Born and raised in Canada and having been fortunate enough, in my career, to have traveled a goodly part of the world, I am compelled to express my outrage and support, for our friends and family, south of the border. In our interconnected global village, we are, once again, in a time of history, where the ravings of a lunatic have captured the imagination and imitation of the world. If it wasn’t so pathetic and frightening, it would be laughable. As we all know and fear, history is cyclical, in that we continue to repeat the sins of the past and, somehow, expect things to improve. Oh wait! Isn’t that the definition of insanity?

Right! Well, you wanted a covering letter and a biographical statement. Let’s see, I’m a woman, or, should I say, I identify as a woman, because I’ve birthed two kids. I was even married first; so I guess that puts me out of step, with the times. Semi-retired, with a teenager at home and another just starting college, they tell me that’s what’s kept me young and, thus far, with no discernable dementia (depending on who you ask). As for my submissions, well I can’t stand by and do nothing. Although we lived in Texas, when I was a baby, I can’t vote in the US, so I guess they are the next best thing.

While I thought I’d move on to other topics of sport and ridicule, I haven’t been able to get there yet. There’s just too much material here, to overlook! I mean, who leaves the casino, when every machine is paying a jackpot?

That’s the thing, about really living. To do it well, you have to exhaust your passions. Since not doing nothing is one of mine – here you go. And, I’m nowhere near exhausted (although I am disgruntled).

Ticklishly yours,

Lady Thistledown

Activism - opposing Trump fascism.

ORCHARD? Apples don't fall far from the tree!

BANKRUPT? Not only is the orchard yet another failed Trump business, but the Trump family is bankrupt, literally and figuratively.

SIGNAGE? Designed to appear as headstones and a footstone, this demonstrates that the Trump family brings only suffering, destruction and, ultimately, death to everything it touches.

FENCE? The white picket fence, enclosing the orchard come graveyard, symbolizes the death of the American dream.

WORM? In the image of Donald Trump, he symbolizes the rot happening in the GOP and America.

COLOURS? The red, blue and orange, highlighting Friedrich, Frederick and Donald's names, would have been red, white and blue - the colours used by Donald to promote himself and flog his wares. The white was changed to orange, in reference to his ridiculous tanning and makeup practices.

HISTORY? First drawn in 2021, this cartoon was colourized and updated, by the artist, in 2025.

Good day, Mr. Prime Minister.

While I am not an Economist, not the Leader of any Political Party, not even the Leader of my own Community, I do represent a Special Interest Group - THE AVERAGE CANADIAN. I am a Mother, who worked in Corporate Canada for 30 years. I held a very good job, at the time (for a woman, with no education), at a Fortune 50 Global Company. Those were the days when people got jobs and held jobs, because they worked, breathed, ate and slept their work, for years and years, sacrificing their sleep, their health, time with their families, because it was required, if they wanted to hang onto their jobs.

We were the "Middle Class". We paid high taxes, we paid our dues and we paid attention to our Community, our Country and our World.

Now, we are the under/over class. We are underprivileged, underpaid and under-recognized, while being overloaded, overburdened, overtaxed and overlooked.

Years ago, I was one of nearly 200 workers, who were laid off. No one bailed us out. No one protested, on our behalf. There were no reporters at our door, looking to cover our story. Now, years later, we are still struggling to hang on. I have worked since I was 6 years old. We have watched, with despair, as we have lost fully 3/4 of our life savings, between financial fiascos (like Nortel) and many Global Financial Crises, like the tariff wars, in which we are now all embroiled.

Further, if the shift continues, we will spiral even further down, until we finally drown under the deficit and take our prodigy down with us.

While we keep receiving and sending in flyers (from our local MP), flyers which are designed to measure whether, or not their party is on the right financial track, why don't you do something that REALLY helps us? Do you seriously think that a Tax-Free Savings Account is it? Not that we don't applaud any attempts to ease the burden, but unless it's we who are out-of-touch, THE AVERAGE CANADIAN HAS NO SAVINGS!!!!

Why don't you immediately implement another option?

