I have the distinct feeling, more than a few of my Canadian and European friends will be denied entry into the U.S. in the near future, as long as that tribe of traitors are in office. Our crimes? Stating our opinions on the Orange Twat and his minions.
The Border Control has the right to go through your cell phones and laptops. If you have a burner phone? They will demand your social media profiles. Never underestimate the power of the brown shirts known as ICE; they are a real threat to anyone who is not melanin challenged. Be safe, travel anywhere but the U.S.
So, no trip to New England for us; I wanted to re-visit a few of the places from childhood vacations, a trip to Boston (a city I have always loved), and a touristy-kitschy visit to Salem, Mass. As we say in Québec, c’est la vie, we will spend our money in Québec. We wanted to up our Bar-B-Q party game this year, anyway.
This is a warning to Canadian and European family and friends; think twice, then think twice again about visiting the U.S. A flag of “Refused Entry” will stick even after that grifting felon abuser is gone. Why risk it? Stay home until he hits Lucifer’s waiting line or is turfed out of office. Lots of gorgeous places in Canada and of course, Europe; spend your money where it won’t be grifted into the Cheeto and his Orange lipped minions pockets.
Have you ever had the term “Snowflake” hurled at you, as some sort of invective? I was thinking about that as, strangely, enough, I have been called a snowflake so many times, I lost count.
Okay, let’s say that its true, I’m a snowflake…well, living in Canada, I am well acquainted with snowflakes, they are beautiful, unique but get a bunch of them together? You’re done…right, center or left…you’re done. Snowflakes can bring traffic, commerce and daily life to a grinding halt. Snowflakes can lock you down in your home and unfortunately, trap you in a vehicle. They require heavy equipment to move and sometimes, there are so many snowflakes that even heavy equipment can be pulled off the road, to hide in garages.
Woke? That one always makes me laugh, “woke” as opposed to what? Wandering around in a state of somnambulism? In all honesty, I can be accused of sleepwalking, in the morning, prior to a couple of cups of that beautiful dark brown mug of nirvana…☕ but in the interpretation tossed around by right wingnuts? Yes, absolutely, I am “Woke”. I am woke to the injustices and inequalities of the First World, to the people who aren’t melanin-challenged, to women, to the poor, to the challenged.
To the alt-right wingnuts? “Woke”, I don’t think it means what you think it means…but you do you, Boo.
I haven’t lost hope for said wingnuts; Christian Picciolini and Arno Michaelis are two examples. I have to believe there is hope.
I was once hate spammed, a few years ago, on WordPress; apparently labeled as “anti-white” by a band of knuckle dragging misfits. In all honesty, I found them to be a source of amusement, but then, I have that luxury and I do know it is a luxury, to laugh at them. I don’t worry about being pulled over by the police for “Driving while white”, (I do worry because I am the first to acknowledge my right foot can be leaden, at times.) I don’t worry going about my day to day doings or having some brown shirt banging on my door, to rip me from my home and family (I’m Canadian but you do know that I refer to ICE, in the U.S.).
I am quite happy to be called a “Snowflake” or “Woke”, in fact, it is the highest of compliments to me. So keep at it.
I hear a lot of, “But its illegal!”, “But its against the rules of Congress!”, “But its against the Constitution!”
Hush now, sit down a spell and let’s have a little confab, shall we?
Legality, rules of government, the Constitution are only applicable when and if these institutions and laws are respected. When you have a CONVICTED FELON in the role of president (The lower case “p” is on purpose, I won’t afford the felon the respect of a capitalization.)
Millions of people voted to put a criminal and, blatantly, obvious sociopath in charge and somehow, Americans and, in fact, the globe seem shocked at the events unfolding.
Absolutely, Hegseth should have been canned, in fact, he shouldn’t be in that position at all. According to rumour and these are rumours, he would be far more “at home” perving on a barstool somewhere. No qualifications, no relevant experience…but here we are.
The list of likeminded sociopaths in positions of power, within the U.S. government is a criminal psychologist wet dream.
