Hockey mom asaulted in Surrey has died of injuries

Well our blog reader was right about the police scene in Newton right behind the Newton Wave pool on 137th Street off 72nd Avenue. Lots of media on site. It looks like Global and CTV are on scene ready to broadcast live. I checked the perimeter and didn't see any evidence markers. I was told that it is an expected fatality and that a woman was hit over the head with a rock. That's so Surrey and so tragic. The Surrey Leader was also on scene and will likely have a good insight of what went down them being local and all.

The Surrey Leader is reporting that: "A 53-year-old hockey mom is not expected to survive after being viciously beaten for her purse. On Sunday, just after 9:30 p.m., the woman was picking up her 14-year-old son after a hockey game at the ice rink at Newton Arena, located at 7120 136B St. In the parking lot, the woman was confronted by someone who demanded her purse. The attacker then proceeded to viciously beat the woman. She is in hospital, and isn't expected to survive."

Barbaric. Evidently it's not gang related but what are the odds drugs are involved? Someone getting robbed and viciously assaulted for five bucks to buy more crack. We've seen that before. That pushes the years record homicides to 25 not 24. The violence needs to be addressed as does the causes of it. Letting crack dealers sell crack in public creates a profound amount of public violence. The Front Room is a huge concern but Newton is another.



The Surrey Now is reporting that a Newton advocate says she's warned council about the area's crime. Big surprise. Just like they were warned for years about that illegal booze can that someone was finally murdered at. Jude Hannah, founder of ReNewton said: "We have been calling on the city to take action and this is absolutely the worst nightmare. And I feel so upset, I feel so angry, I’m so disappointed... This was what we feared would happen, and we warned them,” she said. “I hate to say blood on their hands… (again) but that’s what people have said. This is just shameful.”

“First of all, we need the mayor to address the situation and to get the focus off the city centre and trips to Israel and all of that…. Her legacy wont be that gleaming city centre, but that she’s just pushed Whalley down five miles into Newton. And that will be her legacy. And nobody wants to see that,”

Dianne Watts and Bill Fordy have stopped the crack dealers outside their new ivory tower but as this advocate said, they pushed them over to Newton and the Front Room. We need to follow up and arrest the crack dealers there too. That is the New York model. Building a wall around her new Ivory tower and letting the rest of the city go to pot is somewhat hypocritical. Oh right, the Newton Seniors got the casino that Whiterock didn't want. Thanks for nothing.

Update: The Vancouver Province and the Vancouver Sun is reporting that the mother has indeed died of her injuries incurred during the Newton assault. The Vancovuer Sun is also reporting that Diane MacDermott, one of the owners of the Beach Basket, located across the street from the Newton bus loop, recently said she may close her doors as a result of the area’s crime. She said where once they used to have baby strollers lined up outside, now they have people waiting to buy drugs. MacDermott said the area is plagued by drug dealing, homelessness and prostitution.

The Surrey Now is reporting that Surrey residents call for immediate action to make Newton safe. The flaming concern is public sale of crack and drug addicted prostitution. When you let drug dealers sell crack in public, you create a huge amount of drug related violence from addicts stealing to pay for the destructively addictive poisons. Cutting down the old growth trees will do nothing as long as they continue letting drug dealers sell crack there. The problem is the crack dealers not the trees. 25 murders. A very sad end to the year.

This is the second attack in that area in the past two weeks. On Dec. 16, a Surrey woman in her 20s had just got off the bus at the Newton exchange, about 200 metres from the arena parking lot, when she was assaulted. She was injured in the attack, taken to hospital, then released. This second attack has resulted in the police issuing a public warning in a frail attempt to absolve them of legal liability for more assaults.

Here's the problem. Warning the public isn't good enough. You have to do your job and stop promoting lawlessness. Selling crack in public is illegal. Letting them sell crack there as long as they don't sell it outside the mayor's new ivory tower is not equal protection of the law. Letting the crack dealers sell crack in Newton and outside the Front Room is criminal negligence. The police and the mayor can get sued for that as well. Criminal negligence for refusing to enforce the law and refusing to respond to citizen complaints. That goes for this homicide as well as the one at the illegal booze can they refused to do anything about. It's time to name Diane Watts and Bill Fordy in a class action law suit for refusing to enforce the law. That is the only way they will start enforcing the law. If they are sued in court for not doing so. Just like the Ontario police were sued for not issuing that public warning about the balcony rapist.

2013 Gang Violence Year in Review

Well a record number of homicides for the year in Surrey clearly is not a good thing. Yet it’s not even a peak in the gang war just a continuation of the drug related violence that followed. It has shown that letting the Hells Angels win the gang war and obtain a monopoly of the drug trade in British Columbia has not resulted in a reduction of drug related violence at all. It has just made them even more bold and brutal.

The three rings showed the Hells Angels control of the Canadian drug trade prior to 2013 violence. Rob Shannon, Trevor Jones and the 2012 bust involving Larry Amero in Montreal established an indisputable pattern of huge cross border drug trafficking linked to the Hells Angels.

2013 saw that trend continue with the Haney chapter getting busted with a huge shipment of cocaine in Spain and Larry Amero's crystal meth bust in Australia. We did have the Joey Verma conviction of the murder of Britney Irving in Kelowna tied to the Hells Angels. Which once again shows them having a monopoly on the drug trade doesn’t reduce the violence at all.

We’re still waiting for the trial of Robert Thomas and Norm Cox for the murder of Daine Philips in Kelowna as well as Skellator’s drug related trial tied to the Kelowna Hells Angels. At least he hasn’t made bail. We're still waiting on the trial for the Kelowna Hells Angels stolen car, boat and motorcycle ring as well. Only rats steal cars.

The Surrey Six murder trial has been a big part of 2013. The revelation that Jamie Bacon tried to extort Corey Lal doesn’t come as a big surprise. Nor does the fact that he did it for the Hells Angels given his brother Jonathon’s ties to Larry Amero at the time. Jamie Bacon is mentally diminished and certainly isn’t the brains of that operation. Surrey Six witnesses drinking and partying with RCMP members continues to be a concern for police credibility.

Letting that illegal booze can operate in Surrey despite years of complaints from the neighbors resulted in at least one fatality there. Letting drug dealers sell crack outside the Front Room in Surrey has resulted in many others. It’s really sad how Diane Watts and Bill Fordy are more worried about their political careers then they are about stopping crime in Surrey instead of suppressing crime statistics.

Judging from the big RCMP dinner it doesn’t sound like Bill Fordy’s behavior has improved any since he was involved with the Pickton investigation. Stopping the crack dealers from selling crack in Surrey central was a good thing. Now they have to do more than contain it to outside the Front Room where those predators bully the homeless. They need to stop it there as well not just outside their new Ivory Tower which has turned out to be one giant financial disaster.