I've spoken to some Bankers who, at first glance, you wouldn't think would support this idea. But, it has strong merit and the potential to be wildly successful. To my surprise, they thought it was brilliant. In fact, they saw the obvious alignment it has with often-tabled programs for first-time home buyers.

The idea is simply this:

Let us take out, from our RRSPs, Locked-in Retirement Plans, Taxable Insurance Benefits, Stocks, Bonds, and Mutual Funds, anything that Canadians have salted away - and put the whole darn thing into our Mortgages!!! A tax amnesty, or a tax deferral plan, should be fairly offered to ALL OF US! Tax deferrals could be reclaimed, by the Government, if/when the associated property is sold, or inherited. Or, a lien, requiring repayment, attached to the title, could be introduced. We have earned it! At least we can secure the debt we already have. If we can reduce, or eliminate, what is agreeably the largest financial burden on THE AVERAGE CANADIAN, many of us may survive this crisis.

In our case, we may be able to manage, for as long as that income holds out. If we can stabilize and, ultimately, eliminate our debts, we can then begin to reinvest and strengthen our position. If not, there is an inevitable conclusion to the path that we are on.

As Foreclosures and Bankruptcies rise, the Banks will be pushed into a greater burden of bad debt. The only people who will be in a position to buy our losses will, of course, be the usual suspects, the wealthy, their investment advisors and the people who sit on boards of the companies who already put us in this situation. How convenient!

Without getting the debt off of our backs, what good has investing for our retirement done us? The unbounded greed, incompetence and outright theft of our money and our dreams, has not done us any good. Within the next while, many of us may not be able to pay our mortgage. We may lose our houses and be out in the streets. We will then put the burden back on more Taxpayers, as we turn to the food banks, the welfare system and any other way we can find to survive.

Perhaps you'll invite us to stay at 24 Sussex Drive?

Or, even better, maybe you have a job for me? I can send you my résumé. It hasn’t done any good, anywhere else.

Our son informed me, the other day, that Angels live in the clouds. When I agreed with his take on the heavenly realm, by commenting that this seemed logical enough, because God was there, he rebelled by telling me that “No! God is in Heaven! The Angels are in the clouds! And, they have really BIG rain baskets!”

This stream of logic was ultimately followed, by a complete explanation of how, when rain was needed, the Angels would tip their baskets and shower the earth, with their aquatic, live-giving manna.

All this, while we were rolling past the scorched pastures where, I swear, I heard the crops, gasping for breath.

Many do not think of Georgina as a farming community. But, there are those, who smell the sickly-sweet scent of onions in the field, or view the white-puffed sprigs of potatoes blooming, who pray for the Farmers, as we pass their scorched lands and parched environs, in the daily to and fro of our rural lives.

The lesson to our children and, perhaps, more importantly, to remind ourselves, is that all living creatures need water: water to clean the earth, bathe the cattle, fill our wells, replenish the lakes and rivers and give all of God’s creatures, something to drink.

Now, maybe, I indulge, what I like to refer to as, the machinations of our Children. I asked my Son, to elaborate on his perception of these Angels. He went on, to describe in great detail, the appearance and purpose of God’s great messengers. With the knowledge that our Son is named after an Archangel of God, perhaps I give greater credence to his intrigues, than would normally be entertained.

But, perhaps, as adults, we have lost our ability to link our faith with our beliefs and our imagination. It’s just possible, that children, with their innocence, are able to see, not only the Angels that God sends, but to translate for us, so that we, as Adults, might also believe.

Whatever one’s position on the existence of Angels, perhaps we need look no further for miracles, than the hearts of our children. I have been reminded of this often, in the recent relief of raindrops, I’m sure were reverently received, by this parched community.

HITLER 2.0

Conservatives are Blue

Corruption is Sweet

Benefits the Few

NDP Orange

Greens are, well, Green

Vying for Seats

Which have Yet to be Seen

BLOC's multi-Coloured

Parties? - there're Others

They'd be in Parliament

If they had Their Druthers

Fake News, Faux News

Alternative Facts

Truth is on Trial

It only Distracts

Alternate Realities?

