Khadirs' Sad Parental Legacy

Yalda Machouf- Khadir...never had a chance..

Last Tuesday Amir Khadir's daughter Yalda, finally faced justice in a Montreal court for the many charges she was looking at in relation to rioting and destruction of property during the student uprising.
Yalda Machouf-Khadir quite literally had her fingerprints lifted at one crime scene as well as having her face caught on tape at another. She was in modern parlance, caught dead to rights and had little choice but to admit to her crimes.
Looking for leniency, she pleaded guilty, but prosecutors refused to agree to a slap on the wrist as they did with the majority of those charged along side her.
It seems that prosecutors definitely wanted her blood.

"Yalda Machouf-Khadir, 20, pleaded guilty to one count of mischief in relation to a protest at the CEGEP du Vieux Montréal on Feb. 16, 2012 during which she and two other people pushed over a soft drink machine to try to block an entrance with it. She also admitted to conspiring to commit mischief, wearing a disguise while committing a criminal act and break and entry when students forcibly occupied and damaged the main pavilion of the Université de Montréal on April 12 and the office of then-education minister Line Beauchamp on April 13.

“We feel these are serious crimes, and there was a certain continuity,” said Crown prosecutor Martin Chalifour. “A lot of students accused of crimes during the student protests had participated in only one event. Those were isolated actions. For Mr. Marotte and Mme. Khadir there were several events, so that has an impact on the sentencing arguments.” Link

Parents of the year......

In addition to the many charges against her, she is being sued for $100,000 in relation to her participation in a destructive rampage that destroyed university property.

Now this post is not meant to single out, castigate or dump on Yalda for her extreme activism, she is a product of her upbringing and for that I am sad for her, being brought up in the Khadir family, she never had a chance.
Here's what I wrote a while back in a post on Amir Khadir entitled: Amir Khadir Has a Lot to Hide

"Amir learned dissent early, his parents being radicals themselves. He first met his future wife Nima Machouf as a child at the various radical demonstrations that both their parents dragged them to, on a regular basis.

His father is an aging communist, who reminds me of the over the hill stoner comedian 'Cheech," living in a 1970's fantasy and regurgitating dogma, woefully out of date. Jafar Khadir is a sad character living in the past, who parrots ideas that have long since been discredited, even in Russia and China. He was a long-time member of the executive council of the Quebec Communist Party and still keeps actively involved.
Jafar has militated on a variety of radical causes and back in 2002 was stopped at the US border, where he was held for eight hours and ultimately refused entry with the warning not to come back.

I'm one of those who cringe at parents who radicalize their children at an early age as did Amir Khadir and his wife Nina Machouf, shlepping their children to communist demonstrations at an early age and turning them against the very country that welcomed them with open arms and gave them safe haven from the madness of their homeland in Iran.

Amir himself is also the product of parental radicalization, his father a died in the wool communist named Jafar, a millionaire communist, who for many years helped finance the Communist Party of Quebec.
Read my previous posts'
Khadirs-Three Generations of Nutters
Communists Frolic at Khadir Chalet
Amir Khadir Has a Lot to Hide

And so ~~poor~~ Yalda will likely get some sort of jail sentence, while not long, devastating just the same. While most student radicals grow out of their activism with maturity, I'm not sure that Yalda will, to judge by her parents.
At any rate, her criminal record will follow her around pretty much the rest of her life, condemning her to a life in Quebec, where these things aren't held against you, as compared to the rest of the world.

Every time I see a demonstration that includes little children, whether it be Pro-Life, Pro-Choice, or pro or con anything whatever, I'm sad to think that parents believe that children are to be used as tools.
Canada's most famous radicalized child-soldier, Omar Khadar has spent most of his life in jail having been convicted by an American military court for murdering a US soldier at age fifteen. He was radicalized by his proud terrorist father.
"A 2008 biography written by al Qaeda praises the elder Khadr for "tossing his little child in the furnace of the battle" Wikipedia

It's hard to be sympathetic, but then again, its hard not to be sympathetic.

School Board Taxes...How soon we forget.

Liberal Education minister Yves Bolduc "You see, it's like this..."

In Quebec, public schools up to college, are run by 72 different school boards, some English, but mostly French. They are funded in part by the government and in addition by money raised by school boards themselves, through taxes levied directly on homeowners.
Last year, in a desperate attempt to cut expenses the PQ government cut the subsidy to the school boards by some $200 million, arrogantly telling the school boards to cut expenses, as if it were that easy.

