India is the Free World’s Problem, Not Just Canada’s

No doubt Prime Minister Justin Trudeau MUST give more details behind Canada’s allegations that the government of India was involved in the assassination of Sikh Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Canadians … and the rest of the world … have a right to see the evidence … not just hear Trudeau’s rhetoric on the blockbuster accusation.

But totally apart from this highly divisive Canada-India issue (which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying very hard, for some reason, to magnify into a full fledged crisis), the entire Free World should be very concerned about how democracy in general and democratic rights in particular have been steadily deteriorating in India under Modi.

“The government selectively and viciously cracked down on religious minorities, and explicit advocacy of hatred by political leaders and public officials towards them was commonplace and went unpunished,” Amnesty International has reported.

“Punitive demolitions of Muslim family homes and businesses were carried out with impunity….Repressive laws including counterterrorism legislation were used rampantly to silence dissent. Authorities intimidated human rights defenders using digital technologies, including unlawful surveillance. “

Read the full Amnesty report on India here: https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/asia-and-the-pacific/south-asia/india/report-india/.

Some democracy!!

Not only have many political Opposition leaders in India been arrested with impunity under Modhi’s regime, but so have hundreds of ordinary opposition party members.

What a farce Parliamentary governance in India has become under Modi!

In fact, when those critical of the government have dared to hold protests, even elected politicians and government officials have openly made threats to destroy their homes and/or business.

Just imagine that happening in Canada, the UK, France …or even the highly polarized Excited States of America … elected officials and/or government bureaucrats openly threatening violence against their critics! Those elected and/or appointed government officials would soon be gone; but not in India, under Modi.

And, not surprisingly, freedom of speech by/in the Indian media has also been corrupted, bought out or intimidated.

Here’s how the US State Department describes life today in India … an American ally:

“Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: unlawful and arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings by the government or its agents; torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by police and prison officials; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention; political prisoners or detainees; arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy; restrictions on freedom of expression and media, including violence or threats of violence, unjustified arrests or prosecutions of journalists, and enforcement of or threat to enforce criminal libel laws to limit expression; restrictions on internet freedom; interference with the freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association; restrictions on freedom of movement and on the right to leave the country; refoulement of refugees; serious government corruption; harassment of domestic and international human rights organizations; lack of investigation of and accountability for gender-based violence, including domestic and intimate partner violence, sexual violence, workplace violence, child, early, and forced marriage, femicide, and other forms of such violence; crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting members of national/racial/ethnic and minority groups based on religious affiliation, social status or sexual orientation; crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex persons; and existence of forced and compulsory labor.”

Disgraceful!

Read the whole report here: https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/india.

And just weeks ago, the International Federation of Journalists released a report on how increased government surveillance and new restrictive laws have undermined freedom of information, and impacted press freedom in India.

Readers of this Blog may recall that, earlier this year, I sounded the alarm about India’s duplicitous, greedy move to take advantage of democratic nations’ sanctions against Russia and INCREASE its trade with that country … to hell with its invasion of Ukraine, a fellow democratic state, and ignoring Russia’s murderous bombing of innocent Ukrainian civilians … including women, children, elderly in hospitals, schools, apartment blocks. http://harveyoberfeld.ca/blog/canada-west-must-hit-china-india-other-nations-funding-russias-war/.

And yet, the supposedly democratic country of India, under Modi, has never condemned Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and, instead has increasingly aligned itself with the autocratic dictatorships like Russia, China, Venezuela, Iran, Belarus, Cuba etc.

“In just five months of 2022, bilateral trade between Russia and India reached a record growth of $18.229 billion. For comparison, last year this figure amounted to $13.124 billion, and the year before that – $8.141 billion,” Wikipedia found.

India, under Modi, has demonstrated over and over again it has no principles, ethics or integrity … a state just mired in selfishness and greed, milking Western democracies for BILLIONS in foreign aid, while cozying up at the same time to dictators, human rights abusers and even murderers, if it will benefit India’s bottom line.

The Free World … not just Canada … must wake up and realize: India under Modi s NOT a democracy; not a respecter of human rights and not an ally!

And now, it is also accused by Canada of even violating international law and also the UN Charter by hiring to sending agents into this country to carry out an assassination.

The world deserves to see the EVIDENCE that back’s Canada’s charges … and, if substantiated, the entire free world, not just Canada, must stop pussyfooting around with India … and make it pay for this … and all its other transgressions against democracy.

Harv Oberfeld

Posted in International, Media, National | 13 Comments

How Ideologically Extreme “Progressives” Have Damaged Our Society

Premier David Eby’s “white hot anger” that alleged multi-victim stabber Blair Evan Donnelly was on a “Day Pass” from BC’s insane asylum should be directed at his own BC NDP government.

After all, the British Columbia (Psychiatric) Review Board, appointed by the NDP government,  was in charge when Donnelly was granted unescorted leave!