Paying that much money on furniture alone is offensive. The expenditure is simply not worth it. Tolling everything is an obscene tax grab. Tolling bridges that are already paid for is illegal. Dianne Watts has to get her spending under control. Right now her spending is a huge concern for taxpayers. Don’t even get me started on Stephen Harper and Justin Bieber's attack on our civil liberty. That remains our primary national concern.



Another huge concern is the 300 tons of radioactive water leaking into the Pacific Ocean every day two and an half years after the reactor accident in Japan. That is absolutely insane. The fact that it is still leaking that much radioactive water every day is a huge global concern. Add that to the radioactive water leaking into the Columbia River and we see how hard it is to safely dispose of Radioactive waste. Which forces us to rethink our support of that toxic energy source. Not to mention the nuclear weapon threat.

Surrey Pressure cooker scam goes to court

The Vancouver Sun is reporting that John Nuttall and Amanda Korody are due back in Vancouver’s B.C. Supreme Court on Jan. 16, where a trial date is expected to be set for later in 2014, or in 2015. Both have been charged with knowingly facilitating a terrorist activity, possession of an explosive substance and conspiring to commit an indictable offense.

This is that ridiculous scam where two Surrey drug addicts were accused of making pressure cooker bombs with the intent of using them to blow up the BC Parliament buildings in Victoria. The case is a complete scam.

These were a couple of two bit drug addicts on the methadone program that didn’t have money for food let alone rent. All of a sudden they bought all these brand new pressure cookers with rusty nails made in a lab to blow up Parliament in Victoria for no known reason whatsoever.

Victoria is provincial and has no jurisdiction over federal military decisions despite the fact that Canada had already pulled out of Afghanistan after it helped the US gain control of the opium trade there and reversed the Taliban’s decision to give the contract for the oil pipeline to Bridas instead of an American firm.

Joshua Labove, a “terrorism expert” at Simon Fraser University, said “The temptation to connect these individuals to a large intricate (terrorist) network gives them way too much nuance and sophistication,” Labove said. “We just need to be mindful that ... not all terrorism is global and not all terrorism has a particular reason ... It’s quite possible that there’s no good reason that this occurred.”

Well if there is no good reason this occurred then there is no motive now is there. In July, friends told the Vancouver Sun the couple battled with substance abuse, went paintballing and lived on welfare in a Kennedy Heights basement suite. Gee I didn’t think Muslim extremists drank alcohol or did drugs. Last summer it was reported that Nuttall is off methadone "coldturkey ." That’s strange. Everyone else on the methadone program gets increase dosages not decreased dosages to perpetuate that pharmaceutical scam.

As we recall there was no Canada Day plot because he was originally arrested on March 2nd for knowingly facilitating a terrorist activity. The Canada Day claim was a bold faced lie.



Bill Tieleman already reported on the RCMP’s terrorist quotas to rationalize the ballooning budget that has misplaces billions of dollars to “fight” terrorism. Losing $1.5 billion tax dollars a year is terrorism. Even the BC Civil Liberties Association has also raised concerns about this scam because the police were obviously the ones that provided the fake explosives. The bottom line is that US Intelligence agencies set the whole thing up and it was CSIS that tipped off the RCMP.

We need to remember that CSIS was responsible for the Air India bombing. That’s no conspiracy theory, that’s CBC. CSIS had a handler that helped plan the event and provided the explosives. They pulled their handler out the day before the bombing so they wouldn’t be implicated but he had already set the plan in motion and provided the explosives. Just like the Toronto 18.

The RCMP had a video tape showing how powerful the explosives were in the Toronto 18 scam because they were the ones that provided those explosives. Before this case goes to trial, CSIS need to be tried for murder in the Air India bombing. Every day that doesn’t happen is another day mocking justice. Phil Gibson is a fugitive. Charge him.

47 Ronin is Awesome

47 Ronin is the best movie ever. We’re talking Shogun, Samurai, Bushido, On (pronounced hone without the H meaning honour). Now that’s what I’m talking about. It’s an epic struggle between good versus evil and exemplifies honour, integrity and loyalty.

If you’ve never studied Bushido or learned about the Japanese culture in that time period then some of it might not make sense but for anyone who understands that culture or has studied Bushido it is amazing.

When my kids were young they were into Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings. I was impressed they were doing so much reading but I just couldn’t get into fiction so I picked up Shogun. Now that was epic. The ritual suicide thing was a bit hard to understand. No doubt they took it to the extreme. In one case a guy jumps off a cliff to commit ritual suicide just to get someone else’s attention to save his life. The English traveler just shook his head. You’d think he could have thrown a rock to get the guys attention instead.

My two best friends growing up were Japanese. As adults I joked with the one who was the best man at my wedding and said the Japanese sure didn’t have a deep understanding of repentance at the time. You know, if at first you don’t succeed try try again. He laughed and agreed. It is an incredibly noble heritage but I really think you need to put the ritual suicide thing in perspective and focus more on redemption.

The main character in this movie is Keanu Reeves. I asked a friend what else he played in because he looked very familiar but I just couldn’t put a finger on it. They responded with the Matrix. Right. That’s where I saw him before. He was the one in the Matrix. No wonder. This roll was just as epic.

I loved the movie because it was all about Bushido but also because it was all about integrity and the struggle of good versus evil. It even talked about how this life is in preparation for the here after. This movie is awesome and ties in with everything I’m trying to convey on this blog.

At the time period Japan had an entrenched caste system just like England did. You had to be a certain class to become a Samurai just like you had to be of noble birth to become a Knight in England. A Knight’s Tale is a fun and inspiring movie about someone who seized the opportunity and lied about his heritage to compete in jousting. After he was discovered and imprisoned Robert the Bruce knighted him for his courage which allowed him to finish the competition. Very inspiring.

"Lands and titles doesn't make a man noble." Braveheart

Itemized look at Surrey's 24 homicides (Make that 25)

Well at least no one got shot on Christmas day this year like they did last year. The Vancouver Province ran a front page story today itemizing each of Surrey's 24 homicides for the year complete with an interactive map. That's just Surrey alone.

The thing that I find astounding is the number of homicides where the cause of death has not been released. That is total censorship. I'm rather shocked given the fact that we don't live in Russia or China yet. There is no logical or legal explanation for withholding that information from the public. Once again it shows how far we have yet to go to restore public trust.

Of the 24 murders this year 10 were from shootings, 2 were from beatings, 1 was a stabbing and 1 someone intentionally ran someone down with a car outside the Front Room. However, 10 homicides the cause of death has not been released. That is George Orwell. Withholding that information from the public is incomprehensible. One step forward three steps back.

25 murders not 24. A very sad end to the year.

