Obama’s appeasement policies open the door for autocratic leaders like Putin and Assad to take advantage of the situation with disastrous consequences. The fact is Obama forgets that what is happening is a backlash against his ‘lead from behind policies’.

It is easy to say that Trump missed an opportunity to publicly confront Putin, but we do not know what happened behind closed doors. In fact Trump’s election campaign was one that wanted to negotiate and make deals. Presumably that meant dealing on trade, foreign policies and nuclear proliferation. What is wrong with trying to prevent WWIII? Unfortunately his adversaries would like him to fail because his predecessors failed miserably in those areas. Too often in their attacks, they forget that in the last decade Russia has increased its influence in Syria, Iran, and has attacked Ukraine and annexed Crimea. Where was the outcry about Obama’s appeasement approach to foreign affairs?

I support Trump’s approach to negotiation. Diplomacy, as defined by current adversaries, got us nowhere His attack on so-called allies is a breath of fresh air. His demands for NATO members to pay their fair share and his attack on free trade are long overdue. For too long progressive governments in Europe and Canada have taken advantage of the U.S military might to divert their share of defence budget to social programs, and thus have contributed to the rise of socialism in these countries. The immigration open border policies are causing undue financial burden on many economies, and yet politicians do not see compassion in refugees and illegal immigrants but rather as a source for votes.

Commenting on foreign affairs, always leads me to comment on Canada’s somewhat hypocritical reporting by our media. The issue of Russian interference in U.S elections gets ample coverage, as it affects Trump. However, very little is said about interference in Canada’s elections. Why? Because presumably, the interference by Soros, Tides Foundation etc. tends to, favor the election of Liberals.

If and when the enquiries and assault on the legitimacy of Trump’s election disappear, it will be interesting to see what state the world would be in. The continuous attack on this President is doing nothing to elevate the stature of Democrats. In fact it is destroying the ability of the President to lead. By the same token if Americans and socialist progressives around the world, continuously bombarded by a bias media, would take some time to really get the facts, they would see that Trump is getting things done in a manner that no one would have expected before his election,

Although Trump admitted that he ‘misspoke’ at the Helsinki press conference, I may be proven wrong, but as a strong supporter of ‘chaotic diplomacy I believe that Trump will not condemn Putin, or abate his attacks on the establishment until all allegations of collusion are removed. Even then I do not believe he should stop his attacks on globalism. Too often in the past conservatives around the world have allowed the left to dictate the shape of things to come. It is about time that the U.S. under Trump re-establishes its leadership just like Reagan did. The game of Russian roulette being played by the left will backfire and thank goodness it will be the progressives that will lose.

Immigration: The Crisis of our Times

From the migration of our ancestors from the African continent to today’s migration from third world countries, humanity as always sought greener pastures. With the election of President Trump, the world is now aware that we cannot have uncontrolled open borders.

There are many benefits as well as complications with migration. People move for different reasons: economic, security, well-being and increasingly refuge from poverty and terrorism. Over the years what was seen as compassion from developed countries has also been used for economic gains. However today, immigration is being used as a political football by progressives to alter the political landscape.

The United States has long been seen as the ultimate destination for immigrants, from both developed and third world countries. The economic juggernaut and creator of wealth is a magnet for people seeking to improve their well-being. The American Dream has always been the goal for a vast majority. The current problem is the result of years of Congressional inaction caused by the flagrant abuse of cheap labor from mainly Mexico. In recent past the number of illegal immigrants from Central American countries -Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and other Latin countries has increased geometrically. The majority of illegals cross the border into Mexico and travel without control to the U.S border. Reports estimate that the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S may well be between 11 to 24 million.

President Trump promised to change and control the U.S borders but the Democrats and some Republicans in Congress have been extremely reluctant to change the laws for political reasons. The Democrats have always believed that ignoring current immigration laws benefit their voting base, while Republicans do not believe in amnesty for the so-called DACA immigrants. In this divisive debate about U.S immigration too often the truth does not come out. Trump is blamed for the same policies created by Obama and other previous administrations. The latest outrage about children being separated from their parents is the direct result of a Court order which originated from an Obama immigration law, which prevents children from being separated from their parents for more than 20 days. This judgement resulted in what is known as ‘catch and release’. To date Congress is still unwilling to pass revised laws that will improve the current status of immigration in the U.S.

On the other side of the world Europe has been the chosen destination for many from the African continent and the rest of the world. Chancellor Merkel of Germany created a serious problem by admitting millions of illegals. Given the rules of free movement in the EU, other countries have seen an increase in illegal immigrants. Furthermore, war in the Middle East and poverty in the sub-Sahara countries have acerbated the situation. Europe has been invaded by hordes of immigrants seeking asylum and many countries are now questioning the wisdom of progressive policies that have allowed this crisis. Italy, Hungary and Malta have recently refused to take more illegal immigrants. I also believe that Brexit is a direct result of the EU’s policy on migration.

Immigration in Canada is driven by the need for economic growth and nation-building. The future of the country depends on a well-constructed immigration policy, but for years through the tinkering of successive governments we have seen, to the detriment of the principles of nation-building, a progressive deterioration in regulations, statutes and administration of the country’s immigration programs. Under the current government of Justin Trudeau, the situation has worsened, as he adopted an open border policy. Today we see thousands coming across our unmanned borders. The problem is that provinces are seeing enormous costs in harbouring these illegal immigrants.

Each country has different immigration laws, some more liberal than others. However there seems to be a trend to support an open border policy. The United Nations has created a problem in Central and Southern America by supporting progressive ideas and governments who believe that capitalism is a bad concept. They have created a situation where governments in these countries are no longer really in control, but instead the population is now controlled by socialist dictators, gang leaders, drug lords and cartels. Under those circumstances we can see an increase in refugee claimants from these countries.

As for the uninformed Canadian who chooses to protest, it is the result of the Canadian media taking its lead from the progressive media around the world, with little regard for fact checking. It seems that the Canadian TV media cannot do any investigations of their own, as they routinely take their cue from NBC, CNN, ABC, all liberal U.S media. The Canadian point of view ignores how the thousands of illegal immigrants entering the country are being treated. The media rarely focusses on city tents, military camps or the use of sport stadiums to house illegal immigrants. For sanctimonious Canadians who continuously attack Trump’s immigration policies, we should start looking at our own backyard. We are no better, and definitely we do not enforce our existing laws for the sake of votes, political correctness and a seat at the corrupt United Nations.

The narrative in the liberal mass media continues to drive the debate with accusations of xenophobia, racism and Islamophobia. In reports of recent protests around many cities in the world and the U.S, ignored is the facts that many, if not all, the laws applied by Trump were not only supported but created by his three predecessors – Clinton, Bush and Obama. It has become a trend to use pictures of drowning kids and kids in cages to ramp up the rhetoric. In the accusations of Trump placing kids separated from their parents in cages, the media used pictures from the 2014 Obama era. A distortion of the facts by the media and Hollywood delusional actors further exacerbates the crisis. In addition, the reports very often omit the fact that most illegal immigrants are prey to human traffickers, drug cartels and terrorist groups.

There is no doubt that the immigration crisis is a problem of our own making, because the progressive, globalist left has chosen to ignore that if you do not have borders you do not have a nation. Compassion is a trait that separates humans from animals. However using compassion as an excuse to redraw national boundaries and advance a political agenda is perhaps one of the vilest actions employed by politicians aided and abetted by a less than credible mass media.