Michael Taube: Avi Lewis may be next NDP leader, but his party will remain irrelevant

 

Most political observers believe that Avi Lewis will become the next federal NDP leader on March 29. It appears the far-left activist and former TV host/journalist may have also found a path to political success in Ottawa that his party could only dream of right now.

A recent Mainstreet Research poll suggested that Lewis, if he became NDP leader, would have a legitimate shot of winning the federal Beaches-East York riding if it becomes vacant. The seat is currently held by Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith. He’s considering running for the Ontario Liberal leadership and the forthcoming Scarborough Southwest provincial by-election. If Erskine-Smith takes the provincial plunge and resigns his federal seat, Lewis would likely jump at the chance to become the riding’s next MP based on the poll’s findings.

They’re all crazy that I can see.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inNDP

Why Syria’s new alcohol ban is about much more than beer

This week, municipal authorities in Damascus banned the sale of alcohol in most of the city. Bars and restaurants that have served alcohol there for decades will no longer be allowed to, and it will only be possible to buy alcohol in closed bottles in a handful of Christian-majority neighborhoods, to take away.

This isn’t all that unusual in the Middle East — practicing Muslims are not supposed to imbibe “intoxicating” substances while individuals of the Christian faith may. That is why liquor stores and bars, if there are any, are often found in traditionally Christian neighborhoods around the region.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Islamophobia", Syria

Carney meets world: Is prime minister a more international job now?

In his first year as prime minister, Mark Carney was restless.

Two days after being sworn in at Rideau Hall, he made official visits to France and the United Kingdom. Shortly thereafter he went into a five-week election campaign, and a week after last spring’s vote he travelled to Washington.

I’m pretty sure he just hates Canada and Canadians.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCanada's Corrupt Liberal Government

Iran has the missiles to hit London, Israel claims

Two missiles launched by Iran at a British military base in Diego Garcia — believed to be the furthest Iran has fired — were a warning message to Europe, diplomatic and intelligence sources have told The Sunday Times.

Sir Keir Starmer condemned Iran for “lashing out” after Tehran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles towards Diego Garcia, the joint US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean located roughly as far from Iran as London or Paris.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"US Israel Iran War"

Race played a role in Ontario drug dealer’s sentencing: ‘This somewhat attenuates his moral responsibility’

A judge took a Toronto drug dealer’s race into account when he sentenced him for trafficking and possessing a loaded handgun while under a court-ordered firearm prohibition.

The judge was persuaded that Brandon Caleb’s “life experiences flowing from his societal disadvantage and anti-Black racism normalized gun possession in his mind,” said the recent decision. “This somewhat attenuates his moral responsibility.”

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Justice", "Two Tiered Justice", "Two Tiered Policing"

Israel hits Iran with MASSIVE air strike as ammuniton dump is blown sky-high in hit on air base

A massive air strike by Israeli-US forces has hit an Iranian airbase, triggering a huge explosion which blew an ammunition store sky high.

The hit appears to have taken place at the Vahdati Air Base in the western Iranian city of Dezful, in Khuzestan province, on Saturday.

Video footage shows a huge ball of smoke rising above the edge of the city following an explosion

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"US Israel Iran War"

HEINRICHS: ‘Drill baby drill’ vs. net zero — is Canada becoming America’s poor cousin?

According to the US government, climate change from man-made greenhouse gases is fake news. Lee Zeldin, director of the Environmental Protection Agency, brands it as nothing but “climate change religion,” while President Trump calls it a hoax and “perhaps the biggest scam in history.” The climate-change debate is dead and over — at least under one roof.

On this track, the US government is now shredding a tall stack of greenhouse-gas regulations. It’s being called the “single largest regulatory action in US history.”

(Incognito)

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Canada - USA Tariff Wars", "Canada in decline", "Net-Zero Tyranny", Canada, USA

AfD Set To Double Its Share of the Vote in Sunday’s Regional Election

The regional elections taking place this weekend in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate have become a more significant political event than usual.

Pre-election polls suggest that Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) could obtain around one fifth of the vote, more than double the result achieved in 2021, when it remained at around 8%.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inGermany, Germany - AfD party

Should Canada Support Cuba’s Ruthless Regime Asks Star?

As Cuba faces mounting crises, should Canada increase its foreign aid and should Ottawa support U.S. efforts to force a regime change?

U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to take over Cuba — “friendly” or “not friendly” — have landed like a grenade in a debate Canadians thought they understood. For decades, Ottawa’s approach to Havana has been built on engagement, not confrontation. Now Washington is demanding a harder line, tightening sanctions, threatening tariffs on countries that ship oil to the island and dangling the prospect of regime change.

But within Canada, the choice is not simple. Most Canadians who follow Cuba closely agree the communist government has a dismal human-rights record and that ordinary Cubans are suffering. They disagree sharply on whether pressure and sanctions will liberate those Cubans — or bury them.

I doubt many Canadians are worrying about Cuba other than where to go for their next vacay.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCanada's Corrupt Liberal Government, Cuba, USA, WTF?

The global crime network funding Hezbollah’s defiance of Israel

Millions made from drug trafficking and illicit diamond trading mean the militant group will remain a threat unless its financial infrastructure is dismantled

One of the first targets Israel struck in its renewed war on Hezbollah this month was a bank branch in Beirut. Lebanese television carried images of the aftermath, showing scorched $100 bills fluttering along the street. This was not a misdirected missile and in the days that followed the Israelis would strike again at 30 other bank branches across Lebanon, all belonging to Al-Qard al-Hassan, a financial institution with links to Hezbollah.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inHezbollah