Abbotsford Homicide - Red Scorpion Dead

Global is reporting that a man in his thirties walked into the Abbotsford Automall with a stab wound to his neck 3:45 PM on Tuesday. The man died in the hospital from his injuries. A blog reader sent in a page load of stabbings from Scan BC we don't even hear about if there's no fatality. CTV is reporting a source claims the victim is a well known local gang member.

Global is reporting the name of the victim is Matthew Campbell. Kim Bolan is confirming the gang link and refers to him as the "leader" of the Red Scorpions. The puppet club the Bacon Brothers took over for the Hells Angels in the Surrey Six.

The Vancouver Province nails it

Front page of today’s Vancouver Province was the headline “It’s Just Not Safe” and the caption “Newton residents and business owners say their Surrey neighbourhood has become plagued by drug dealers and violent criminals. Not even Laura Balance’s bullsh*t machine can spin that.

Inside the paper they expound a bit more on an interview with a local business owner in Newton that has expressed frustration with the city’s lack of response to the drug dealers killing her business. We don’t need a task force to figure out what the problem is. We know what the problem is. The problem is Dianne Watts and her Surrey First political party’s refusal to do anything about it.

In the article “It's just horrible, the things we see” Diane MacDermot, the local business owner in Newton describes the struggle she had with drug dealers outside her business. “For a couple of years, Diane MacDermott had battled a drug dealer who had set up shop outside her popular gift store, Beach Basket Giftware, across from the Newton bus exchange and Newton Wave Pool and Recreation Centre.”

She had politely asked him to leave because he was blocking the store door and scaring off customers. He didn’t like that. “He said this was his turf and his territory and he wasn’t going away.” This went on for years. The only thing that got rid of the drug dealer was the fact that he started using the product and turned into a crackhead then disappeared on his own accord.

This is not a new problem. The businesses have complaining about it for years just like the residents were complaining about the illegal booze can in Surrey that the city refused to do anything about which resulted in yet another homicide. What’s new is the fact that the media are now finally reporting it. Up until now if you had any criticism of Dianne Watts you were censored.

In contrast the Vancouver Province ran another article about how Kingsway in Burnaby had similar problems and explains how they solved the problem. One local activist said business owners and residents had to be prodded to report each and every crime they saw. The reason is two-fold. You can’t let criminals get comfortable. And it is statistics that count with authorities. There is a sad truth in the adage, ‘the squeaky wheel gets the oil.’

“It’s your backyard, so you can’t turn a blind eye,” Kumagai said. “Basically you have to take back your area, and get people out walking and going into shops. When everyone comes together, that is when you see the big impacts.” That is what I’m talking about. That is the New York model. That is what we are not doing in Surrey. Remember back in the day we used to have Block Watch and ideas like crime prevention? Those are gone because people have given up. They call the police and the police don’t do anything because city hall has given them different priorities.

If drug dealers are selling drugs outside a business and that business calls the police and the police don’t do anything, that results in criminal negligence. It is inherently hypocritical to pretend that Dianne Watts’ political party supports business when in reality that is the last thing they do. They support flipping agricultural land into industrial for dirty developers that contribute to their campaign. That’s the only business they do.

We need to arrest the crack dealers that are selling crack in public. It is that simple. Failing to do that creates a flood of drug related crime and violence which is what we are now seeing.

New Year Homicide in Surrey

A tragic start to the New Year. News 1130 is reporting that a woman fell to her death from a tower in Surrey and that the police are treating it as a homicide. The tower is located on 100th Avenue off Whalley Boulevard and the woman fell to her death at 1:00 AM New Years day. News 1130 is reporting that an arrest has already been made. Another homicide one hour into the New Year. Another blog reader said other cities focus on the first bay of the new year while we in surrey focus on the first homicide in the year. Very sad indeed.



I took some pictures from the scene and a man asked me what happened so I told him what I knew. Someone asked what floor she fell from and I said I didn’t know. The man said the 26th floor and I asked who said that. He replied I did. I kind of hesitated as he kept repeating I did. Then as he got into his car he broke down in tears and said it was his daughter. I was stunned and said I’m sorry for your loss.

I spoke with some reporters on scene and they confirmed it was from the 26th floor. This is absolutely tragic. Another horrible loss. Another horrible tragedy. This was a really nice man who really cared about his daughter. I am so sorry for your loss.



IHIT was on scene later on in the afternoon.



The first flowers showed up this afternoon to pay their respects.



More flowers and candles by early evening. Let's hope the city doesn't take these ones away. We need some of these at the Newton Arena site. Looks like they already have.



Update: Global is reporting that the victim was 19 years old and that police were on their way to a domestic dispute call at the apartment between the woman and a 23-year-old male when they saw her fall to her death from 26th floor. Seemingly it wasn’t the first time the police had been to the apartment.

The 23-year-old male is currently in custody but police have not laid any charges in the incident yet. Global is reporting that the police claim “We have gotten cooperation from one person who was inside,” said Dan Splinter, Surrey RCMP. “We believe there were more people inside at the time and would like to speak to them.”