Political Hallucinations?

Fear Loss of Democracy

Among other Nations

We're in the Wrong Timeline

So Many Say

Don't Ask Me to Vote

I'm Running Away

A Place you Can't Find Me

Although I Admit

Cowardice Leaves Patriots

Free to Submit

They Won't Give Up

They'll Never Give In

My Only Hope is

The Right Team Will Win

Until that Time

My Head's in the Sand

I Can't be Bothered

To Learn What I Can

I'll leave that to Others

Willing to Read

Pursuing the Vote

I must Concede

When the Dust Settles

One thing will be Clear

I'm Not Responsible

I'm Not even Here

My Civic Duty?

I Left that to Others

So I will Blame Them

If I have MY Druthers

Send not to Know

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Though Thee is Me

I can Extol

Virtue of Apathy

Reward Abdication

Give Me My Dues

It's My Supplication

When in The End

Last Man is Left Standing

Don't Look to Me

Blame is Not Landing

I am OK

That's All That Matters

Next Time Around

I'll Blame you Mad Hatters

The denial of his covered offerings (i.e. an interim rental car), the timeline, the disgraceful lack of service, the questionable practices and the indifference with which we have been treated, is indicative of an industry which easily feeds on the carcasses of its captive audience.

The repair estimate (the rear passenger door was the concerning damage) were a questionable $6,000+, even with no structural damage (TD wanted to write the vehicle off, even though it was still being driven, by November; the premiums were still being collected and the insurance coverage continued). Let’s address the fact that their Actual Cash Valuations appear to be operating on pre-COVID numbers (provided by JD Power & Associates). The amount was so low it was impossible to buy any roadworthy vehicle. Anyone may have checked AutoTrader, or Kijiji, to see for themselves. TD’s phone system rarely works and its recording says the wait times will be 90 minutes, or longer. It took 10 days to get TD to admit that, if we took a partial settlement and kept the vehicle, we would have to prove that the repairs they wanted done had been completed. We would also need to provide them with a safety certificate, in order to continue coverage, regardless of the insured driver being designated as 0% at fault.

The upshot of this obscenity was receiving a “Closure Notice” asserting that, now the claim was settled, they hoped our Son was happy with TD’s service. Only problem was – the CLAIM WAS NEVER SETTLED! Phone calls and emails, to the Advisor, went unreturned. With my digital detective skills, I hunted down CEO James V. Russell. Within in an hour of me informing him of TD’s unresponsive posture and their failure to fulfill their fiduciary responsibility, we were contacted by a ‘fixer’, from Head Office, who informed us that the claim would be reopened. We were told the file was marked “Closed unless client contacts us”?! We were also told that TD Insurance would proceed as they saw fit and that they may not change their position on Actual Cash Value. How convenient! They’re holding all the cards. Challenging their valuation costs money too! You’d have to hire a lawyer and challenge them, legally. We feel ripped off and abused by a process and a system that has all the control. The Ombudsman is an open question. You’d need to have months of time to wait for them to intercede, on your behalf and it would have been a challenge to get to that point.

Car insurance is a legally-mandated Ontario requirement. Onerous regulations exist, to protect the industry. Where are our elected officials, crying out for protection of its consumers? Without appropriate oversight, with horror stories impacting customers, who is shining a light on an industry that, throughout the pandemic, did little to nothing to reduce the burden on drivers who were not driving?

At the end of this debacle, we were left with no other affordable option but to accept the crumbs being tossed by, in our opinion, a greedy and unfair ‘service provider’. We were given a pittance, an amount equal to what was paid to them, in premiums, in just two years.

Lady Thistledown

I had listened to news reports, when this first happened, in 2019, about viruses that the scientists, Dr. Xiangguo Qiu and her husband Dr. Keding Cheng, had secretly couriered to the lab in Wuhan, China (the supposed epicentre of the COVID-19 Global Pandemic). The viruses have been identified as Henipavirus & Ebola! If you don't read the document, at least read about what those viruses are, what they do, and where they originated - zoonotic, moving from animals to humans.