Christmas Reflections

I didn’t think I had a Christmas message this year but it turns out I do. No epiphany this time, just a simple thought. The Christmas frenzy is finally settling into the Christmas calm. It is a time to reflect. For many Christmas is an emotional time of year. For those who have lost loved ones or those who don’t have family to gather with it can indeed be a lonely and sad time.

Yet even when families gather conflict can often result. The recent news of a distraught father throwing his son off of a building before he jumped to his death is disturbing to say the least. It is heart wrenching. Yes there is more to life.

Of course my Christmas message centres on Janice Shore. Christmas without Janice. Most of us didn’t even know Janice although many of us met her in passing as she pan handled in Surrey. Then all of a sudden she was gone. Like so many others we notice then wonder what ever happened to. Sadly, Janice met a brutally violent end. Yet her life did not end at death. As Martin Luther King declared man is more than a whirling vagabond of elections, man is a child of God.

I’ve heard it said, yeah well I don’t believe in God. I’ve also heard it said, that’s OK, he believes in you. Yet even if we take the nativity and the divinity out of Christmas, there still remains a magical spirit of good will that transcends human pride. The idea of the first Santa that started a tradition of giving gifts. You don’t have to be religious to have a desire to give a gift or make life better for someone less fortunate. Indeed, no matter how bad we have it, there is always someone worse off. It’s like the saying I used to feel sorry for myself because I had no shoes until I met someone with no feet.

This Christmas our thoughts are drawn to those in Eastern Canada who are having Christmas without power. A cozy thought at first until we realize it means without heat. Like the image of being homeless at Christmas. You don’t have to be religious to have a desire to house the homeless or to reach out to those who suffer.



Recently a friend sent me a virtual Christmas card that contained the age old adage “Peace on earth and good will to all.” Peace on earth, what a concept. War seems to never end. Not just your typical tyrants but wars for oil and opium as well. Times have changed but greed hasn’t. Good will to all. Another sentimental concept. Yet good will can exist in our materialistic world if we want it to. It just involves that simple act of thinking of someone other than ourselves.

With all this talk of men beating their wives or girlfriends, we are drawn to contemplate what it would take to repair that broken self image that causes a man to beat a woman. After all we know that a poor self image is the root cause of domestic abuse. He who loves his wife loves himself. He who beats his wife does not.

Giving the homeless free crack and beating the life out of them for payment after the fact so you can drive a new SUV is predatory. It is not showing good will to all. Good will is indeed something to reflect upon as we continue this sojourn called life. And as we mourn the loss of loved ones this Christmas let’s light a candle in their memory. Life does not end a death. Just ask Ozzy.



On one memorial facebook group someone posted this picture with the caption that implies Christmas in heaven is here spent with us. I believe that. One day we all will be resurrected and judged. Until then when we die our spirits go to the spirit world which many believe is right here. Many believe that our loved ones aren’t far from us and feel our pain and our sorrow. I believe that.

I took my son to a candle light Christmas Eve service last night. The Protestant version of a midnight mass. I remember growing up being told that Protestants have an empty cross symbolizing that Christ has risen. Catholics have Christ on the cross remembering his suffering. I respect both. Focusing on his resurrection is good yet so is remembering his suffering. It reminds me of the scripture in Isaiah 49:14-16 when God responds to those who feel he has forgotten them. He tells them I have graven thee on the palms of my hand. Thy walls are continually before me.

It has been said that for the final hours Christ hung on the cross, all the horrifying pains of Gethsemane returned where he saw and felt all the pain and suffering of the world. Indeed he has graven our pain in the palms of his hands and our struggles are continually before him.

You’ve got to admit the architecture and the paintings in the Catholic cathedrals is pretty amazing. As I said before, a Protestant girl I dated just out of high school took me to Notre Dame in Montreal once where she put some money in a box and lit a candle for one of her deceased ancestors. I still think that is a wonderful tradition. It certainly won’t kill you to walk into a Catholic church and light a candle. It might however, open your eyes and break down some barriers of pride and prejudice which can only be good. Notre Dame in Montreal and Saint Paul's in London are well worth visiting for any tourist from any faith or lack thereof.



O Holy Night - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve

Christmas Canon Rock - Surrey what?!

Vito Rizzuto dies suddenly at age 67

Well this is big news. Vito Rizzuto died suddenly in a Montreal hospital this morning, hours after complaining he felt ill at a party. The Star is reporting that "A spokesperson for the Quebec Coroner’s office Sacré-Coeur was quoted as saying there would be no autopsy because he died of natural medical causes. Antonio Nicaso, an internationally respected authority on organized crime, said he finds the decision not to carry out an autopsy bizarre."

"Nicaso noted that death by poison should not be ruled out so quickly, especially since one of Rizzuto’s enemies, Giuseppe (Ponytail) De Vito, was poisoned with cyanide in Donnaconna Penitentiary near Quebec City last summer." No doubt that creates a huge impression on the Rizzuto come back. Claiming he died of natural causes is ridiculous.

RCMP questioned over woman's death

A blog reader sent me this story and asked me to write about it. The tragedy occurred last June but it is timely because there remains unanswered questions and yet another family grieves the loss of a loved one at Christmas.

Courtenay Eggen died June 21st 2013 after her car crashed into s dump truck during a police chase in Salmon Arm. Castanet reported some enlightening facts that weren’t mentioned in the original police version of events.

A witness claims they don’t believe the car chase was called off. "The RCMP car that was chasing the suspect flew off the road and hit my friend's shop. It went off an embankment and down 30 feet where it hit the building. It had a flat tire and it was smashed up. That's why they gave up the chase, because they crashed."

Turns out the officer involved had been told to call off the chase, but refused. Now a young girl is dead. Trying to out run the police is not a wise thing. Yet neither is the pride that perused her in an unsafe manner and ultimately killed her.



Another more recent case in Texas is a tragedy that involved a police officer who shot an unarmed suspect after pulling him over for speeding. A witness claims the victims last words were 'Oh you're gonna shoot me?' Tragically he did. In a communist country we wouldn’t be allowed to talk about this. Thankfully we can and should talk about it because these things should not happen.

Taking money from those who work hard and giving it to those who don't

I saw this interesting picture and caption on a friend's facebook and I had to comment. I will first clarify that I am not a fan of Socialism or Communism. I think most will agree what Stalin, Lenin and Chairman Mao did was wrong. They set up dictatorships that we should vigilantly oppose. The point I want to make is that we need to be mindful as we oppose that evil, we don't in reality embrace it.

I have always said, draw a line in the sand and call it democracy. The further you go away from that line to the left or the right, the further away from democracy you get and the closer you get to dictatorship. A right wing dictator is no better than a left wing dictator. In fact when push comes to shove they are in reality quite similar.

