Regional sales tax: Time for some new Mayors

Local mayors feasting on poison kool aid got together and proposed a regional sales tax to fund translink. Two subsequent editorials in the Vancouver Province respond with it’s time to fire these mayors. I totally agree.

“Every single mayor on the Mayors’ Council promoting its latest long shopping list of new fees and taxes to pay for transit in the Lower Mainland should be fired by voters in the next municipal election. The current crop, apparently, is incapable of hearing what cash-strapped taxpayers are saying: No New Taxes!”

“Forget the parochial concerns of local mayors. The greatest argument against a regional police force is the performance of Greater Vancouver’s two existing regional agencies - TransLink and Metro Vancouver.”

“While TransLink’s habitual tax increases, never-ending budget deficits and lack of direct accountability have been well documented over the past several years, Metro Vancouver has slid somewhat under the radar. That needs to change.”

We all know who is supporting this poison kool aid feeding frenzy. Diane Watts earlier said that having a toll on the Port Mann bridge is not fair so we should toll everything. That was the most insane statement I have ever heard come out of any politician’s mouth.

Translink sucks. They keep charging more and going further into debt. So what’s their answer? Keep spending more money they don’t have by building more sky train lines and keep going further in debt. That is bad business. Yes big cities have good subway systems. Yet any business that operates on the honor system will not last long in the real world and that is exactly what we are seeing.

They’re just starting to put in turnstiles finally. That is long over due and needs to be implemented across the board. Free rides is bad business. So is subsidizing those free rides with tax dollars.

Not long ago a report was published saying that bus drivers have a button they push every time someone gets on without paying the fare. It was pushed 2.5 million times in one year. Once again that is bad business. Giving away free services then wondering why it’s in debt. Fares are expensive. Fare evasion needs to be addressed.

They already have a regional gas tax. Look at the difference in the price of gas between Surrey and Abbotsford. That is criminal. It’s an additional billion dollars every year. Now they want more. I’m telling you, this Dianne Watts cult is poisonous and is tied directly to the days of Gordon Campbell. We need to wake up and smell the coffee by firing these arrogant mayors that want to tax and spend forever. Go Godzilla.

BC crack in Saskatoon

Wednesday morning a 16 year old kid from BC was caught arriving at the Saskatoon Bus depot with 1000 pre packaged pieces of crack cocaine. Investigators believe he is part of a large organized crime group. Using young offenders. That’s what the gangs did back in the /80’s during the US crack epidemic.

I’ll give you three guesses as to what part of BC he’s from. If you guessed Surrey, you’re right. Let's give it up for Slurrey. 16 year olds dealing candy colored crack. That is messed up. When the Hells Angels bring all that cocaine into the country, this is where it ends up. That is no way to make a living.

Bullies First in Surrey City Hall

The rumors have been confirmed about the City of Surrey sending a legal cease and desist threat to our Friend at Surrey Shirts. They claimed that their shirt Surrey: The Future dies here was an infringement on their copyright not. Their cease and desist threat from a lawyer is just another documented case of their bullying.

I was cautious about the shirt with the City logo saying Better safe than Surrey. Yet this other article is quite right in that “Copyrighted material is, of course, protected by law. But so too in Canada are parody and satire of copyrighted material.” Evidently City Hall’s lawyer is back tracking and said they aren’t going to pursue the matter in court they just send a legal letter.

So why send the letter? To be bullies and try and scare the sole proprietor knowing they don’t have a real case in court. I find it highly ironic and highly offensive Surrey First is promoting the No Bullies day when they themselves are the biggest bullies in the city. So get your red hot satirical shirts from Surrey shirts dot com.

The Globe and Mail finally picked up on the City of Surrey’s development corporation story: “Michael Geller, a well-known development consultant in Vancouver, was on the Surrey corporation’s board. He quit because he got uncomfortable about some of the deals the corporation was considering…”

“But he doesn’t support cities developing their land with the explicit goal of making money, as Mr. Cox has said Surrey’s corporation has. “That’s where we part ways. There’s not only the appearance of a conflict of interest. There are going to be conflicts.””