If you are not familiar with what this married team did, you can read a timeline in an article published, online, in the National Post, by Catherine Lévesque, on 02Mar/24 https://nationalpost.com/news/how-firing-of-two-high-security-virus-scientists-unfolded

Suffice it to say that they appear to have collaborated with the Peoples’ Republic of China (PRC) and, ultimately, the Chinese Military. They had Chinese students receiving unfettered access, at the lab. Their lack of adherence to security protocols, the nondisclosure of their connections to the PRC and its military and what, in my opinion, would be characterized as theft of intellectual and Federal Canadian property and the dangers they posed, when improperly and, what appears illegally, couriering samples overseas, deemed them a national security threat. Questions linger, regarding the lax, if any, oversight, by Federal Agencies responsible for security at what is the Canadian equivalent of the American CDC.

Their behaviour has been characterized as acts of espionage, where they passed on, not only samples, but secrets/confidential/proprietary information and that they have benefited, personally, from these acts. It seems that they have left Canada, without facing any consequences and have been warmly received, back into the arms of the PRC. This is only one breach of national security Canadians have come to be aware of. There may be many more.

Of note, this author has not seen any Federal Minister, responsible for the National Security of this nation, answering for the lack of oversight. Nor has there been demonstrated a clear path forward, identifying how the errors and omissions have been addressed and how prevention will be handled, in the future. Finally, perhaps some heads have rolled internally, but you can bet, none of them are the ones who get paid the big bucks. We will never see where those big bucks finally stop. It’s high time that we were given answers. It’s high time for transparency.

Lady Thistledown

Our senses were assaulted, once again, by the Town of Georgina pamphlet accompanying our recent Property Tax Bill. Their propaganda, so poorly contrived, was offensive and insulting in its attempt to whitewash yet another instance of them with their hands in our pockets. Their assertion that this is “Not a New Fee”, but rather a “Shift in Funding Source” would be laughable, if not so egregious. Obviously that “Shift” means from the usual source, general revenues already being collected, onto the backs of taxpayers in the form of a NEW TAX! Or, as they have said “A New Stormwater Management Charge...” I guess they learned from the Feds’ deceitful tactics, rebranding the Carbon Tax a so-called Carbon Rebate!

In my opinion, we all know what this is. It is a TAX GRAB! Now that we have the burdens of this Council’s vanity projects – the MURC and new CIVIC CENTRE, to pay for and debt to service, it seems unlikely that we will ever get out from under, at least not in my lifetime.

This begs the question, why is Municipal voter turnout so abysmal? Council knows this and, so, continues to do whatever it wants, regardless of the wishes of constituents who do make their wishes known. In the 2022 Election, having timed it, it was possible, as a Registered Voter, to vote on one’s phone in less than two minutes. Municipalities affect voters’ lives more closely, on a daily basis, than any other level of Government. Given the fact that Georgina pays the highest Combined Residential Municipal Tax Rate, of all of the nine Lower Tier Municipalities in York Region (see attached Chart) and people do not seem to be happy with their taxes, one wonders why they don’t bother to vote. And, when they do, they don’t vote for change.

There will be those who vehemently oppose the suggestion that we pay the highest tax rate. They’ll give you all kinds of arguments, as red herrings to follow, like “Our housing is less expensive, so we pay lower taxes!” and “It all depends on what MPAC assesses your home at!” By the way, when the tax deniers attempt this, remember the adage “Who are you going to believe, me, or your lying eyes?” While these things are connected, they are mutually exclusive when comparing the actual tax rate. The rate at which our Municipality taxes us is set by them and is based on their spending. It’s not about what you’ve got it’s about what you pay for what you’ve got. And, let’s remember, taxes are levied for services rendered. As a rural Municipality, a large number of residents do not enjoy many ‘services’ and there is much spending which could have been structured differently, or eliminated - many which we just cannot afford. As a community of approximately 48,000 people, they added a fourth Library to the MURC. Operating expenses, I am told, will be hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, at the MURC. Newmarket, as an example, is close to 100,000 people, with one Library. Orillia is about 35,000 with one Library. Barrie has three Branches, with just over 150,000 people. Why did we need a fourth Library? If they wanted a Library at the MURC, why didn’t they move the one out of the Ice Palace and, perhaps, use that space to provide satellite town services? With the town’s work-from-home policy, this could have had a knock-on effect, on decisions surrounding the new Civic Centre.