Forget what you have learned about the Constitution of the United States, forget what you have learned about the 3 Arms of Government, forget about the rule of law, justice and the “Murican” way.
These concepts are gone. Not valid. Of no importance.
The elected and/or appointed (Musk) sociopaths/psychopaths are in charge and? They. Don’t. Care. Laws and decorum, procedure and truth are all relative as to what these things can bring in the way of personal benefit to them.
You are, America…SCREWED.
Let me repeat a little something – there is a CONVICTED FELON in the White House, in the most powerful position in your country. A. CONVICTED. FELON. His sociopathy is right there, for all to see, yet millions of your country folk voted him in.
America is very ill. It has lost its way. Propaganda is King. Truth is buried in a backyard, a swamp or wherever psychopaths bury bodies.
For decades Americans have been fed the lie that they are the best country in the world, the most free, the most successful. Perhaps, at one time, in the long ago, this was true. It is true no longer.
Don’t ask why these things are happening, pick up a “Psychology for Dummies” book and read about sociopaths, psychopaths and narcissists. There is no more justice because these people don’t recognize justice as valid…to them and as they are in charge? You, my dear American friends and family, are finished as a nation. May as well call it “Trump Land” and be done with it.
January 6th and the pardoning of these traitor, killers and insurrectionists was your 2 Minute Warning and it was ignored.
We all have to wake up – globally, wake up and smell the coffee; we can survive and prosper without this racist, untrustworthy and swirling the bowl country.
It was all lies, propaganda – the U.S. is not the successful economic giant it claimed to be. It holds the largest national debt, by far, in the world. The WORLD. Debt is not a hallmark of success, particularly at this rate.
Time to wave our collective middle fingers in their direction and move toward a bright future, not marred by the Golden Arches or Super Size fries. Dump the U.S. treasury bonds, call in the loans and allow the propaganda machine to crash and burn.
(I have a deep hatred of these scammers. I would love to see them all tossed into an oubliette somewhere hot, humid with lots The only way to protect ourselves, our loved ones, our friends is through knowledge and sharing what we know about these scammers.)
“Hey, how are you?”
“Hey, how’s your sore back?”
“Sorry, I’m running a little late; I’ll meet you for dinner at 6:15.”
If you have been on the receiving end of an increasing number of seemingly random and innocuous texts like those, you aren’t alone. And it wasn’t a wrong number. Online scammers are increasingly turned to “wrong number” message tactics, aided by AI, to trick phone users into providing access to personal information and financial accounts.
Ann Nagel, who works at a college in suburban Chicago, received a text that was convincing enough to make her think she should respond.
“I had actually thought it was from one of my members from an organization I run in town. It had me going for a few seconds,” Nagel said.
But she quickly realized it was a scam when the texter asked Nagel to send a Vanilla Visa gift card and scratch off the back numbers. Nagel quickly ended the text exchange.
“They are a tricky bunch of thieves, no doubt,” Nagel said.
Steve Grobman, chief technology officer at McAfee, says there is usually much more going on than just an innocent wrong number. The texters have multiple objectives by sending seemingly harmless missives to your phone. First, he says, the scammers — most often based overseas — are validating that the mobile number is active and the person is willing to engage and respond.
“They are adding the number to their database so they can target it surgically for future scams,” Grobman said. They can note in their files that this person could be a potential future victim even if the initial exchange doesn’t bear fruit. And if a person, phone company, or wireless carrier blocks a number, the scammers will move onto the next one, as has been happening during the recent wave of toll fine scams.
“Once the first objective is met, what they are trying to do is build some sort of relationships,” Grobman said, and he added that these criminals are often working as part of well-funded, well-organized criminal enterprises.
Scammers are willing to put in the work to reach their ultimate aim, which is parting you from your money, and Grobman says the highest yield scams are ones that involve forging a personal relationship that can be turned into a form of what is known as a “pig butchering scam.
Life savings, retirement accounts are the ultimate target Long, draw-out, text scams — sometimes including a romantic element — are chasing someone’s life savings or retirement account. “Because there is such a large payoff, it is worth the extra time required to grow it,” Grobman said.