I have frequently used the term Corporate Communism and have pointed out that is was the banks and the oil companies that actually funded the Communist Devolution in Russia. When I first found that out I was shocked and found it incredibly ironic. After all the big banks and oil companies represent the greed of Capitalism which is what we are told is the direct opposite of Communism. Yet when we realize it's really about exploitation and greed, then we can clearly see how similar those two extremes really are.

When discussing politics I do not agree it's a debate between socialism or capitalism. I do not define capitalism as democracy. Don't get me wrong, I am very much half capitalist. I have no problem with someone making a buck off of a good idea. I just think we have to be mindful that as we oppose the extremism manifested in Communism that we support democracy not corporate greed. We need to support a free market in a Democratic system. Corporate monopolies destroy the free market because they crush small business. Large corporations don't promote a thriving economy where everyone who works hard prospers. The industrial revolution is the prime example of that fallacy. Large Corporations exploit workers and taxpayers just like Communism does.

This brings us back to Occupy Wall Street. Sure there are a few wing nuts that show up waving a Communist flag. Those clowns show up at every demonstration. Yet the corruption on Wall Street is a huge concern for everyone especially when their fraud gets bailed out with tax dollars. That scam rips off tax payers. You don't have to be a left wing extremist to get angry about paying too much tax and having tax dollars spent on investment fraud like the Greek financial crisis.

I keep emphasizing it's about establishing a Free Republic based on a Constitution which protects human rights. There is nothing wrong with the Canadian Charter of Rights. The problem is when the courts become a law unto themselves instead of enforcing the law which is what they are supposed to do. This new insane decision from the supreme court about prostitution is a huge threat to our sovereignty. Yet this other decision of the courts to protect the constitution is important. Here we see two examples of what is right and what is wrong with the courts.

The right to belong to a criminal organization is not a charter right. Living off the avails of prostitution is not a charter right. Yet the freedom of speech and the freedom from unnecessary searches and seizures is. I find it astounding that Stephen Harper can actually go on the record as opposing the Charter of Rights. That makes him more of a Communist then Pierre Elliot Trudeau ever was. I also find it astounding the Justin Trudeau has the audacity to pretend he supports the Charter of Rights when he just supported one of Harper's bills to do away with it.

The stereotypes are being shattered and it behooves us to use our brain and do what Preston Manning originally challenged us to do. That is look beyond the left and right and look at issues. Sadly, his quest fell when they acted on a typo and changed the motto from unite the bright to unite the right. As soon as they did that, they merged back with Mulroneyism and became the exact entity they originally set out to oppose. Right now the free republic hangs by a thread.

Robert Pickton claims others were to blame

The Vancouver Sun is reporting that Robert Pickton denied responsibility for murdering sex trade workers on his farm in his statement of defense in the family of the victims civil case.

"Since his conviction, Pickton has repeatedly denied responsibility for killing Downtown Eastside sex workers, offering vague, rambling denials and suggesting someone else was to blame. In August 2010, shortly after the Supreme Court of Canada denied the final appeal of his murder convictions, Pickton spoke to a CTV reporter from jail and claimed others were responsible. He made similar claims in a series of letters to The Canadian Press in 2012."

"In each instance, Pickton includes cryptic claims that there is more to the story, but he never takes the opportunity to fill in the blanks." Let's not forget that Wally Opal shut down the public inquiry as soon as the Hells Angels were mentioned.

Time to strike down the Supreme Court

MSN News is reporting that the Supreme Court of Canada has struck down the country's anti-prostitution laws in a unanimous decision, and given Parliament one year to come up with new legislation - should it choose to do so. In striking down laws prohibiting brothels, living on the avails of prostitution and communicating in public with clients, the top court ruled Friday that the laws were over-broad and "grossly disproportionate."

"Parliament has the power to regulate against nuisances, but not at the cost of the health, safety and lives of prostitutes," wrote Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin in the 9-0 decision that noted "it is not a crime in Canada to sell sex for money."

This is insanity. It is time for a judicial review. In the United States judges are elected. We need to implement that same process in Canada now. As it stands we have no mechanism in place to get rid of a bad judge. This decision is the perfect example of how bad judges can remove democracy from a democratic nation.

Dug addicted public prostitution is a huge public nuisance. Allowing that is in direct opposition of health and welfare of everyone - the public, the johns and the sex trade workers themselves. We need to find a balance between what consenting adults do behind closed doors and the huge problem of living off the avails and human trafficking. No judge has the authority to legalize those crimes. This is why we need a judicial review right now. Before we look at reviewing the prostitution laws, we need to review the selection and retention of court judges. That is far more urgent as it currently is a direct attack on our civil liberty and our democratic system.

Gang Banger turns out to be another Woman Beater

Nicola Cottrell received a conditional sentence for her involvement in the drive by shooting of the Bacon brother associates outside TBarz back in 2009. The sad part is the revelation that her boyfriend Barzan Tilli-Cholim was a woman beater. The Vancouver Province is reporting that although Tilli-Choli initially treated her nicely, the relationship soon turned violent, with Tilli-Choli beating her often. Once, police had to pull him off her as he kicked her while she lay fetal position on the ground. He was convicted of assaulting her and ordered not to contact her. But they soon got back together again and the violence continued.

A few days before the shooting, in February 2009, Cottrell sent Tilli-Choli a text message. "I'm in love with you," she told him. "I'll do what you asked earlier. I want to spend tonight with you so I can wake up with my loved one on Valentine's." God help this woman. Kim Bolan is reporting that Nicola even had Barzan's name tattooed on the back of her neck.

I'm sorry but I have a hard time comprehending this kind of behavior. It shows exactly what Kerri Krysko was recently saying in that "statistically those same people often go back, even years later and a new spouse or partner is doing what the last has done. It’s about breaking cycles and habits." I cannot comprehend why pretty young girls stay in relationships where they are physically beaten. What's worse is Barzan Tilli-Cholim has just joined with Donnie McWhirter, Don Lions and Ryan Holt into the low life woman beater hall of shame.

Update: Nicola claims she was never in the vehicle that did the shooting which makes you wonder why she was charged in the first place. Kim Bolan initially reported that Nicola Cottrell and Sara terebble were both in the car at the time.

Judge issues stop order on NSA surveillance

The Vancouver Province is reporting that a U.S. judge has ruled the National Security Agency's indiscriminate, bulk seizure of Americans' telephone records is "almost certainly" unconstitutional and has issued a preliminary injunction to stop the highly controversial surveillance program.