No kidding. This isn’t about risky investments. It’s about conflict of interest. Their sole purpose is to make money and they are the ones making decisions on flipping agricultural land into commercial. Like the Gateway Casino proposal and just like Campbell Heights Industrial Park.

Toronto Hells Angel charged in gambling ring

The Toronto Star is reporting that Toronto Hells Angel Billy Miller and five alleged associates face a string of gambling charges after police busted an invitation only Super Bowl party at a Markham banquet hall.

Police claim Billy Miller and his associates are all connected to Platinum SB, an offshore betting site in Costa Rica with an active client base in the GTA. Supt. Paul Pederson of York Regional Police said funds from illegal gambling are funneled into criminal rackets such as drug trafficking, extortion and prostitution.

Facing charges of engaging in bookmaking, participation in a criminal organization, keeping a common gaming house and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence are William Miller, 49, Arno Thomsen, 45, and Shlomo Buchler, 40, all of Toronto; Martin Spruce, 45, of Vaughan; and David Hair, 44, and Andrew Bicelli, 48, both of London, Ont.

At the news conference Finn alleged that Antonio (Jelly) Borrelli was a Platinum SB debt collector in 2004, when he paralyzed GTA mother of three Louise Russo with a stray bullet he fired into a North York sandwich shop. It’s alleged he was firing at a mobster with $240,000 in gambling debts. That’s the hit that Hells Angel Paris Christoforou and his associate Mark Peretz was involved with along with Peter Scarcella and Antonio Borrelli. Borrell was just released on bail last December while Christoforou, Peretz and Scarcella were released earlier last year.

Police seize 60 kilos of cocaine in Abbotsford

Around 7:45 AM Saturday policed noticed a suspicious 24 year old loitering in a Clearbrook Road parking lot with two locked duffle bags. After providing answers to the police that did not make sense, the police searched the duffle bags and found 60 kilos of cocaine inside.

That is a huge haul. The largest cocaine seizure to date in Abbotsford. It’s amazing what all the round the clock police protection for the Bacon brothers and their associates buys. The unnamed suspect is from out of province. I’m not sure why they’re not naming the suspect or saying what province he’s from. Looks like we still have a ways to go yet in police transparency.

Dec. 6, 2010 an Abbotsford man named Curtis McLay was caught outside a restaurant in Bellingham with 184 kilos of cocaine he planned on smuggling into Canada. He was sentenced to 10 years in a U.S. prison last May.

Andrew Meisner

Speaking of suicides, I’m sad to report that the rumors have been confirmed about Geoff Meisner’s brother Andrew being found dead in Nelson. The police say foul play has been ruled out although it is unclear how he died. Which again makes you wonder how they can rule out foul play if they don’t have a cause of death.

One rumor going around was that he slipped and hit his head on some ice a week before he died which may have resulted in internal bleeding. The tragic part is that he was found in a drug lab. Which makes his death even more suspicious. Regardless of the actual cause of death, suicide, accident or murder, here’s another life lost and another period of mourning for a family that has already lost so much.

It is strange how Geoff got involved with the Hells Angels and the kingpin crew and how his brother Andrew got involved in a drug lab when their father was a retired police officer. Who worked on the Pickton file nonetheless. It’s like that other tragic case of two prominent RCMP officers in Kelowna whose daughter Lisa has been charged with drug trafficking. She was arrested in Richmond but was arrested with another Kelowna woman. Kinds of a conflict of interest for the parents.

Any kid from the best family in the world can get addicted to drugs or start selling drugs to make some cash on the side. The huge amount of money involved is a very real temptation for anyone.

Andrew’s death makes me wonder about Chad Karylchuk‏’s death. He was involved in the drug trade and died of an overdose. Locals seem to think it was a forced over dose. Yet these deaths never get investigated because foul play has been already ruled out.