Instead the school boards raised the tax rate on homeowners to make up the difference and lo and behold, some taxpayers saw their school tax bill rise by over 30%!
The then PQ education minister Marie Malavoy supported those tax increases, calling them within the bounds of the law, but when the public rose in a furious protest, the PQ government reacted by scolding the school boards for their greed and actually ordered them to pay back the money via rebates over the next few years. Malavoy was made the scapegoat and asked not to run again in the last election.
But the PQ was defeated and the school boards soon forgot about their obligation to return the money, it was never officially memorialized.

Enter the new Liberal government which announced that not only wouldn't the money be returned, but that school taxes would be going up again this year, but modestly to reflect inflation.

Hilariously, the PQ is hammering the Liberals for not forcing the school boards to return the $200 million to taxpayers, with the PQ leader Stéphane Bédard saying that because the Liberals are in a majority, they could force the school to refund the money, something the PQ couldn't do because it was in a minority government.
I wonder if these politicians listen to themselves talk?

And that readers, is how governments operate in Quebec. It isn't what is right, it isn't what is fair...it's what you can get away with.
And so taxpayers aren't beefing about the small increase that the Liberals imposed, because the whopping increase by the PQ is already digested.
I guess it's like the price of gas that jumps by 12 cents a litre one day, only to fall back by two or three cents in the coming days, giving us the sense of a bargain.

My my, what suckers we are!

Is Mulroney just a Péladeau beard?

The Globe and Mail is reporting that Brian Mulroney will take over as chairman of Quebecor as the company looks to soften its association with separatist owner Pierre-Karl Péladeau.
The newspaper is reporting that PKP, contrary to his pledge, has been involved in the management of the company of which he is majority shareholder, but in which he holds no position.
This while he sits as a provincial MP with leadership aspirations.

His alleged behind the scene string-pulling at Quebecor is said to have irked Robert Dépatie, the ex-chairman of Quebecor who resigned last month.

"A source close to the company said Mr. Péladeau remained actively involved in the operations despite no longer holding an executive position. This “blurred the lines of authority” within Quebecor and contributed to Mr. Dépatie’s recent departure." Link

And so Brian lives up to his own famous dictum that reminds us that 'there's no whore, like an old whore' and suffers no ethical dilemma in serving and doing the bidding of his separatist master.

"Quebec's most influential separatist doesn't seem like a betrayal of Canada or federalism.
It’s unclear whether Pierre Karl Péladeau realized how big of an impact his move into sovereigntist politics would have on Quebecor’s future business prospects. But Brian Mulroney sure did. The former prime minister’s move into the chairman’s seat at the media conglomerate is implicitly aimed at repairing the damage Mr. Péladeau’s infamous fist pump did to the company’s brand. Link

No doubt Mulroney, who is 75, is but a figurehead, a beard, called forward to keep up appearances in order to convince Canadians, more importantly federal regulators that Quebecor is just a good ole' boy, not a separatist driven media conglomerate.

I wonder how the rest of Canada is reacting to Mulroney's duplicitous pussyfooting with separatists.

Incredibly, new Liberal government backs wasteful wind and mini-electricity generation projects

It was Yogi Berra, the venerable manger of the new York Yankees who coined the memorable phrase "It's deja vu, all over again!"
It was like listening to a recording of the old PQ government when the Liberals rose in defence of the wind and co-generation projects that produce un-needed electricity at three times the price of idled power plants.

"Premier Philippe Couillard agreed that these mini-centrales electricity purchases would have a "minimal impact of 0.2%" on Hydro-Québec's rates charged to consumers. "We will resume the mini-plant program. We will realize the benefit of communities, "promised Mr. Couillard.

For his part, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Pierre Arcand argued that wind power generates 5,000 jobs in Quebec. "We must make the choice to keep these jobs," said Arcand. As for the surplus energy that continues to accumulate in the Hydro-Québec reservoirs, Pierre Arcand argues that this is then a comparative advantage which may be of interest to investors to settle in Quebec."

All this in response to CAQ questions in the National Assembly claiming that each of the jobs created by these programs actually costs the government $200,000. Link{fr}

Never mind Yogi Berra, the French have a saying all their own.
"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" (The more it changes, the more it stays the same)

King of the depanneur blasts Quebec welfare

It's too bad that the English media didn't cover a speech given by depanneur king Alan Bouchard, CEO of Alimentation Couche-Tard, who had some choice words for Quebecers and their government in a speech before the Montreal Board of Trade.