AI is making these once time-consuming, laborious scams more efficient and easier to target people. AI can help criminals zero in on area codes for tailored texts, comb through social media profiles, and build out family networks.
“Wrong number” texts, in particular, are increasing because of the confluence of data dumps over the past few years combined with AI’s availability.
“This allows scammers to create highly believable scams, higher levels of engagement, and higher levels of victims falling for scams,” Grobman said. “Consumers need to be very careful. You really shouldn’t engage,” he added.
But that can be difficult for some because psychology is as much a part of the text scammer’s toolkit as AI and software. “Their effectiveness taps into something much deeper: our human need for connection,” said Malka Shaw, a New Jersey-based psychotherapist in private practice who has seen a rise in text scam victims in her practice.
Shaw says the long shadow of Covid continues to casts its darkness over this problem. “We’re living in a time where loneliness has reached epidemic levels. Especially in the wake of the pandemic, so many people feel disconnected and unseen,” Shaw said. People who have endured trauma in their past or are lonely can find themselves more drawn into connections that can come via text.
“Their cognitive biases will be down, and they’ll say, ‘I need that contact.’ That is how they get you in,” Shaw said.
AI in the hands of criminals makes it easy and fast to scan social media profiles for people who might seem lonely and then connect them to a phone number.
‘Mini-ransoms’ for locked social media accounts Even if the innocuous scams don’t yield a big pig-butchering payday, they can still be worthwhile. Eder Ribeiro, director of global incident response at TransUnion, says emptying someone’s life savings is the primary goal, but hackers can still derive secondary value from the texting.
“Data is money,” Ribeiro said, adding that even if they only get a name and phone number, such info can be sold on the dark web, or perhaps they’ll get enough data to sell on the dark web and crack your email. In some cases, a text scammer will be able to extract enough of a response to track down the person’s social media accounts and lock them out and people are willing to pay to reclaim their accounts.
“We see people pay smaller amounts of money to gain access to their social media,” Riberio said, adding that those “mini-ransoms” can be between $200-$800, not the huge payday the hacker was seeking, but still something.
“They can find out stuff about most people and use it for extortion, fraud, or the information can be aggregated for the data and sold,” Ribiero said.
Dustin Brewer, senior director of proactive cybersecurity services at BlueVoyant, says the best advice for recipients of unwanted texts is to ignore the messages. Do not initiate a response and mark them as spam. These simple steps empower people by making a firm decision while removing the text from their inbox.
“And doing so makes me an undesirable target for the scammer, and no follow-up messages occur for the most part,” Brewer said. Marking it spam could help others by alerting your messaging app that this message is potential bait for a scammer. Some messaging apps use this type of reporting to detect future scams and protect other users, Brewer said.
But TransUnion’s Ribiero says, for now, expect the texts to continue. “The frequency is increasing because it works, and if you get results, you keep doing it,” he said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
This is some bitter irony right here….U.S. HOLOCAUST MUSEUM…
Between the political rhetoric up here, and the advancing dictatorship below our borders, the decimation of my grandfather’s homeland, I am taking a media break today. I have a headache, I’m exhausted, physically and mentally exhausted.
I have some housework to do, dinner to plan, a storyline to develop and I think an escape to Sanctuary to kill a crap-ton of demons would be a plan.
Due to the last minute candidate in my riding, someone I felt was, absolutely, ill-equipped for this election, I felt it was vital to watch the debate. I was on the fence, it was either the Liberals or the B.Q. (due to the highest respect I have for our current M.P, a BQ member). I do resent the rush job for the Liberal candidate the L.P.C. seems to have done. I still resent it and I’m pretty angry but right now, there is too much at stake and after listening to the debate? There’s no question, Liberal it will be.
Carney spoke well, explained positions and answered the questions clearly. He remained dignified and sincere, I was impressed with his answers and his overall demeanor. I can’t lie, I was praying for him to tell Poilievre to suck an egg…
Blanchet? I was sorely disappointed, he came off as a one-trick-pony with a tenuous grasp on the current political/socio-economic threat from the south. Yes, Yves-François – we all get it, as a Québeçoise, I fully understand the importance of protecting French and Québec culture however, it is time to remove your blinders and that elitist attitude you seem to possess. We are under attack from the pseudo-dictator to our south. Serious attack. It was time for speaking out for unity against a common enemy and he failed…miserably. I do owe him a “Merci” for helping me decide what to do on the 28th. He is not qualified to represent Québec in a crisis situation.
