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.