We don’t yet have enough Lifeguards and Swim Instructors to provide full services for two swimming pools. As an aside, perhaps the Town of Georgina should consider paying these employees a reasonable rate, for their Certified Status. It takes many days working to earn back the cost of Recertification. Or, how about the town pays to Recertify the staff themselves and how about giving them enough hours to get benefits? It’s hard to get professionally accredited staff, when you don’t pay them enough to even Recertify. Funny, Council Members do not require any accreditations, or Certifications, to be employed, but they were happy to vote themselves a massive raise.

The next Municipal Election is in 2026. I once heard that “If you don’t vote, you don’t matter!” Watching the spending of this Council, nothing could be closer to the truth.

Lady Thistledown

“Public Statement Acknowledgement:

• The Recipient and its personnel, volunteers and/or Board Members shall not make or provide disparaging remarks about the Town in person or on any media, including, without limitation, any social media channels, as representatives of the Recipient.

• It is not the intent to restrict the ability of the Recipient’s personnel, volunteers and/or Board Members to express a personal opinion on matters of general interest. In such cases, such personnel, volunteers and/or Board Members must make it clear that their comments are being made in their capacity as private citizens, and not as representatives of the Recipient.”

Where does one start? The fact that the Town’s focus is on complainants, or whistleblowers, and not on determining why people might make ‘disparaging remarks’ and how to address the key drivers behind the issues is disturbing, to say the least. Their request that parties become signatories, to what this Author believes is unethical, appalling, and that, in my personal opinion is illegal, is another matter entirely. Let’s not dwell on the reality that Not-for-Profit Organizations, applying for Grants are, generally, operated by hardworking resident volunteers and that these Organizations exist to serve our Community. The Board Members are volunteers, their Members are private citizens and the community members that help them are also volunteers. The idea that anyone can exert control over what someone else may say is absurd. That, in itself, demonstrates the ridiculous nature of such an Acknowledgement.

Some people have suggested that the way to deal with this is to define what constitutes “disparaging remarks”. Legislators and Lawmakers, worldwide, struggle to put specific parameters around such vague language. Others have suggested that the Grant Applicants, in receipt of this letter, contact the signatory to attempt to have a one-on-one discussion, in order to resolve the concerns. Let’s not go down the wrong rabbit hole here. The real issue is that sending it in the first place is unconscionable. As it happens, I am not a lawyer, but I always try to do my due diligence. Further, as a private individual, I do not have the unlimited resources the Town has to spend, using the public purse, hiring unlimited numbers of consultants and legal eagles. Nor should I have to. My job is to pay my taxes, not to school our representatives on the ethics and legalities of violating Anti-SLAPP legislation (the PP standing for Public Participation).

My research indicates that there are three easily accessible pieces of Legislation / Charters, restricting Governments from extorting, blackmailing or coercing citizens, in order to silence them, or to discourage them from participating in their own governance. There is one at the Provincial level, one Federal and one is even Global:

• Protection of Public Participation Act, 2015 - S15023_e

• Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms: Section 2(b) – Freedom of expression

• UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

Let’s get real here. This signals, to me, that there is massive discontent and opposition to how this Town is being run, so much so that, the powers that be formulated this plan as a response (or lack thereof), to any public opposition they may encounter. Rather than leading by example, with a democratic posture, they have chosen authoritarianism and a complete lack of disregard for their constituents and their taxpayers – the people who pay their salaries and whose interests they were elected to represent. As the Charter says: “Free expression is valued above all as being instrumental to democratic governance.” Democracy, it seems, isn’t disappearing quite as fast elsewhere as it is in our own backyards.

