Please note: The following are 'Coast Comments,' editorials on items that may be of interest to you. They do not necessarily reflect commentary on local issues, although they certainly can [see the 'Cat' story in Archives]. We hope you find them 'readable,' and as always, your comments and suggestions are welcome. When we feel they need to be, we move them over to 'Archives.' At some point we stop reporting on a story because of the space it takes up on the 'News' page. But you can always catch up on it in 'Archives' and continue to follow it through the main-stream media.

Coast Comment: We remember Little Caylee....07/09/11

We weren't going to write any more Coast Comments until we got the station up and running, as we reported on the 'Home Page.' However, the recent developments in the Casey Anthony trial simply will not allow us to remain silent.
 
The fact that this person got off on all major charges - except for lying multiple times to police officers - is beyond staggering. We do not think she murdered Caylee, BUT - and the 'BUT' is huge - we do think she killed her. We think that Casey gave her daughter an over-dose of chloroform - so she could go party without the entangement of a young child -  which killed her. Panicking, and fearing retribution from law enforcement for endangering a child, or being charged with the more  serious charge of criminal manslaughter - both of which would have guaranteed her time in prison - she instead put her daughter in the trunk of her car and drove around for 31 days trying to figure out what to do. After a few weeks, desperate and scared, she simply disposed of the little girl by putting duct tape over her face - to make her death look like a murder - and threw her into a swamp. Of course, her huge web of lies continued.
 
We laughed at the defense, trying to allege that Caylee drowned in her grand parents' swimming pool, and then her grandfather tried to make the accident look like murder. How preposterous. Why would anyone -  finding his grand-daughter at the bottom of a swimminmg pool - not [a] get her out of there, and [b] call 911? Instead Jose Baez tried to convince the world that the little girl had her death covered up. It simply made no sense. Yet, 12 jurors bought it -  hook, line and sinker.
 
One of the things this radio station wants to do is to help prevent child and spousal abuse. Caylee Anthony had a horrid death, and we fully believe that her mother caused it. Casey's imminent release will be met with hostility towards her which will be almost unimaginaable.  And it couldn't happen to a nicer person.
 
Now, with Florida leading the pack, several states are proposing 'Caylee's Law,' which will make it a felony not to report a missing child after a certain amount of time has passed. We think Canadian provinces should get on board with this. As one commentator stated today, "If this law saves only one child's life, it is well worth the effort." We agree.
 
Caylee Anthony was a dear, sweet little girl who had her life cut short by a greedy, selfish mother. That it happened is inexcusable - let your MLA and MP know that you want a law similar to this put on the books. We can all help by doing this simple - yet effective - thing.

Update: July 10: It has been announced today that Casey Anthony will not be staying in the Orlando area, owing to the extreme negative reaction by people there over the verdict. We cannot imagine anywhere she can go where she will not be treated as a 'pariah.' Remember, she was not found innocent, but rather 'not guilty,' which means that the jury could not decide beyond a reasonable doubt that she was guilty. She is a self-serving, self-centered person with no conscience, and she is in for a tough time ahead. By the way, we predict that she will be released before the July 17th date - we feel that is a smoke-screen to throw off reporters and those curious to see her at the appointed release hour.  
 
Coast Comment: Trump vs. Obama....4/14/11

"Americans have a right to be concerned about whether Obama was born in the United States...Obama needs to be vetted. What exactly is in his background, who knows? But he hasn’t been vetted. The birth certificate is just one tiny issue in a much larger vetting question" - Former CIA Officer Kent Clizbe.


If you own a small business and someone comes calling looking for a job, you must initially establish if that person is a Canadian citizen, or if he or she has legal residency to work in this country. There is no other choice. To hire that person without knowing his or her status could potentially invite negative legal ramifications for you down the road.

Section One, Article Two of the United States Constitution states the following: “No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President.” In the United States there is a group known as ‘The Birthers,’ who are insisting that Barack Obama produce his birth certificate. Some in the group simply despise the man and are looking for any way to get him thrown from office; others feel that a con may have been pulled, and simply want proof that he is indeed a citizen. This website has compelling evidence that he is not a citizen, and never was.