Jagmeet Singh…wow, that was a colossal failure. He came off as whiny and unable to grasp the whole platform. He had talking points but little, if not nothing, in the way of solutions. I could not see him in negotiations with you-know-who. He was a non-starter for me anyway. While I am not, a Liberal as a rule, the way he turned on an agreement with the Liberal party made me seriously question his ethics.
P.P – nothing but word salad. The same talking points, lots of nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs but he proposed nothing. There was a lot of garbage about the Liberals dividing Canadians when, in fact, he aided the division on more than one occasion, was seen chummy with alt-right wingnuts, the Klown Konvoy and those are things, many Canadians, myself included, will never forget. His proposed use of the Notwithstanding Clause should fill everyone with horror. This whole ensuring mass murderers stay in jail is a scam, a lie, bullshit. It is nothing more than a test run; if it works, then abortion will be outlawed, women and healthcare professionals will be under threat. Best believe gay rights will be next, the LGBTQ2S communities will be decimated.
So, I guess Liberal it will be. I will not live in a country governed by a man who caters to misogynists, homophobes, anti-immigration, pseudo-Nazi trailer trash.
Poilievre says he’d pass a law that overrides a Charter right.
No federal government has ever used the notwithstanding clause.
***************
Um, before y’all get too excited about mass murderers dying in prison because Pee-Pee is going to invoke “Notwithstanding”? You do know that this is just a trial run, right? Pick something folks will get behind, try ‘er out and then use it whenever needed, like with the right to choose. The right to marry. The right to justice. The right to adequate medical care. The right to education. The right to affordable medicines. You get the idea.
Keep this in mind while you’re getting all hot and bothered with this glorious news.
Do Not Split the Vote – whether N.D.P, B.Q, or Green; we need to send an unequivocal message to the party masquerading as “Conservative”. Vote Liberal, send the message that we are Canadian and don’t fall for fascist bullshite. Send that little worm packing, force the Conservative to go back to their core values as a party and not a Republican replica.
I’m beyond shocked; my flabbers have been ghasted. (Yes, there is flippancy in that comment but it is self-preservation; I’m scared, I’m disgusted. Did I mention I was scared?)
One of the “power people’ is a pseudo-Christian Nationalist – Paula White, she of the “Prosperity Gospel” “prosperity gospel,” (the idea that God wants believers to be financially prosperous). They re-write history, why stop there, right? Re-write the bible while we’re at it. I’m not Christian anymore, haven’t been for a very, very long time but I was one, once; indoctrinated by 3 different religions as a child; Roman Catholicism, United Methodist and a smattering of Ukrainian Orthodox. Believe me, I know the bible…I also am very familiar with Christian hypocrisy but this White person? Oh man, she has leveled up to top tier in the hypocrisy department. (This link is a little insight into this particular piece of garbage
Diaper Don doesn’t care about religion, he’s above any god’s law, in his little psychopathic brain. If the country becomes White-Xtian-Nationalist, he doesn’t give a rat’s ass, as long as the money keeps pouring in. Same with White – she wouldn’t recognize a godly act if it hit her (deservedly) in the face.
I’m watching and listening, not just to the U.S. descent into Nazism 2.0 but our own flirtation with it, via Pee-Pee Poilievre and his gang of racist misogynist blockheads.
All this to say, I need another break from all this; I’m wandering around with a constant stress headache and my stomach is in knots from the frustration and supreme disappointment in the human race.
Vote Canada – Vote!! Whether NDP, BQ or Green, this time around, do not split the vote! Vote Liberal and send a resounding message to the parties that Canadians are not going to put up with this bullshit any longer.
This is a real warning to my fellow Canadian; DO NOT GO TO THE UNITED STATES, particularly, if like, approximately, 1.3 million of us, visit Cuba.