Lady Thistledown

""

If it seems to you that the world is winding down, I’m right there with you. Perhaps it’s time to ‘thin out the herd’? We watch, with disbelief, at the mass murders, political strife, relentless greed and sophism that now delimitates the time we live in. Scandals, that once would have derailed political careers, now seem to define them. In fact, many have quipped that these disgraces have now become a requirement, for those who aspire to lead, or control.

The 1%rs, sometimes suspiciously alluded to as the Illuminati, are now manipulating global economies at a rate never heretofore imagined. Tyrants are moving to absorb territories, worldwide. Meanwhile, while we commemorate events of historical significance, with pledges to “never forget”, society continues along a path of self-destruction, tossing aside historical lessons designed to avert the tragedies we feign to avoid.

Of particular mention, is the pending inauguration of an authoritarian whom much of the world is preparing to receive or, perhaps more accurately, repel. His “invaspeak”, threats of invasion, may have, in bygone days, been spoken about as “them’s fightin’ words”. What gnaws at me is his enamourment of another current despot, Putin, and Trump’s obsessive, imperialistic need to emulate the former’s intent to reconstruct the fallen USSR, by colonizing other global territories. Of recent note are his announcements to “annex” Canada, invade Mexico, reclaim the Panama Canal and acquire, or take, Greenland, the willingness, or not, of their defenders, notwithstanding.

Appallingly, we not only have to guard against these threats, we must now fortify ourselves against those who would sell us out. Currently, Canadian, Kevin O’Leary who, in my opinion shares, to his discredit, the many unattractive and negative qualities that define Trump, is touting an US/Canada amalgamation, one that would transform us into the ‘51st State’. It seems to me that he is, mostly, a failed businessman, a blowhard who, sadly, seems driven by personal insecurities, arrogance (however unjustified) and a lack of self-confidence. This is disguised as a misplaced sense of superiority and a desperate need to solicit accolades and adulation. This, too, mirrors the emotional immaturity of the Drumpf baby.

What are the characteristics of a sociopath, psychopath and narcissist? How accurate are these indicators in predicting the rise of a War Criminal? Is it their lies? Is it their inability to empathize, or care, about the welfare of others? Or, is it darker and more inscrutable? Is it that their selfishness masks their personal greed and insatiable hunger for power, which they claim is driven by their selflessness and, through which, they attempt to reshape their efforts in the image of both liberator and hero? So how and why are we so willing to toss the reigns, for our future survival, to those who are both uniquely unqualified, and who are actively seeking to poke a hole in our bucket of freedom?

When Hitler designed a genocide, people refused to believe that it was occurring, including those who were being targeted. Later, those residing in the environs, said they didn’t know. One cannot blindly follow evil and, later, blame the evil they were willing to blindly follow. History will demand that, those who were willing to accede and, even those who did not question, until the bell tolled for them, are held accountable. Unfortunately, history’s memory and the memory of the survivors, is far too short. This is why we, so ignorantly, continue to repeat our mistakes.

Watching, from the sidelines, it seems that we have, indeed, reached a time of Biblical prophecy. If your personal beliefs do not embrace this concept, common sense may tell you that the world has, partially, lost its mind. I say partially because it seems to be about half of the population that are on the side of extremism and hatred. The other half seems to be mired in shock and disbelief that we have reached this point. Much of the discussions I have been a party to, lately, acknowledge that hate cannot destroy hate. If we do, indeed, hope to save ourselves and our planet, it seems to me that we need to stand a more positive posture. We need to engender and model honesty, truth and compassion. We need to demonstrate integrity and love in every aspect of our daily lives. We need to acknowledge, accept and advocate that only love can overcome.

#Trump #TrumpIsUnfitForOffice #TrumpIsANationalDisgrace

#Project2025 Kevin O'Leary Donald J. Trump #Hitler #PutinIsaWarCriminal #PutinsPuppet #putin Joy Reid Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Adam Kinzinger Country First Liz Cheney/Adam Kinzinger Against Trump Rep. Liz Cheney Bernie Sanders ElonMusk Robert Reich #MAGA