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.

Surrey nutbar goes on rampage destroying 6 police cars at Lougheed mall

The Vancouver Sun is reporting that a Surrey man allegedly stole a large rental truck and, just after 1 a.m., drove it into six unoccupied cruisers parked outside a community policing station near Burnaby's Lougheed Mall. Surrey what?!



Police arrested the man after he got out of the truck and took him to Burnaby Hospital at 3 a.m. where he ripped out a sprinkler from the ceiling, causing a flood in the emergency room. Some patients being treated had to be relocated to a different section of the hospital. [Global video]

PEI home invasion

That drug related home invasion in PEI last year has come to trial. Dean Fairhurst told court he was cooking and smoking crack cocaine at his home in Emyvale the night of May 28, 2012. He told court he had about $30,000 worth of cocaine and dilaudid pills in his mini-home.

Around 3 a.m. two men in masks broke down his door, held a gun to his head, kicked him repeatedly and ransacked his house. After stealing the drugs, he said they bound his hands and feet with duct tape, then took off.

Under cross examination, Fairhurst admitted he has a severe addiction problem. He said he consumed a quarter million dollars in cocaine in the three years before the incident and owed thousands of dollars in drug debts.

Two women testified they were snorting cocaine and popping pills the night of the incident. They said it was a desperate need for money and drugs that made them do it.

One woman’s boyfriend is Chase Roper, who was sentenced in June to four years in prison for his role in the robbery. The other woman’s boyfriend at the time was Derry Bird. The women said they waited in a car while Bird and Roper committed the armed robbery.

The women also testified none of them had wanted to rob the drug dealer. They said their boyfriends were pressured into it by another man because they owed him thousands of dollars.

Gee I wonder who the other man is and what criminal organization he’s with? This sad story is a prime example of how hard drugs can really mess up your life. Another man, Jason Yeo, also faces charges in connection with the robbery. He has pleaded not guilty and will be tried next year.

The top picture is of Chase Roper who had already plead guilty to the home invasion. The bottom picture is of Jason Yeo with Derry Bird and Samantha Keenan all of whom were arrested for importation of cocaine to P.E.I. from other provinces at the kilogram level, then with the use of cutting agents, increased the product volume for distribution in Island communities. This group were also making crack cocaine and selling it at the street level.



This Supreme Court transcript claims Jason Yeo and Calder Collins were previously arrested for importing cocaine from Jamaica. "They were “dry celled”, during which Collins passed a package containing 1/2 pound of cocaine. Collins admitted to having purchased 1 pound of cocaine for $8000, although he expressed no idea of its street value, or of how or to whom he would sell it. He denied knowing the whereabouts of the other half pound.Regrettably, a second package of cocaine broke open in Mr. Collins’ stomach and he died of a cocaine overdose one day later."

Mandela and Mulroney have absolutely nothing in common

The death of Nelson Mandela has rekindled a fond memory of those who have struggled for freedom. Recently the Vancouver Province ran an insanely offensive article about how Mandela and Mulroney had the same vision. That could not be further from the truth. Nelson Mandela was a true hero. Brian Mulroney was not.

Brian Mulroney was a scoundrel who according to Al Martin was tied to Iran contra through Trans World Arms Ltd and stole 2.1 million tax dollars in an out of court settlement that was awarded based on his perjury over his involvement with Karl Schreiber and the Air bus scandal. Please don’t pretend there was anything good or noble about Brian Mulroney because that is an offensive lie.

Barrick gold was really founded by an arms dealer named Adnan Khashoggi and was tied to Brey X through Barrick gold’s international board of Directors which Brian Mulroney and George Bush were members. Both companies were involved with the same fake gold mine in Indonesia. Stephen Harper used his influence on more than one occasion to promote Brian Mulroney’s business interests in Barrick gold and helped cover up the air bus scandal.