The Fascist-In-Chief below the border, designated Cuba as a “Terrorist State” so vacationing in Cuba would have you/us fall under the “Terrorist Sympathizer” column.
Roll you eyes, snort, call it “Ridiculous!”, perhaps you’ll be lucky and just be denied entry by some over-zealous Magat in Customs or perhaps, while in your hotel room, by the pool in Maine, or Florida, New Jersey, ICE or HLS shows up and whisks you off to El Salvador. Canadian Embassy can do nothing.
Is it a small risk? At this point, under this fascist administration to our south, is any risk worth it?
Stay home, vacation at home or go to Europe, some other destination that does not involve crossing into the U.S, even if it is just a stop-over.
Until United States wakes up to the road they are on? Consider the United States a place of high risk for travelers.
Pierre Poilievre is a 43-year-old Canadian politician who has served as the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, is the current leader of the Official Opposition, and has served as a Parliament (MP) member since 2004. Poilievre is a compelling, sharp speaker who has a considerable social media presence and is idolized by Conservatives across the country, particularly among the younger set which currently represents the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton. He is a relentless questioner in Parliament who sometimes gets the better of Justin Trudeau. Perhaps most importantly, Poilievre receives a lot of play in the media and has been floated as the leadership favorite in multiple publications. Assuming personal concerns do not derail Poilievre, he could very well be the Conservative leader by this summer or fall. Poilievre looks young, but he is an unreformed Conservative activist who looks up to Margaret Thatcher and Jordan Peterson. He’s not a “compassionate Conservative” like O’Toole or a “tepid populist” like Doug Ford. Poilievre is a reactionary austerity zealot like Jason Kenney. He will fight unions, suffocate the public sector, and cut welfare, even if these policies are very unpopular.
With Patrick Brown kicked out of the Conservative Party of Canada leadership race, it became a one-horse race, making the coronation of Poilievre as CPC leader all but a done deal. This is particularly scary when you remember that a part of Canada just doesn’t vote in elections.
Additionally, the pattern in Canada has been that the party that has been in power for a long time (like Trudeau’s liberals) often is ousted, making the next CPC party leader a severe contender for the next Prime Minister of Canada.
A little background about Mr. Poilievre
Support for Poilievre picked up during his endorsement of the early 2022 Freedom Convoy – which he took to heart, running for leadership with the claim of making Canada “the freest country in the world” (**peak Trump 2016 energy**). And this is where we need to be concerned: Poilievre has expertly capitalized on a clear and meticulously crafted populist platform, which has been nothing short of political catnip for Conservatives. Poilievre’s supporters are done with the “Progressive” part of the Conservative agenda and are looking for a drastic, right-wing change to Canada’s political landscape. Listen, if we’ve learned anything over the past few years, the horrific bullshit that goes on in the US always seems to mirror itself here in Canada just after we convince ourselves it can’t get that bad. From an alt-right President
To the Capitol riots: Pierre Poilievre and his supporters are no exception to this rule.
“Poilievre, who was given the nickname “Skippy” as a very young MP, has been one of the most prominent figures in the House of Commons since he was elected in 2004, largely as a result of his rhetorical abilities and his gleeful compulsion to engage in any partisan fight and fight to the death for it. He has been described in media stories over the years as “probably one of the more generally infuriating individuals on Parliament Hill” and someone who “savagely attack[s] opponents without regard to nuance, or even the basic facts.
Now let’s discuss seven things why I think Canadians should be afraid of Pierre Poilievre.
1 FREEDOM CONVOY
Poilievre supported the unlawful blockades and openly opposed the vaccine mandates that provoked the protests for the entirety of the convoy. Poilievre criticized Prime Minister Trudeau at a rally for supposedly attacking truckers, who he said were the “heroes” of the pandemic. Even though freedom of thought and expression are pillars of our democratic democracy (which all Canadian political parties fervently embrace), it is essential to recall that the Freedom Convoy was a white supremacist campaign and city occupation that lasted for weeks. We know that many well-meaning Canadians became involved in this, including people on the left and people of colour, but that doesn’t change the fact that the organizers are members of the far-right white supremacist organization.