It was clearly unconstitutional and clearly illegal so I'm not sure what a court injunction will do. Other than make it easier to send them to jail if they keep doing it. Yet they should be charged and imprisoned right now. What they did was illegal. They should go to jail and Snowden should be exonerated. It really is that simple. As I've said before, the fact that the NSA has not gone to jail for their criminal activity and the fact that Obama has broken his oath to defend the Constitution while he tries to incarcerate Snowden for telling the truth is a bizarre saga from the Twilight Zone.

When you think about it, the wire taping civil case in England is winding it's way through the courts. Murdoch's News Agency was wiretapping everyone under the sun illegally with the help of Scotland Yard and the local government. Now we hear that Angelina Jolie is suing them in the States for taping her phone and they are trying to have that adjourned to a British kangaroo court with the others. Yet she was living in the states when her phone was tapped. The point is that illegal activity is being confronted in the civil courts while the NSA and Canada's CSEC is not. That is a huge concern for everyone. The NSA and CSEC need to be charged criminally.

Another body found in Surrey

The Vancouver Province is reporting that IHIT is investigating a body found this morning near 102nd Ave and 124 Street in Surrey. Residents reported hearing a gunshot around 11 p.m. Monday. This would be 24 homicides for Surrey this year. Tragic indeed. BC Local news has a complete list.

Not to minimize the situation but after the 23rd murder in Surrey my daughter was surprised. She said I realize that's a lot but it's not nearly as much as I thought it was. I thought it was like 5 a night here in Surrey. She said knowing it was only 23 murders in one year made her feel a lot safer. I'm not sure if that's good or bad but I did find it amusing.

News 1130 is reporting that the name of the victim is Philip Oun who was known to the police.

Man stabbed in Whalley

The Surrey Leader is reporting that a man is in hospital after being stabbed several times in Whalley. The stabbing occurred Monday afternoon at about 3:30 PM near the corner of 106 Avenue and 135 A Street in the parking lot of the Whalley Legion which is right beside the Front Room. The exact spot we are highlighting this winter for the drug related violence there. It is where Janice Shore was last seen before she was brutally beaten to death over what some sources claim was a nominal drug debt.

Although this stabbing doesn't appear to be drug related, it shows what kind of violence goes on in that area all the time. The Surrey Leader referred to it as the dead zone. A place when locals say the police tolerate violent crime. We know for a surety they tolerate aggressive crack dealers selling crack in public there. they refuse to stop them. Which makes ya kinda wonder what the new talk force is talking about while they let that go on in broad daylight. I guess the mayor doesn't care about that as long as it's not outside her new ivory tower in Surrey Central.

Michael Booth seems to think a group of grandstanding politicians is a waste of time and money.

I think they need to arrest the aggressive crack dealers outside the Front Room.

Surrey Jack gets Jacked

On the bright side, this suspect won't be loose for long. The Surrey Leader also reported that at about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, a man and woman with what is described as a small machete approached a man in a blue 2003 Dodge Caravan at an Esso Station near 104 Avenue and King George Boulevard. They told him to get out, and hand over the keys.

As the couple got into the vehicle, they were approached by two other men in their mid-20s who then stole the van from the car jacker and took off. About 10 minutes later, and a few blocks away, the Surrey Fire Department was called to the Front Room Drop-In Centre at 10667 135A St. on a medical call. On arrival, they found a man who had been stabbed in the upper left chest. He was taken to hospital by ambulance with non-life threatening injuries.

So the Surrey Jack got Jacked. Now that's the Surrey we know and grew up in. Just like in that dirty Surrey remix, I pulled out my shank and the Surrey Jack ran away. After they get jacked they go and stab someone outside the Front Room. Surrey criminals aren't known for being very bright. The car jackers that got jacked had their faces recorded on surveillance video at the gas station. So the police know exactly what the suspect looks like. I'm not sure why they haven't handed out a picture of the suspect to the media. I sure hope Bill Fordy is trying to solve crime not just suppress crime statistics for his political aspirations.

Silk Road and the Hells Angels

According to this letter from the US Department of justice, Ross William Ulbricht, has been charged with conspiring to commit narcotics trafficking, conspiring to commit computer hacking and conspiring to commit money laundering.

Ulbricht owned and operated an underground website known as “Silk Road,” a bustling black-market bazaar where illegal drugs of every variety were sold, along with other illegal goods and services, such as malicious computer software and fake identification documents.

Once again this individual is taking the fall for the whole thing and is being perceived once again as the ring leader just like Rob Shannon was in that Hells Angels drug trafficking network. Ulbricht was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) on October 1, 2013, while working on his laptop computer at a San Francisco public library.

While operating Silk Road, Ulbricht commissioned no fewer than six murders for hire within a span of four months in 2013. Although it appears that none of these murders was actually carried out, Ulbricht clearly intended them to happen, and the details of the attempted murders demonstrate that Ulbricht will not hesitate to use violence in order to silence witnesses, safeguard his criminal proceeds, or otherwise protect his self-interest.

Beginning on March 13, 2013, a Silk Road vendor known as “FriendlyChemist” began sending threats to Ulbricht’s “DPR” account on Silk Road’s private message system, claiming that he had a long list of actual names and addresses of Silk Road users that he intended to publish on the Internet unless Ulbricht gave him $500,000, which “FriendlyChemist” said he needed to pay off his narcotics suppliers. Subsequently, Ulbricht communicated with another user claiming to be “FriendlyChemist’s” supplier, who went by the username “redandwhite” – a well-known nickname of the Hells Angels. Ulbricht told “redandwhite” that “FriendlyChemist” was causing him trouble and that he wanted “to put a bounty on his head.” Ulbricht gave “redandwhite” what he believed to be the true name of “FriendlyChemist,” and a location for him in White Rock, British Columbia, Canada. Ulbricht and “redandwhite” agreed upon a price of 1,670 Bitcoins – approximately $150,000 – for the job, which Ulbricht transferred on March 31, 2013, to a particular Bitcoin address designated by “redandwhite.” This transfer appears on the public Bitcoin ledger known as the “Blockchain,” evidencing that the transfer was actually made. Over the next several days, “redandwhite” reported to Ulbricht that “FriendlyChemist” had been “taken care of” and provided what he claimed to be a photograph of the victim after the job was done. Ulbricht thanked “redandwhite” for his “swift action.”

Canadian law enforcement authorities, who have no record of any Canadian resident with the name for “FriendlyChemist” that Ulbricht passed to “redandwhite,” nor do they have a record of a homicide occurring in White Rock, British Colombia during the relevant time frame. However, the foregoing messages between Ulbricht and “redandwhite,” and Ulbricht’s $150,000 payment to “redandwhite,” leave no doubt of his intention that the murder for hire be carried out.