On top of that, last year I wrote about the fact that Canada is still unwelcoming to Apartheid heroes. As of last year there was still a visitor visa ban on members of the apartheid-era African National Congress (ANC) into Canada. This visa ban was from back when the Apartheid government of South Africa which imprisoned Nelson Mandela and the world placed sanctions against them outlawed the ANC of which Nelson Mandela was a member. So please don’t tell me that Brian Mulroney and Nelson Mandela have anything in common because they do not. One is a hero and the other is a scoundrel. History has recorded that.

Giving Iran nuclear Weapons is insane

Once again we see global extremism manipulated by the big oil companies. One minute we see a huge drive to invade Iran to steal their oil. The next minute we go to the other extreme and as soon as they are wiling to deal with Western oil companies everyone wants to sell them nuclear power which they can use to make nuclear weapons. Both extremes are insane.

The whole cover up in the media of the nuclear reactor incident in Japan which is still leaking tons of radioactive water into the pacific ocean two and a half years later is insane all on it's own. We should not be supporting nuclear power at this point in time. The leaking radioactive water from Washington State into the Columbia River is yet another example of how hard it is to get rid of nuclear waste and how much damage it does to the ecosystem we live in and the food we eat. Public protests in Japan and Germany are people with a conscience that care about the well being of the planet we live on and have a desire to protect it for future generations. That is progressive thinking. Destroying the planet we live on is not progressive.

This whole Iran thing is frighteningly similar to Sarkozy's quest to trust Gaddafi with nuclear power because he wanted to sell Libya a French nuclear reactor. (Canada is still selling China nuclear reactors by the way that can in effect give North Korea nuclear weapons) So one minute Sarkozy is trying to convince the world we can trust Gaddafi with nuclear weapons, then as soon as he decides to buy a reactor from Argentina instead of France all of a sudden he is a bad guy and we invade his country. It was a Canadian general that was the poster boy of that shameful mission and ran interference for Sarkozy's dirty deed.

Once again we see how big oil companies are setting the precedent for military action. This is nothing new for Iran. This is why we need to recognize the evil Rothschild domain for what it is. Back in the day the courts stopped them from obtaining their corporate monopoly on oil. Now politicians they contribute to call corporate monopolies good business as they gouge consumers and dictate our military policies. That's not freedom. That is corporate communism.

Rob Ford poses with Hells Angels

Rob Ford’s daily drama continues. After stealing Matt Mays’ seat at a Buffalo Bills game in Toronto he poses for a picture with some Hells Angles. Rob Ford sluffed it off by claiming he gets his picture taken with lots of people and had no idea they were Hells Angels. He must not of noticed the giant deadhead bling around the guy’s neck because he was in another drunken stupor.

Rob Ford getting arrested for beating his wife, admitting to smoking crack and new allegations of using heroin all paint a picture of an abusive lying drunk. It’s pretty obvious that he was reelected by people who knew he was an abusive drunk but didn’t realize he smoked crack. It’s highly likely that he won’t get reelected.

Yet the fact that he was reelected as an abusive drunk and the fact that he still is Mayor given his daily insanity is a stain on all of us. After all, who’s the bigger fool? The fool or the fool that votes for the fool? It is crystal clear that Ford Nation / Sanitation is evil. They are on the wrong side of the struggle between good versus evil.

That doesn’t mean we have to believe what they say. Doing so makes us look like idiots. I’m going to have to agree with Al Yankovic on this one. I don’t support Rob Ford or his abusive and criminal activity. I don’t want to be a Canadian idiot like the rest of them.

Nevertheless, guys like Rob Ford are flaming idiots that everyone can clearly see. In Surrey we have a much deeper and more sinister problem and because it is disguised so well it is much more serious. Just as bad as the Montreal corruption inquiry. The only difference is that we have no inquiry in Surrey. Just bullying and censorship.

BTW the two Hells Angels in the picture with Rob Ford are from Westridge in Edmonton. The prospect was from Toronto. Westridge are the ones that support the Whiteboy posse, neo Nazis that have been charged with cocaine trafficking and murder including the decapitation of Bob Roth for a drug debt. Westridge also sponsors the Dirty Few who also support the Whiteboy posse and have been accused of a recent drive by shooting in Drayton Valley. Nice guys indeed. Rob Ford sure is a people’s mayor. He just supporting the wrong people.