2 POILIEVRE ON COVID-19
Poilievre’s position on the COVID-19 epidemic has centred on a severe lack of scientific data, the promotion of individual interests over collective needs, a white privilege belief that inconvenience is oppression, and a whole of anti-government mandate crap. At the height of the pandemic, Poilievre gave a speech to a conference room of over 250 unmasked individuals while the Quebec government still had mask and capacity mandates in effect. He breached the law and showed off about it. In addition to his absurd anti-mask, anti-mandate, and anti-government beliefs, Poilievre was openly against vaccines and has admitted that he believes that Canadians from systemically oppressed communities, such as those who are low-income, racialized, disabled, or homeless, have not experienced a different side of this pandemic. We do not know whether this is an act of deliberate ignorance or a political ploy to mobilize bigots. Still, regardless, this individual cannot be the leader of our country because just picture what his policies would be.
3 ON TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
Our government already does not do enough to address the systemic injustices and brutality it has historically inflicted against Indigenous peoples and continues to inflict upon them in the present day. However, our government has at least acknowledged the harm it has previously caused. Although that isn’t sufficient, it is much more than Pierre anticipates or thinks the CPC can do under his leadership. Even Harper said sorry for the bad things that happened in residential schools. What did Poilievre say?
“Canada’s aboriginals need to learn the value of hard work more than they need compensation for abuse suffered in residential schools. Poilievre defended the tip line that allowed people to report “barbaric cultural practices.” This tells us that his policies will further oppress indigenous and marginalized people while giving white nationalists a visible, outspoken, and racist rationale for their actions.
4 ON ABORTION RIGHTS
Poilievre claimed to be pro-choice during his debate last month, but his record with abortion laws has been inconsistent. He previously supported Motion 312 (a review of when a child becomes a human being under Canadian law) and a bill increasing the criminal penalty for the ‘murder of an unborn child.’ He’s giving us “tell us you’re pro-forced birth, without saying your pro-forced birth” energy.
5 ON BILL C-36:
Before I talk about Poilievre’s stance on it, let me tell you briefly what BILL C-36 is about. On November 6, 2014, Bill C-36, also known as the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, was given royal assent. Bill C-36 says that prostitution is a form of sexual exploitation that affects women and girls more than men. Its overall objectives are to: Protect communities from the harms caused by prostitution, especially minors; protect those who sell their own sexual services and reduce the demand for prostitution and its incidence.
The new criminal law system is meant to protect the dignity and equality of all Canadians. It does this by condemning and outlawing the purchase of sexual services, the exploitation of the prostitution of others, the development of economic interests in the sexual exploitation of others, and the institutionalization of prostitution through commercial enterprises like strip clubs, massage parlours, and escort agencies that offer sexual services for sale. In addition, it attempts to encourage victims of violence to disclose violent incidents to the police and exit the prostitution industry. To that purpose, the federal government has allocated an additional $20 million to assist people in leaving prostitution.
Now back to Poilievre’s stance, he wants to repeal Bill C-36, which protects us from hate speech that is considered by courts to likely lead to hate crimes. Why in the hell would we need a PM who’s openly against the safety of systemically oppressed communities at higher risk for experiencing violence?
6 ON THE LONG-GUN REGISTRY
Poilievre wants to eliminate the Long-Gun Registry, which keeps guns from getting into the wrong hands by requiring all restricted and banned guns to be registered. BTW it’s why there are so few mass shootings in Canada. In an era when tight gun regulations are vitally necessary to safeguard civilians, Poilievre wants to do away with this. (are we going to have a Canadian Texas sometime soon? Hopefully not.)
7 ON THE CARBON TAX
One of the first things Poilievre would do in office is repealing the Carbon Tax, a policy instituted to mitigate climate change. Could we also say that our next prime minister will have the last chance to decide our future regarding the climate crisis? Vote as if your life depends on it because it does if you’re under the age of 45.
Wicked Emerald - Live From The Montérégie 