However, Craig Widdifield who was tied to the drug trade was shot dead at Morgan Crossing in White rock April 24. Several days after March 31st “redandwhite” reported to Ulbricht that “FriendlyChemist” had been “taken care of.” That could have meant his death had been contracted out and was as good as done. It is possible that FriendlyChemist was Craig Widdifield. It’s also possible he wasn’t. Yet the timing of the murder makes it worth looking into. It's also possible Craig Widdifield was tony76 - the third victim.

We know that White Rock Hells Angel Randy Jones’ brother Trevor used the name Red in his alleged dealings in that cross border drug ring tied to the Hells Angels out of Tbarz. Trevor has been indicted but not extradited for that offense. We also know that anyone claiming to be with the Hells Angels in White Rock falsely would be dead for making the impersonation. Randy himself used the e-mail tbarz81 to register the Tbarz domain name and used randy81 to register the dankenergydrinks.com domain name.

Please note that FriendlyChemist tried to extort the guy from Silk road to pay his drug debts. Redandwhite was his supplier - someone claiming to be associated with the Hells Angels from White Rock. That would be the Randy and Trevor Jones ring from the Eye of Saruman.

Jury finds suspect guilty in Kamloops double murder

A jury has found Roy Frederick Fraser guilty of first degree murder for the death of Damien Marks, and guilty of second degree murder for the death of Kenneth Yaretz Jr both of whom were found dead in Kamloops May 27, 2009.

Info Tel is reporting that the jury heard Yaretz was involved with a marijuana crop with Fraser they were partners on. Neighbors claimed they had been under the impression the property was owned by the Hells Angels. Yaretz had a documented link to the Independent Soldiers and served a nine month prison sentence for drug trafficking in 2007. Yaretz was with Jayme Russell when he was pulled over the previous summer.

René Charlebois left incriminating video tapes

The Montreal Gazette and CBC are both reporting that René Charlebois left incriminating video tapes before committing “suicide” after he escaped from prison. The tapes shed light on Montreal police detective Benoît Roberge selling confidential information to the Hells Angels. No doubt this is just the tip of the iceberg but I wanted to mention it again just to keep track of the story.

On an unrelated note, Hells Angel Maxime Guillemette has been arrested after escaping prison on a snowmobile in Laval. A snowmobile? Ya gotta admit that was creative.

Court Jester bans Person X's testimony in Surrey Six

Speaking of crimes in high places, Catherine Wedge does it again. She is banning Person X from testifying in the Surrey Six Murder Trial. Time for her to go to jail. That is insane. Her ruling claims the Crown had successfully asserted privilege over relevant material, which would otherwise have been disclosed to the accused, on the basis that its disclosure would tend to identify the police informer. Everybody knows who Person X is. When he testifies in court the accused will see him. Not letting him testify is insane. Catherine Wedge is sitting on the wrong side of the bench.

Update: There appears to be some confusion between person x and person y. The one I was under the impression is person x is the star witness. The one others are claiming it is is not the star witness. Yet the one I'm thinking of started cooperating with the police first. That would make him person x not person y. I have to get confirmation still about which is which.

OK it does appear that Person X and Person Y have been mysteriously switched around from what they originally were. Which once against shows how stupid these ridiculous publication bans are. Banning the new person X from testifying is not as bad as banning the new person Y from testifying but it's still messed up. Switching the names around and banning the publication of their names erodes the courts accountability to the public which threatens our democratic system. The judges in BC are far too arrogant for the public good.

Surrey Six witness admits to drinking and flirting with police

A new admission in the Surrey Six trial has left us once again shaking our head at police misconduct. Cody Haevischer’s former girlfriend admitted Thursday she frequently drank to excess in the company of police while under witness protection and exchanged highly sexualized banter and jokes with them.

Remember, this isn’t the witness that the IHITit member has been accused of having an affair with. This is yet another witness describing unprofessional conduct as the accepted norm. You don’t get drunk and flirt with a witness on a regular basis. Is there any wonder the other IHITit member had an affair with another witness? Inappropriate conduct is the accepted norm.

The Vancouver Province is reporting that defence lawyer Michael Tammen suggested she would drink with the officers handling her in the case. “There was a night of drinking, yes,” she replied. “There was more than one night, there were many nights,” said Tammen. “I drank quite a bit then, yes,” she said.

“You drank to excess in the company of various police officers over a long period of time?” said Tammen. “Until I left B.C., yes,” she said. K.M. admitted there was also an incident of drinking in Toronto. “Consistently in your interaction with many of these police officers, you made inappropriate jokes with them and they back to you, correct?” said Tammen. “That’s just my personality,” said K.M. “Highly sexualized banter, jokes, correct?” said Tammen. “That’s just my personality,” she said.

The Vancouver Province points out that RCMP Sgt. Derek Brassington being charged when allegations surfaced that he was having an inappropriate relationship with a witness in the case. What we are seeing is a pattern of inappropriate, unprofessional conduct that is consistent with the many allegations found in the class action sexual harassment suit filed against the RCMP.

What consenting adults do in private is not sexual harassment. However, getting drunk with and flirting with key witnesses in a very important murder trial is totally unprofessional. This brings us right back to Bill Fordy and Don Ray. The government is denying and rationalizing the many allegations in the class action sexual harassment suit against the RCMP but the allegations around Don Ray are indisputable. His transfer to BC was shameful. Putting him in Surrey with Bill Fordy would be a criminal act.

Shall we talk about the allegations about Bill Fordy’s own inappropriate conduct at the RCMP dinner in Surrey? Can we address that here? Doesn’t sound like anything has changed from the allegations of him and the Pickton investigators toward Catherine Galliford. This still needs to be addressed. Can we do that out of court or do we have to file the paper work first? Please advise.

Corporate fraud affects our civil liberty and financial prosperity

Corporate fraud is a huge problem that hits taxpayers hard. The prime example was Enron. When the US privatized their power it resulted in the biggest corporate fraud in history. Similar to BC Rail when politicians give their contributors public assets at fire sale prices. Yet Enron went far beyond that. They were ripping off the company and consumers in a mayor way. Which leaves us two huge problems when corporate fraud is tied to privatization.

Privatization is not always bad. Just when it’s used to circumvent public accountability and obtain a corporate monopoly. The more a corporation or a bank is able to operate away from public accountability, the more fraud it ends up being involved with. Take the S&L crisis in the States back in the /80’s. That happened because of deregulation. A lot of those loans the banks had that were defaulted on were from the Agency. Al Martin claims the Agency used fraud as a means of fund raising for Iran contra. That has huge implications for us today. Earl W. Brian and the CIA embezzled $50 million from Nesbitt Thompson clients in Canada.

The other problem is tax revenue. Bailing out a bank from fraud or funding a corporate fraud costs tax dollars. The more it happens the bigger the amount of tax dollars involved. To the point where it becomes a huge financial burden on the tax payer that even affects their sovereignty and their civil liberty. After all, who do you think all of this spying on every day citizens is for? It’s for corporations so they can make a profit.