Enter Donald Trump. You may hate Donald Trump, or you may love him, but there is absolutely no question that he is a successful developer and TV personality, and rarely fails – if ever. He loves his country, does not like what has been happening to it, and is truly a straight shooter. He has publicly stated in his recent interviews about his running for president, that there is no reason why, for example, the United States should defend South Korea for free. ‘Why?,’ he asks. ‘They don’t send us their cars for free.’ He is also – with relentless pursuit – looking into Obama’s background. "I just say very simply, why doesn't he show his birth certificate?" Trump said. "Why has he spent over $2 million in legal fees to keep this quiet and to keep this silent?" Intellectual giant, Whoppi Goldberg has called him a ‘racist’ for bringing this subject up [on Obama]. 
 
We are reminded of a case a few years ago in the aftermath of the death of Anna Nicole Smith, so-called 'beauty queen' and Playboy Playmate. There were millions of dollars at stake available to whomever would control her estate for her daughter, Dannilynn. Her boyfriend at the time was a questionable individual by the name of Howard K. Stern, who insisted he was Dannilynn’s father. So did California photographer Larry Birkhead. After weeks of wrangling, and affirmations from Stern that he was the little girl’s father, a judge forced him to pass over a DNA sample from Dannilynn. And guess what? Larry Birkhead was vindicated, and obtained rights to his daughter -  and her estate. We don't think for a moment Birkhead was after anything but rights to his daughter, whereas, it was apparent the reverse was true with Stern. The reason Stern objected to the DNA was simple: he knew if he failed the DNA test that it would destroy his financial future as a guardian of Dannilynn’s millions. Of course, that's exactly what happened.

We see a parallel here. Is Obama a U.S. citizen? Who knows, but he could put all this to rest by simply producing a birth certificate. His reluctance to do this and his desire to seal his college records, and his having spent over $2 million in legal fees to cloud his background indicates some sort of problem. Which is why people like Trump are going after him. And we can assure you of this: Donald Trump has the means and the drive to find out if one exists.

Arizona is now trying to pass a ’Birthers’ Bill,’ which would would force any presidential candidate to produce a birth certificate in order to get on the voting ticket. If Obama does not produce his certificate prior to the 2012 election, he could find his name missing on the Arizona ballots, and in other states as well, as several others are also looking at this issue. 
 
Time will tell but the fight is only to get more interesting. And if it can be proven that Obama has pulled off a con, the ramifications of that are staggering.

Here are additional comments on this matter from Toronto writer, Kaye Richard.

Coast Comment: On closing Halifax International....2/13/11

        "This is nothing short of cruel, and unusal punishment for Southwest Nova Scotia, and Yarmouth in particular" - Maine resident commenting on the Cat's cancellation in the Maine Forum.  

        "[Losing the ferry] in the long term will make this... community stronger...." - Nova Scotia Premier Dexter.

       "Nova Scotia can't claim to be Canada's [ocean] playground if people can't get there....," Aaron Lansky, U.S. resident with summer home in Cape Saint Mary's.

     “Obviously, the greatest challenge facing Yarmouth as a community...is the economic future of the area. The NDP’s decision to cut the international ferry link has badly damaged the economy of southwestern Nova Scotia; our focus must be on repairing the harm done by this government and replacing those lost jobs.” - Nova Scotia Liberal Leader, Stephen McNeil

    "Very funny and pointed. The absurdity of the whole approach is exploited in this piece...." - Zach Churchill, Liberal MLA for Yarmouth.

     "You put it all in persepctive. Losing the ferry for us, is like Halifax losing its airport." - Yarmouth Mayor, Phil Mooney.

     "Percy Paris did not want to discuss the ferry issue when he visited Tuesday....That was not an option." - Mark Rodd, CEO of Rodd Hotels [see full text below under 'Coast Comment, The government charade continues in Yarmouth....'].

We spoke with a representative of the government today about their decision to shut down the Bar Harbor-Yarmouth ferry - he did so on the condition of anonymity. "Officially, it's off the table, we're not allowed to discuss it anymore." he said. "But, I'll tell you this: those people in Yarmouth had it coming to them regarding that stupid ferry."

        "I beg your pardon?," I asked, incredulous.

Coast Comment: Egypt is imploding, and why it will affect us....1/30/11

What is now going on in Egypt has potential consequences far beyond its borders.