It’s not politicians like Eby who should be loudly proclaiming their “anger”: it’s us … the people … who have increasingly become victims of extreme “progressive” governments, excessive “progressive” policies and their ideologically-programmed “progressive” appointees/bureaucrats who implement them.

Donnelly was allowed his unescorted day pass from the psychiatric hospital even though, in addition to murdering his own daughter in 2006 (which led to his commitment), he also stabbed another person in 2009 after being released on a day pass from the facility, and then, in 2017 used a butter knife to attack another patient in the hospital.

And just five months before the latest incident, Donnelly was still described at a hearing as a “significant threat” with a “high risk of relapsing” .

You can read that full story here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/chinatown-stabbing-suspect-described-as-significant-threat-high-risk-of-relapsing-1.6966671.

Yet, there he was on the streets of Chinatown, on yet another unescorted day pass … and now accused of stabbing three more innocent bystanders attending a festival.

Very few voters/taxpayers could probably name a single member of the BCRB, but I’d bet many British Columbians suspect, despite their expert professional credentials on paper, they very likely, as NDP appointees, could probably be viewed as “progressives”.

The real question Eby’s inquiries should answer … but won’t … is whether BCRB overboard “progressive” views and ideological agenda placed the killer’s individual pleadings ahead of their duty to protect the public?

If so, it’s just another example of how too many extreme “progressives”, given any powers, go too far … maybe too fast … and our society is suffering as a result.

We’re not talking here about ALL those with progressive ideas/thoughts.

I have long regarded myself as “progressive” when it comes to social policies: supporting racial, ethnic, religious equality; gay and transgender rights; women’s right to choose; welcoming true refugees, and exercising compassion through laws and policies to take care of those who cannot work.

However, over the past 10 years, we’ve witnessed a whole new breed of EXTREME “progressives”: ideologically programmed/driven politicians implementing agendas that go too far too fast … oblivious to the damage they cause to so many in society in the process.

They also appoint judges, at all judicial levels, who hand down and push “progressive” decisions, based on new “progressive” laws … that fail to keep even violent recidivist criminals in jail!

And there is mounting evidence now of not only how much this has all harmed our society … but how silly and even stupid so much of it has become.

Don’t even try to light up a cigarette, blunt or a tobacco pipe on any beach or in any Vancouver park, but it’s okay in most to shoot up heroin, crack, MDMA … even fentanyl.

How “progressive”!

In fact, it was only after enough Vancouver residents became sufficiently outraged and demand ed safety for their kids, that our “progressive” City Hall, “progressive” NDP provincial government and “progressive” Liberal federal government finally acted: it’s now illegal in Vancouver to shoot up “within 15 metres of any play structure in a playground, a spray or wading pool or a skate park”.

Other cities made it illegal to use drugs in ANY public space …but in good, old “progressive” Vancouver, just stay 15 metres away from kids playing … and you can inject yourself anywhere you want!

And even that is a farce!

Will “progressive” City staff or police hand out tape measures to addicts? Does anyone really believe police will actually do the paperwork to lay charges based on “distance” infractions … or that Crown Counsel would actually take/prosecute those cases in Court?

And that’s just part of the harm the excessive progressives have inflicted on society in recent years.

Remember the suffering (filth, thefts, needles, weapons, violent crimes, fires and turmoil) Strathcona residents endured for TWO YEARS because Vancouver’s “progressive” Parks Board, “progressive” City Hall and “progressive” City Police did nothing to clear the squatters out of what was supposed to be a neighbourhood park.

And that was on top of the other encampments, also allowed by our “progressive” Parks Board and “progressive” City Hall to establish themselves at Oppenheimer Park and Crab Park.

So why were the “progressive” powers in charge then be surprised when a burgeoning residential community and drug supermarket also sprang up on the sidewalks of Hastings Street, where crime, assaults and open drug use was tolerated … until the Fire Marshall finally stepped in and said Enough!

And instead of sending those packing who came from outside the Lower Mainland, outside BC and even outside Canada … demanding “free” housing, the “progressive” City and “progressive” NDP provincial government had another solution: they spent hundreds of millions of dollars to buy up hotels right in the heart of the Granville shopping, dining and entertainment district and move as many homeless, mentally ill and druggies as possible into the area .

And, of course, also open all kinds of service centres and a needle exchange right there too to cater to them all … the local residents and businesses be damned!

What a brilliant “progressive” move that was!

It destroyed the entire area and resulted in MORE assaults, thefts, muggings, stabbings and murders.

But times are changing.

Polls show the victims of all this “progressive” engineering are finally waking up, rising up and mobilizing their discontent.

David Eby and Justin Trudeau should realize how fed up the public has become with their “progressive” agendas and policies !

And want back a society that takes care of and protects the majority … instead of catering to the minority who are destroying it.

Harv Oberfeld

(Follow @harveyoberfeld on “X” (Twitter) for FREE alerts to all new postings on this BC based Blog.)

Posted in British Columbia, National | 21 Comments