That’s the big con right there. If a corporate monopoly makes a profit that does not mean the public or the economy will prosper. Corporate monopolies kill the free market. They gouge consumers and taxpayers. An example of how serious this is would be the Greek financial crisis. Corporate fraud resulted in huge austerity measures for taxpayers to pay for the fraud. Goldman Sachs was directly involved in that scam.

I will agree that the Enron fraud and the BC Hydro fraud is much more serious then the current Canada Post fraud. However, the Canada Post fraud takes us down the same road because it gouges consumers, over burdens tax payers and destroys the freedom of the press. When a large corporation is allowed to blatantly lie and the media blindly repeats those lies for them, we are all diminishes and the freedom of the press is destroyed. That affects our civil liberty. Having to come up with all that tax revenue Canada Post has been paying the government when it’s privatized over burdens tax payers. It doesn’t save consumers or taxpayers money.

Canada Post: Putting the lies on the table

Canada Post has come up with some very dramatic lies that need to be addressed because it effects our civil liberty. When a corporation that big is allowed to tell that many lies and get away with it, we all suffer and the press is no longer free. Canada Post has just made three outrageous statements. The first of which is the announcement that they are going to do away with door to door delivery of mail. That's like a restaurant saying they are going to no longer serve food but they still want your money. It's bad business. It reduces business revenue.

The second is the absolutely absurd claim that their "think tank" claims they are going to start losing money at such an unprecedented rate that they forecast $1 billion in annual losses by 2020 unless changes are made. That is an insane lie and any media outlet that reports that false claim as true should have their press credentials revoked. If nothing else the public should stop buying their newspapers period.

The third outrageous scare tactic is to raise the price of stamps to a dollar right before Christmas. That is an act of business terrorism. It's as though they want to kill mail volumes completely. Which I submit is exactly part of their political agenda. Back in the day Canada Post used to offer a reduced rate for Christmas cards knowing that people send many out at a time. If it was a card only they got a reduced rate. That's like a black Friday sale. It generates more business volume. Something Canada post doesn't want to do because of their extreme political agenda which has nothing to do with public accountability.

I have a lot to say on this matter and will say much more. However, at this time I will simply address the most obvious and most pressing lie that is fueling this fraud. That is the ridiculous claim that they will in the future anticipate that their 16 year trend of record profits will somehow magically be reversed into a billion dollar a year deficit. That is a bold faced lie.

For 16 years Canada post made a consistent profit. 2011 was the first year that changed because of a labour disruption. Why was there a labour disruption? Because Canada Post wanted to do away with sick leave and destroy the employee's pensions. That was the issue on the table. It had absolutely nothing to do with wages. It was about route measurement and pensions. As a result, Canada post locked out it's employees knowing full well Stephen Harper would legislate them back to work with an imposed settlement which is exactly what they did again. The right to strike is part of the free collective bargaining process in a free and democratic society. That does not exist at Canada Post. Corporate monopolies need government intervention to keep them honest.

They keep arbitrarily coming up with these insane ideas to destroy pensions and benefits then consistently lie to the media about the numbers. Canada Post's MO has not changed one bit. Yes I used to work for Canada Post. That was a long time ago. I took one for the team back when Moya Greene was sent in to privatize Canada Post. She tried to sue me for slander when I posted a screen clip of the Bombarier stock crash when she was involved with it after she helped derail CN. That was over ten years ago. She took my job but I kept the web site. Her first lawyer, Michael Manson from Smart and Biggar did kinda look like Charles Manson in the eyes. I said to him then, Alright Chuckie, you might be a devil and it might be a sin, but I'll take your bet so I will because a public post office is the best there's ever been.

Indeed it is. These consistent record profits are paying dividends to the government. It's a cash cow. Getting rid if that is getting rid of a huge amount of tax revenue. Something they are dying to do because their political agenda is not to create tax revenue, it's to privatize everything so their friends can gouge consumers and contribute to their political campaigns in return while consumers are left paying more and more taxes. It is a criminal fraud that needs to be investigated fully.

First is the billion dollar deficit lie. The Union posted an accurate list of the profit Canada Post has been making up till 2006. By their own figures they admit they continued to make record profits until the labour disruption which they caused by trying to take away pensions in 2011.

Denis Lemelin pointed out that the corporation lied about the decrease in mail volume and he pointed out that despite the nominal decrease in mail volumes the amount of profit the corporation has made has continued to increase. There's a reason for that. The letter carrier routes are based on volumes. If the mail volume decreases the route gets loner which in turn cuts jobs. That is already built into the equation. So when they keep crying about decreased volumes they fail to mention that automatically means a decrease in jobs. The bottom line is that this billion dollar annual loss is fraudulent. Parcel delivery is increasing because people buy things online.

Cutting door to door deliver and raising the price of stamps to a dollar is not necessary. That is an absolute lie. I have much more to say but that will suffice for now. The billion dollar lie is exactly that. A lie. It is false. Stopping door to door delivery is something the public should be consulted on without the false numbers and the false jump in price of stamps. This fraud needs to be addressed because it all boils down to public accountability just like the BC Hydro fraud.

Canada Post is Lying Again

Well this is rather astounding. Canada Post does the time warp and brings back confrontational dishonesty. What I find so amazing is that Canada Post can get away with bold face lying to the media and that the media actually prints their lies without investigating them at all. Back in the day the media could be sued for printing something that is untrue. Not now. Now corporations control the media with advertizing dollars.

I have a lot more to say about the bold face lies Canada Post in unilaterally implementing and spewing in the media. However, right now I'm too angry to talk. I'll just leave them with a big F*ck You. F*ck Canada Post for coming up with such outrageous lies and F*ck the main stream media for printing those lies without questioning them first. The press is no longer free. It is disgusting how the main stream media is pimping out the freedom of the press. They should be sued and have their press credentials revoked.

This is Corporate Communism at work. Mark my word, right now Corporate Communism is a much bigger threat to our individual liberty and our financial prosperity than Hitler or Stalin combined. Welcome to the new age. It's radioactive. Why they're still pumping 300 tons of bullsh*t into the pacific ocean every day as we speak.

Another Hells Angels cocaine bust in Ontario

Ontario police recently seized a kilo of cocaine and several Hells Angels support shirts. 81 obviously refers to the Hells Angels. SYL BHC appears to be support your local Big House Crew meaning Hells Angels in jail. Keswick refers to Keswick, Ontario where the Hells Angels have a chapter of drug dealers. Kyle Aulenback from Sudbury has been charged with cocaine trafficking.