The heartache of suicide

I’m going to pause from posting for a moment of silence in remembrance of Kevin Fry. I’m going to take a standing eight count to grieve and reflect. My kids went to school with Kevin. I attended his funeral today with my son. The minister talked about how hard any death is. It’s hard when grandparents move on after having lived a full life. We miss them. It’s even harder when a child dies before their parent. That is so true.

The minister went on to say it’s even harder still when there are unanswered questions. Indeed not knowing the cause of death inhibits the grieving process. Today the minister confirmed that Kevin’s death was suicide. We were all shocked. Kevin was such a good person. He was so happy and friendly.

No disrespect to the family. My heart goes out to his mother, sister and brother. Such sorrow is very real. I had two coworkers in Surrey who each lost a child to suicide. One was a young man in high school. He was being bullied and gave up. The other was a daughter in college. A talented musician who struggled with a mental illness. She was so relieved to get a partial diagnosis. She said I’m not crazy after all. Meaning that she wasn’t imagining there was something wrong, there was indeed something physically wrong that she had to cope with. Unfortunately she committed suicide before finding a cure.

Both cases caused me to shudder. I knew and worked with both fathers. One was my partner at work for quite a while. That kind of grief, of having to burry a child caused me to shudder. Later on there was another suicide at work. This time it was a coworker. He was going through a second divorce. After working so hard for so many years to pay child support for his own biological children, his second marriage broke down and he was expected to pay child support for someone else’s kids from a previous relationship. That is when he threw in the towel, put a gun to his head and said tax that.

I was shocked. This was a coworker who I not only had worked with but was someone who had helped me through a dark time with his genuine empathy. His daughter cried at the funeral filled with coworkers who cared. She said he didn’t think he had any friends. That was tragic.

Any time someone commits suicide the first thing that comes to mind is, was there something I could have done to prevent it? All of us are busy and all of us are responsible for our own choices. Yet attending this funeral and seeing kids I hadn’t seen in a while I felt to ask, how are you doing? No really, how are you doing?

These are tough times. The cost of housing compared to wages offered is way worse now then when I first left high school and moved out. I had a good job, a cool car and a place of my own. I could afford it on the wages I made. Now it’s not so easy. Housing has skyrocketed yet wages haven’t kept up. In some industries they make less now than they did 25 years ago. That is one thing that has always terrified me. As a parent you always hope to leave this world a better place for your kids. Unfortunately, I’m not seeing it. The cost of housing is seriously affecting kids’ standard of living when they leave high school.

Yet there is hope. There are things we can do. The key is to pull together, not to try and do it all on your own. Historically, many in some Christian denominations were taught doctrine that was very black and white: heaven and hell. You either made it or you didn’t and if you committed suicide you went to hell. I do not believe that. If a parent can have compassion on a child that committed suicide, how much more so can a heavenly parent. There is no doubt in my mind that God loves Kevin and has compassion on him.

Personally, I think hell is more of a state of mind. Sometimes it can be regret. In other ways it can be brought to face some of the evil we have done and refused to acknowledge during this life. Seeing and feeling the pain we have caused other people.

My son said Kevin’s body was found two days after his best friend had his birthday. He said that on his best friend’s birthday his facebook status was all about how this was the most empty and lonely birthday he had ever experienced and how he just wished he could see Kevin. At that point even my son began to tear up and I remembered an experience from his past.

Years ago, when he was young, my son had a big buddy in elementary school. An older student from Ethiopia who was assigned to be his big buddy and befriended him. Turns out they lived in the same complex and became good friends outside of school. Then the day came for his friend to move away. After they said their goodbyes my son quietly walked up to his room and sobbed. He cared deeply about his friend and was going to miss him dearly. I was touched.

So I think about Kevin’s friend and his pain loosing his best friend in such tragic circumstances. There’s a lot of pain there to deal with. First there’s the loss. The deep emptiness not being able to see his friend again. Then there’s guilt. Wondering if there was something he didn’t do that he should have. Then there’s betrayal. Why didn’t he tell me? I was his best friend. No doubt his mother and sister have similar feelings.