New Years Day: Another Blood Red Sky

I'm not much of a New Years eve kind of guy. My father used to be an elementary school principle in North Vancouver. When I was very young, I remember my father and I stopping off at his staff Christmas or New Years party. When he saw what it was like we quickly left. My father was not a drinker. I saw an older man chasing a younger woman around the house with a shoe and they were both drunk acting like idiots. I remember being in shock. These are adults? I thought to myself. Then I thought these are teachers? God help us. Even a primary student could see that.

I'm more of a New Years day kind of guy. There's nothing like snowshoeing up a mountain with a headlamp before dawn only to catch the first sunrise of the year from the peak of a snow covered ridge. For me the new year doesn't begin at midnight new years eve. It begins at sunrise new years day. Today it's another blood red sky.

The build up to dawn was dark and dreary. Yet behind the dark clouds, the sun is still shining. A new day has dawned and a new year is before us. Last year was pretty much the same as the year before that. Even worse. Only now the data has revealed some root causes of the violence. Last year Surrey had a record number of homicides while Vancouver had the least ever. Something is wrong in Surrey and I'd be happy to tell you what it is.

Everyone knows whenever a crack house moves into town the whole neighborhood goes to pot. Well it's the same thing when you let them sell crack publicly in a particular area. The trickle down violence from that act is off the hook. One activist recently complained about Dianne Watt's trips to Israel and enforcing the law around her new city hall when they don't do the same thing in Newton. Whalley is still a problem that is not being addressed. All they care about is crime in their little bubble. It's as though they made a deal with the crack dealers telling them you can sell in Newton and at the Front Room as long as you don't sell outside the new City Hall. Surely they would never make a deal like that but when you see that happen it sure makes you wonder.

Deal or no deal, they are clearly letting them sell crack in Newton and outside the Front Room. They have prioritized their policing and clearly think that containing it to those areas is OK when it most certainly is not. I can't stress this enough. Letting them sell crack in Newton and outside the Front Room is the problem. All the talk forces and media spin doctors can not change that simple fact. Until we address that issue, we are wasting our time.

A lot of people have been complaining about Dianne Watt's genefication of the city centre. I don't have a problem with genefication. Genefication is part of the New York model but so is enforcement. Enforcement is a vital part of the New York model just like it is a vital part of the Four Pillars program. Extremists quote the Four Pillars and cry about a distorted definition of harm reduction while they completely ignore and oppose enforcement. Those lunatics are not supporting the Four Pillars program. Their twisted definition of harm reduction is in opposition to the Four Pillars program and is in opposition to public health and safety.

I oppose Dianne Watt's selective genefication and selective enforcement. In Whalley the businesses were complaining about how the crack addicts were destroying their business from theft. In Newton the businesses are complaining about how the drug dealers are destroying their business by taking their customers away. Not arresting the crack dealers in Newton and Whalley is destroying business there. That is what we see happening. The businesses need to sue Dianne Watts and Bill Fordy civilly for not enforcing the law equally. They have suffered business losses as a result and have thereby incurred legal damages.

It's not a matter of kicking the cat. Bullying the homeless is not part of the New York model. Arresting the predatory drug dealers is. I saw it. Spreading chicken manure where the homeless live is not part of the New York model. It's kicking the cat by bullying the bullied. We need to arrest the crack dealers. It really is that simple. Nothing has changed from the crime prevention meeting in Surrey years ago Mike Farnworth and Bruce Ralston hosted back in 2008.

Something needs to change because the city of Surrey and the RCMP aren't listening. It is the public that pays their wages. The public is the one that has to pay for Dianne Watts new ivory tower and all her extravagant trips everywhere promoting herself while she neglects the city that elected her. The residents of Whalley where Janice Shore was murdered refer to their neighborhood as the dead zone because police tolerate crime there. That needs to change.

E-mail Campaign:

One blog reader who expressed a mutual frustration with the political corruption surrounding this issue suggested we launch an e-mail campaign to encourage city council to address the issue. They weren't sure if I'd support an e-mail campaign given the fact that I have obviously given up on Diane Watts after she bullied me at the mega casino meeting.

I think an e-mail campaign is a good start. She flipped when she saw the public outrage about the mega casino in a residential area she gave to her dirty developers. Maybe she'll cave in on crime and get Bill Fordy to start enforcing the law equally in Newton and outside the Front Room. Sadly she just turned around and approved the casino locals opposed for Newton instead of Semiahmoo to oppress the seniors there.

Personally I think we need to elect a new city council who aren't clone drones of the mayor's financial self indulgence and we need to trade Bill Fordy and Don Ray for someone else. Anyone else. Trained monkeys perhaps who don't steam roll over the democratic will of the people and the local businesses. As the blog reader pointed out, "Don't tell your dog to shit in your neighbors backyard so you won't have to pick it up. That is not proper nor political etiquette. Even In Surrey!"

Update: Another homicide in Surrey as we speak.

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?!