Vancouver Open Mic

While those three dark images of the brutality of murder linger in our minds, let me contrast that with another image I enjoyed last night. I went to an open mic that was a fund raiser for the Philippines. It was an amazing evening. Seeing so many young people sharing their talents was moving and inspiring.

One little Filipino girl started the set off with a powerful song that left everyone cheering and in awe. Many rappers and beatboxers shared their wonderful talents. They were completely different than the deranged Shane Bunting and his crew of misfit wannabees in Prince George that rap about kidnapping, torturing and murdering woman or about sodomizing kids with broom sticks for drug debts. These rappers were totally positive and inspiring. They live in a very different world.

One brother stood up and shared his poetry slam skills. It was profound. It was amazing to see so many young people actively involved in a good cause. One of the MCs for the evening said “Vancouver: You don’t have to be big, you just have to be heard.” Their positive message was inspiring. One guy stood up and started singing the most profound sounds into a repeater which recorded what he had just sung and repeated it over and over again. He kept adding one track after another which was all played back in an amazingly touching symphony of sounds.

Mad love to the Philippines and all those that shared their wonderful talents that night. Open mics are becoming a lot more popular these days. It’s nice to see people express themselves in such a positive way. Sometimes words can paint pictures. Other times sounds and music can. Those images stir the soul. Remember, no matter what your past, you have a spotless future. What you put on that canvas is entirely up to you. Make is positive and make it worth while.

The Surrey Six trial is about the Hells Angels violent control of the drug trade

There are several news stories to catch up on but I just wanted to pause and restate the obvious while I share three disturbing images that are permanently cemented in my mind. Kim Bolan is obviously doing a great job covering the Surrey Six trial and even tweeting a play by play. However, there are two recent articles about the trial in the Vancouver Province that I want to cite.

In one article it refers to a merger of sorts between the Red Scorpions and the Bacon brothers. However, it’s pretty obvious it wasn’t a merger it was a hostile take over. That’s why they killed Cory Lal. They wanted to take over the Red Scorpions. I submit that they wanted to take over the Red Scorpions for the Hells Angels just like what was done with the Independent Soldiers. The money Jamie Bacon was trying to extort out of Cory Lal wasn’t for him it was for Larry Amero and the Haney Hells Angels. Larry Amero was partying with the Bacon brothers at the time.

In this other article it concludes that the Crown's theory is that the slayings happened during a war between rival gangs for control of the drug trade. The Bacon brothers took it over for the Hells Angels. Every time we hear a report on the Surrey Six trial we need to remember that. This second article mentions Person X and implies he wasn’t just in on the conspiracy but actually participated in the murders. I find that rather disturbing.

Nevertheless, the first image I want to share is the one that was painted early on in the trial and that is of each of the slain victims lying face down on the ground with their heads covered as they were shot in the back of the head and executed. That is a horrible image. There is nothing cool, noble or respectful in it. I don’t want to hear one word about how anyone who testifies in this trial is a rat. That is offensive. Anyone who doesn’t testify in this trial is a rat. Larry Amero and the Bacon brothers are the biggest rats on the field. Betraying people for money is not honorable.

There is nothing admirable about murder. Any kid can pull a trigger. Executing someone in cold blood to make some money is the epitome of greed. The other image I have was from Christmas morning last year when I saw Janice Shore in a coma at the hospital. A wee angel sleeping after both sides of her head had been caved in with a hammer. There is nothing cool, noble or respectful about that brutal murder. Reporting that person to the police is not being a rat. Failing to do so is.

The third image I have is when I went to Kelowna to see the Britney Irving murder trial. I will never forget the picture of her dead body they showed in court. She was shot twice in the back with a shotgun slug. Then while lying on her back she was shot twice in the front to make sure she was dead. The image I have that will never leave me is the expression on her face. Her mouth was slightly open and it looked like she was cringing in pain as the last moments of pain she felt was frozen in the expression on her face.