Bouchard is truly a self-made success, building a chain of convenience stores into a $3 billion company that includes over 9,000 convenience stores across North America and Europe.

He didn't mince words, talking about Quebecers he asked;

"Do you like being on Canadian welfare, it makes no godamn sense to accept that we Quebecers, who are so creative and able to build, tolerate being on welfare. I find it completely ridiculous.

His words didn't go down well with the new Liberal finance minister Carlos Leitao and CAQ veteran Amir Khadir both of whom disparaged the comments, without offering any real rebuttal.

Montreal Transit Authority admits Drainville type of deception on legal opinion on English.

"The transit authority has long flip-flopped on whether it had a legal opinion and interpretation on the French language charter, which would require some employees to speak English.

But days ahead of an access request hearing involving lawyers from The Gazette and the STM, the transit authority reportedly provided a signed affidavit that said “no legal opinion from internal or external lawyers could be identified related to Article 46 of the Charter of the French Language.”

Anglo community's very own Kapo, Marvin Rotrand

The Gazette reported it was looking for clarification on the STM’s position on employees speaking both English and French.
The Metropolitan Transit Authority, the AMT, requires all employees who have contact with the public be able to speak both languages.
STM Vice President Marvin Rotrand has told CJAD News in past interviews it has a legal opinion. Link

I wrote about this over a year and a half ago;

" Montreal bus company spokesman, Marvin Rotrand, the token anglo fart-catcher, has once again defended the company from offering English services, claiming that the company's hands are tied by the law, a misrepresentation according to constitutional lawyer Julius Grey..
Rotrand said the corporation consulted with its legal department and agreed that the language laws apply directly to the transit authority.
"We have a huge volume of jurisprudence as to what our obligations are under Bill 101," he said.
Constitutional lawyer Julius Grey says Quebec's language laws do not prevent the STM from serving customers in English Read the post

Mr. Rotrand wins this weeks DRAINVILLE AWARD FOR MISREPRESENTATION

'Chuck E. Cheese' solution to child abduction threat.

As you may have heard, some nutty woman kidnapped a new born baby in Trois-Rivières, walking out of the hospital disguised as a nurse.
The baby was safely returned hours later thanks to social media and a group of kids who recognized the woman and went to her home calling the police in the meantime.

All's well that ends well.

These things happen occasionally, that's what Amber Alerts are all about and there's always going to be a nutter around who wants a baby of her own and thinks it's a good idea to kidnap one from a hospital.

The day after the incident I heard Quebec's new Health Minister on the radio demanding that hospitals beef up security and he told the interviewer that he asked health authorities to think up a solution.

Really?
For a one in a million shot problem?

So let me offer the low-cost Chuck E. Cheese, anti-kidnapping solution.
For those who don't know, Chuck E. Cheese is an American chain that is a giant video game and play center for the under six crowd. Parents and (mostly single parents) bring their kids for some indoor fun and food in a highly safe and secure facility.
Secure I say, you betcha, pay attention Mr. Health Minister, they have a foolproof way of making sure nobody walks out with the wrong kid. It is a big concern in the world of parental abduction.

By the way readers, if you've never been to Chuck E.Cheese, you've missed nothing, trust me.

Picture of the Week

Here's a picture snapped by a surprised passerby of a Montreal police officer doing the nasty in a back alley in downtown Montreal. Link
It seems his partner was likewise engaged in the back seat.

An embarrassed department first claimed that the picture was Photoshopped but it turns out not only is it real, but his partner was in the back seat with another girl.

Now the department has said that the officers may find themselves with a stiff suspension of a couple of days, but I would rather see them outed as is the case with Johns.

At any rate, can you caption the picture?
Here's the best one I've heard so far.
"Put your hands up where I can feel them!"

Impératif français is at it again, complaining about this advertisement from a Quebec fast food chain.


*"As good in French as it is in English"*

I can't really say I get the advertisement, I wouldn't call smoked meat a particularly English style dish, but rather having roots in Jewish Deli.

I know there's a running battle with language purists wanting the ~~greasy and unhealthy~~ tasty dish to be referred to as 'VIANDE FUMÉ, but just like that other tasty Quebec guilty pleasure, the irresistible "OT CHIKEN", most francophones prefer to use the term 'SMOKE MEAT'.
Things are what things are, would you really want to call a 'POUTINE' by any other name?

No Dogs or Anglophones

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Friday, May 30, 2014

French versus English Volume 107