Jonathan Bacon knew Surrey Six details

Cody Haevischer’s former girlfriend stated under cross examination that after Cody was arrested in 2009 Jonathon Bacon told her by writing on a whiteboard, details of what happened at the time of the October 2007 Surrey Six murders. "He wanted to make it seem like his brother (Jamie) had nothing to do with it," she told B.C. Supreme Court Justice Catherine Wedge. "It was all about (Surrey six coaccused) Mike Le and money."

So right away Jonathon himself was trying to implicate a co accused and get his POS brother off even though Jamie Pig sh*t was seen fleeing the scene. Jamie certainly was not the brains of the operation. He was shall we say mentally diminished. He was an Orc as they say in the Lord of the Rings. If Jamie Bacon was involved in the conspiracy to commit murder then so was Jarrod and Jonathan. If Jonathon was involved, so was Larry Amero and the Haney Hells Angels I.E. Spike and his dirty misfits. Jonathon Pig sh*t was right about one thing. It was all about money.

Tragically the girlfriend was told they heard a kid in the hall referring to Chris Mohan so Matthew Johnston grabbed him and threw him in the room. Chris told him “I’m not part of this. I don’t know these guys. I’m not their friends,” Yet they still shot him in the back of the head along with Ed Schellenberg. Another innocent victim who was repairing the gas fireplace.

That deranged act is what outraged Surrey and is why everyone here despises the Bacon brothers. There was no need or reason to execute innocent bystanders. That deranged act did not help them rise to the top of the drug trade. It saw Jonathon Bacon shot dead and it saw everyone testify against them in court. That is a natural consequence of such a deranged act.

Yet there is one other bizarre twist that was revealed under cross examination in court. Cody’s girlfriend admitted that the police told her that LeClair was killed by Jamie Bacon or someone working for Bacon and that she was next. She said she didn't entirely believe the police and became angry when she believed police had lied to her.

Lied to her? If the police made that up and lied to her then that would have totally crossed the line. Kim Bolan picked up on that. Kim said Cody’s former girlfriend stated the police came to her on April 1, 2009 and warned her that Jamie Bacon would try to kill her. OK now I’ve heard of police warning a gang member that a rival had put a hit on them but lying and making something like that up totally crosses the line. It puts any future warnings in question. When do we know they’re telling the truth and when they are lying? Lying like that to trick a witness into cooperating with the police is POS scumbag. That’s lowering yourself to the gang members level.

However, Kim Bolan is also reporting that the court heard that Kevin LeClair did give police information about the Surrey Six which means it’s quite possible his murder was indeed an inside job. That’s pretty messed up. It’s hard to know who to believe at this point.

Snowden document shows Canada set up spy posts for NSA

CBC is reporting that a top secret document retrieved by American whistleblower Edward Snowden reveals Canada has set up covert spying posts around the world and conducted espionage against trading partners at the request of the U.S. National Security Agency.

The briefing paper describes a "close co-operative relationship" between the NSA and its Canadian counterpart, the Communications Security Establishment Canada, or CSEC — a relationship "both sides would like to see expanded and strengthened. "The intelligence exchange with CSEC covers worldwide national and transnational targets." PRISM is just another name for PROMIS.

CSEC is a criminal organization. Stephen Harper should be in jail. Harper is violating the constitution by letting Americans spy on Canadians then letting them share that information with CSES and visa versa. The CSEC watchdog claims the leak is misinformation which is false. Kinda like how the last chair for the CSIS watchdog was arrested for fraud tied to Iran contra.

Christmas without the Nativity

A dusting of snow in the city and it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. Only something’s missing. The hustle and bustle in the malls hasn’t got crazy yet, it’s just right. Lights and decorations make the season festive. Yet something is missing.

Recently I visited a friend’s home and it was nice to see them bring out their Christmas decorations and see what kind of traditions they had in their home. Then it dawned on me that they didn’t have a nativity scene and I went to the mall to see if I could find one. I always thought it was humorous buying a nativity scene made in Communist China so I checked out Wal-Mart but couldn’t find one anywhere.

I went to customer service and an Indo Canadian lady was trying to be helpful but she had no idea what I was talking about. A nativity scene. You know a barn with a manger and baby Jesus. She was uncertain so she went to ask her supervisor who turned out to be a wonderful young lady wearing a traditional Muslim headpiece. Awkward I thought. She was very nice and said they used to sell them but she hasn’t seen them in the store for the past two years. Tragic I thought. I said that’s like Vaisakhi without lights. My daughter later corrected me and said Diwali was the festival of lights.

My point is Christmas without the nativity is rather empty and meaningless. I know we’ve had the discussion about how Christmas seems to becoming a banned word in our society. Thankfully Nina Grewal set the world straight on that one. Yet now it seems that nativity scenes are becoming a banned substance as modernization pushes for the secularization of Christmas and society.

I remember one year driving under the over pass at Guildford Mall only to read a sign that said Have a big beautiful Christmas. I was somewhat choked at the commercialization of the holiday. Money money money. Buy buy buy. Just another retail push that loses it’s meaning completely.

The whole concept of Christ is a story worth telling. It is a tradition worth remembering. I know there was a huge part of my kid’s childhood that I didn’t take them to church because well quite frankly sometimes organized religion can miss the point. Yet no religion is simply growing up in ignorance. Not knowing the historic traditions that answer the questions of where we come from, why we are here and were we go after this life.

We often joke and say back in Ireland Christmas and Easter is the only time most people go to church. Well at least they go then. At least they remember those important holidays. I was raised in the United Church of Canada and have fond memories of moral lessons of service and tolerance growing up. At Christmas there was advent. Lighting a candle each week for the four weeks before Christmas in anticipation of the coming of Christ. That is a good tradition.

When I was young I remember my girl friend took me to a Catholic cathedral in Montreal where she lit a candle for one of her loved ones who had passed on. She was a protestant but she liked visiting the Catholic Cathedrals and lighting a candle and I agreed that was a wonderful tradition. I loved seeing the Stations of the Cross. It really brings home the suffering of Christ. Something we often take for granted. People don't pray to statues. Statues help people remember deity.

I tell my kids that although I totally support the freedom of religion and most religions teach the golden rule, I don’t believe all religions are true. Without the atonement and resurrection religion is empty and incomplete. Christ made the resurrection possible through the atonement. I really can’t stomach the holier than though praise the lord crowd. Yet for me, removing Christ from Christmas is disrespectful. It’s like receiving a gift without saying thank you.

This year I’ve dusted off my nativity scene and am emphasizing Christ. Remembering his suffering and his compassion. I just think remembering that inspires us to be better people. Peace. Let’s hope no one gets shot this Christmas.

On another note, I noticed at indigo they had a special edition of Life Magazine about the mission of Christ. Now that's worth getting this Christmas.