There is no doubt in my mind that Kevin did not want to hurt anyone. He has, but that clearly was not his intent. How can you tell someone you love you’re going to commit suicide? You can’t. They’ll stop you. I don’t know why Kevin committed suicide.

The minister suggested that most often the person feels they are in a hopeless situation that they cannot change. Perhaps it was the economic challenge youth today face, I don’t know. I do know that other kids his age are also struggling. Giving up is understandable. Yet if we pause and take a step back to see the bigger picture we will realize there is always hope. There is always a solution to any problem. Sometimes we have to think outside the box and be creative. Whatever we do, we have to pull together. We can’t do it alone.

During the service the minister got the congregation to repeat God give Kevin Peace three times then finally God give Kevin’s family peace. Looking at the slideshow it is very clear that Kevin was a wonderful person and that is a good thing. The memories recorded warm the heart. They are good memories. Life does not end at death. Loved ones can be reunited but not yet. We have a purpose to fulfill. Things to accomplish. Joy yet to experience.

When I look at Kevin’s smile. It warms my heart. He was a good person. Here’s a song one of his friends wrote for him. God give Kevin Peace. He is loved and missed dearly.

Two more shootings in Surrey

Two more shootings in Surrey this morning. This is after the headline in this weeks Surrey Leader reads: Are we in the midst of a gang war? Four shootings in past month in Surrey were gang related. Surrey's fifth murder in a month. Look what that casino money supports.

A volatile start to the New Year indeed. During the 2009 Vancouver Gang war, there were six shootings in January only two of which were in Surrey. Clearly the Hells Angels don’t need a clubhouse in Surrey to execute rival drug dealers. They sure seem to be spending an awful lot of money on executions trying to make Surrey safe for Larry Amero and his merry band of village idiots. Clearly that guy is a liability not an asset. Glen Hehn is scary. Larry Amero is not.

New Publisher for the Vancouver Sun and Province

Gordon Fisher replaces Kevin Bent as the new president and publisher of the Pacific News Group which puts out the Vancouver Sun and the Vancouver Province. Gordon Fisher appears to be a good guy and there was nothing wrong with Kevin Bent. It appears to be another move to help increase profitability of the newspaper industry in a digital age.

The freedom of the press can be a powerful tool in the democratic process. It can also be a powerful tool in the propaganda conflict where the truth is always the first casualty. Most of us, at least I always used to, think of newspapers and non biased reporting of current events. Far from it.

In England the biases are far more prevalent. Take Robert Murdoch champion of the wiretap scandal. The newspapers Murdoch produced were always biased towards supporting Conservative candidates in the election. Tony Blair was the one exception after he supported George Bush’s lie that formed the reason for the invasion of Iraq.

After that, Murdoch and his papers supported David Cameron. Now when I say support that doesn’t just mean he voted for and contributed to his campaign. I mean the paper ran biased articles in favor of those candidates. Which is in complete contradiction to what I personally thought newspapers were supposed to do. I thought they were supposed to be non biased. Now there are just supposed to make money.

We did see something similar in Canada when the media tyrant Conrad Black started buying up all the newspapers and media outlets. His newspapers became very right wing and very biased in the way it reported the news.

As shocking as this may seem for those as naïve as myself, it isn’t really a problem in our supply and demand world. If a paper is clearly right wing or left wing biased, it will generate that kind of readers and those kinds of advertizing dollars. No doubt the big corporations are going to have more money to spend on advertizing and are therefore in a better position to manipulate the media.

The thing we need to do as consumers is remember that those biases do in fact exist and seek out alternative or nonbiased media sources. Supply and demand. I will note that although Conrad Black created the National Post which was very right wing at the time, it never made a profit and lost millions under Conrad’s leadership.