I’m not sure which pain was greater. The pain of being shot with four shotgun slugs or the pain of being betrayed by someone she genuinely loved and trusted. There was nothing noble or respectful about shooting a woman in the back to pay a debt. I am told it was for a debt owed to the same person who recently called Mad Child a b*tch on his instagram. Who’s the b*tch now? Reporting these scumbags to the police is not being a rat. Failing to do so is.

The Janice Shore memorial that was ripped down made the front page of the Surrey Leader.

Dianne Watt’s new Talk Force

Today is the one year anniversary of the brutal assault that put Janice Shore into a coma from which she never recovered. She died two months later in the hospital. Yesterday I picked up the garbage around the tree she was found beside and made a small memorial. Today someone had already tore it down. It’s sad but it goes far beyond that. That assault and the attempt to censor the memory of it represents a great evil. As does our criminal negligence in allowing the unbridled drug related violence to continue outside the Front Room in Surrey.

Recently after Surrey broke the record for the most number of murders in one year, Dianne Watts used the opportunity for another publicity stunt and promised the world she was going to create a new task force to get to the bottom of it. As if we didn’t already know the cause. One blog reader was somewhat skeptical of her latest promise and referred to her new task force as a talk force. Indeed that is all it is. Just more smoke and mirrors hiding the obvious.

Let’s take the most recent homicide in Surrey for example. Forming a new talk force to find out what caused that murder is rather pointless since we know it happened at an illegal after hours booze can the neighbors have been complaining about and trying to get rid of for seven years. Ignoring those complaints for seven years is criminal negligence. Creating a new task force to investigate the problem now is simply fraud.

The Janice Shore murder is no different. Hiding the brutality of that assault and failing to address the cause of it is another criminal act. Janice Shore was beaten into a coma from which she never recovered. On one side of her head her temple was caved in. On the other side of her head her jaw was caved it. Those injuries had to have been inflicted with blunt force trauma. It looked like a hammer was used on her head. In addition to that one witness claims her eyes were poked out. That level of brutality is disturbing. Hiding the brutal nature of that assault is wrong. Hiding that isn’t to protect the integrity of the investigation. It’s to protect the appearance of a politician’s career.

If Janice Shore was murdered for a drug debt then every drug dealer that sells crack outside the Front Room is a suspect in her murder. Giving the homeless free crack then beating the life out of them for payment is predatory. When we let that happen knowingly we are criminally negligent for the violence that exploitation creates.

All these task forces as well as my blog and all the good intentions in the world mean absolutely nothing if we let crack dealers sell crack outside the Front Room. Those crack dealers are very violent and very predatory. The Surrey Leader referred to it as the dead zone. That is where Janice Shore was last seen before she was brutally murdered. We don’t need any more talk forces. We need to stop letting crack dealers sell crack outside the Front Room at 10667 135 A Street. It’s that simple. That is the New York model. Pretending that we are doing anything to stop the homicides in Surrey while we let them sell crack outside the Front room is fraud. That’s all there is to it.

Tonight I lit a candle in memory of Janice Shore the patrol saint of Whalley. The memorial may well have been ripped down and her life cut short like a candle in the wind yet her memory lives on. Life does not end at death. Justice will not sleep forever. Truth crushed to the earth will rise again.

Anniversary of Janice Shore's brutal assault

Speaking of violence against women, today is the one year anniversary of Janice Shore's brutal assault in Whalley. She was beaten into a coma and died two months later in hospital.



Someone had placed a Native prayer tie on the tree. Now there's a Christmas wreath and memorial for Janice. If you'd like to bring some flowers, balloons or Christmas ornaments to decorate Janice's Christmas Tree you can find it at the foot of 135 A street off 105 A Avenue.



The Surrey Winterfest continues - Remembering Janice Shore.