Conrad Black sold the remaining 50% of his shares in the National Post in 2001 to CanWest Global Communications Corp which owned the other half of the paper. Gordon Fisher took over and the reporting became less biased. As a result, on October 28, 2011, The National Post announced its first ever yearly profit. Since it started in 1998, until it was sold in 2001, the National Post had lost millions. So Gordon Fisher comes back out West to turn the tide once again and help save the newspaper industry in our digital age.

Television is free. That industry makes money on advertizing. Likewise on the Internet, sites that get high traffic volume can also make money on advertizing. The question is, does the media answer to consumers who buy and read their material or do they answer to their sponsors and try to control their readers with ads like Steven Harper and Christy Clark’s painful propaganda paid for with tax dollars. Time will tell.

On the subject of modern main stream censorship I will cite the case of Dan Rather. One blog reader just reminded me and sent this link to the story. It is a flaming example of how pathetic our main stream media has become. Just like the Gary Webb case. Dan Rather and Gary Webb were both right.

Canadian on trial in Mexico

This case infuriates me. Here we have a Canadian on trial in Mexico not for a drug related offense but for being a peacemaker protecting human rights. She is a political prisoner. If she is guilty of what they accuse her of and there is discrepancies in the evidence, then that is the crime she is accused of. Trying to make peace and protect human rights. Now they want to send her off to Guantanamo with Martha Stewart.

A Canadian mediator named Cynthia Vanier has been accused of trying to help Gaddafi’s son and family escape Libya during the war and try to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Now she is sitting in a Mexican prison facing four charges including attempted human trafficking. That is astounding.

Private security contractor Gary Peters claimed he and Cynthia Vanier had worked on a plan to fly Saadi Gaddafi to Venezuela as part of a scheme to mediate talks with the Canadian government and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to end Libya’s civil war.

Ms. Vanier, a professional mediator from Mount Forest, Ont., has denied any involvement with Mr. Gaddafi. Speaking from the Mexican prison where she remains in custody, she has said that Mr. Peters “has made a lot of things up,” should not have credibility and had ruined her life with his “delusional portrayal” of events.

Let’s pause for one minute and remember who the real criminals are in the invasion of Libya and the murder of Moammar Gaddafi: Canada. We went in as peace keepers to create a no fly zone. We did not do that. Instead he helped one side bomb the other side and helped the rebels murder Moammar Gadaffi and his children without a trial in a cruel and inhumane manner. We carry that liability. We had a Canadian General who was a poster boy puppet oversea that mission. He ran public relations interference so the secret objective would be accomplished and the no fly zone mission broken. We are liable for breaking that mission.



Some people say, Oh Gaddafi was a dictator. Is that so? Then why did Nicolas Sarkozy publicly try and convince the world in 2007 that we should trust Gaddafi with nuclear weapons so France could sell him a French Reactor? If Gaddafi was a dictator then why did Sarkozy say he wasn’t and try to convince the world we should trust him with nuclear technology? The claim that Gaddafi was a dictator and deserved it fails miserably when you take three seconds to look at the facts.

We helped Sarkozy murder Gaddafi for deciding to buy a reactor from Argentina instead of France. That is what that lie was really about. Sarkozy was accused of doing the same thing in Pakistan - Blowing up someone for changing their mind about buying arms from France. Nicolas Sarkozy is a dirty dog who was not re-elected. We helped him commit that fraud under the blood stained banner of peace keeping.



Remember Donald Trump’s bold declaration about the war in Libya when he was running for the Republican nomination? He said he would go in to Libya and take their oil. He said in times of war, that’s what you do. You go in and take the spoils of war. If he was president, that is what he would do. No beating around the bush there. Donald Trump was simply an honest George Bush. Gadaffi was a socialist. He believed in nationalized oil. That is the other reason we helped over throw him.

This whole charade with Cynthia Vanier rotting away in horrible conditions in a Mexican prison is a stain on all of us. Stephen Harper and Nicolas Sarkozy should be in prison, not Cynthia Vanier.

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Update: After 18 months in prison Cyndy Vanier has finally been released and has returned to Canada. A tribunal of the Supreme Court of Mexico upheld her appeal.