Egypt has for years banned an organization known as the 'Muslim Brotherhood,' a militant group of Islamic extremists, supported in part by Hamas that has for decades called for the destruction of Israel. Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by a number of governments, including those of Israel, the European Union, the United States, Japan, and our own. Look for gas prices to go up if Mubarak's government in Egypt topples. And if an Islamic government takes over in Egypt, it will then control the Suez Canal, an absolute blow to commerce that would normally flow through there. The 'Brotherhood,' by the way, wants to instill sharia 'law,' one of the most repressive 'legal' systems on earth. If you think stoning women or the murder of children is okay, then sharia is for you.  

And this poses yet another problem. Because of Iran's close ties to Hamas, an Islamic government in Egypt would presumably be cozy with Iran. And, if Eqypt falls to militant Islamists, this will mean that Israel will presumably lose its peace accord with Egypt, and be totally surrounded by hostile Arab states, many of whom would love to see the Jewish state vaporized. Iran's idiotic - and somewhat certifiable -  leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has repeatedly called for tbe annihilation of Israel, and with their being so close to having nuclear weapons, we cannot imagine that is an idle threat. And if Egypt falls, and the government is replaced by the 'Brotherhood,' then there will be a combined population [factoring in Iran] of 150 million who are determinded to throw back society centuries by enacting sharia, and all the baggage that goes with it.

Mubarak has had his run, no question, and he is a dictator. And whether or not a government sympathatic to the West can replace him, is at this point, unknown, but highly unlikely since the main opposition to Mubarak is the 'Brotherhood.' But to see an Islamic state establish in that vacuum would be detrimental to world peace, and certainly to us here in North America. And rising gas prices will only be the tip of an otherwise nasty iceberg.

Loughner worshiped a skull in his tent in the backyard. He hates paper currency. He could not stand the college he went to. He read Mein Kampf, and the Communist Manifesto. Quite simply he is a very troubled man who has many major, mental issues, and who 'lost it.'  To a much lesser degree, the same mentality was evidenced in New Germany last June when allegedly, Wayne Eisnor went out of control and shot and killed  his wife Tina outside a convenience store [see 'Coast Comment' below]. The shooter – in both cases - went over the edge, and acted in a completely irresponsible and erratic fashion. Don't try to find logic with these acts - there is none.

To try to put blame on Sarah Palin and others – as many have done - is simply insane, and way off the mark. However, this has not stopped the far left fringe from spiking up death threats against the former governor since the shootings took place. And, to blame talk radio, or certain TV or radio commentators for this is like someone blaming a pen because he misspells words in a letter. The far left wants to blame the conservatives, because they want the 'Fairness Doctrine' reenacted, an edict that would force radio and TV stations to carry an equal amount of liberal and conservative shows. The American public has already shown they will not support liberal radio [translation: views from the far left], and that is clearly evidenced in the failure of 'Air America,' vis-a-vis the success of the shows that have a conservative tilt.

    “While they take pains to paint their theses with high-minded arguments about a need to lower our political voices and speak with more 'civility,'" an editorial in Monday’s New York Times makes the target clear: "It is facile and mistaken to attribute this particular madman’s act directly to Republicans or Tea Party members. But it is legitimate to hold Republicans and particularly their most virulent supporters in the media responsible for the gale of anger that has produced the vast majority of these threats, setting the nation on edge.'”

This comment is simply ludicrous. Loughner's best friend, Zach Osler, said that the accused killer never watched TV shows or listened to talk radio. Instead, 'he enjoyed video games, and smoking dope.' Most criminally mentally ill people – and while Loughner may be considered 'sane' to stand trial, he certainly is criminally 'off the charts' when compared to the average citizen  – defy logic in what they do. Charles Manson wanted to blame his crimes on blacks to hopefully start a race war – 'Helter Skelter.' John Hinckley – who tried to assassinate President Reagan – was influenced by Jodie Foster: he wanted to impress her so she would fall in love with him.

The bottom line is that Loughner is [Or was - he cannot do it any more] a dope-smoking, erratic lunatic who in a free society is not difficult to miss, but until he commits a crime, is difficult to stop. We all know someone who is a 'powder keg,' and can only hope that the keg will never explode. Drugs and alchohol only exacerbate the situation.

Unfortunately, Tina Eisnor discovered that on an otherwise peaceful June day last summer [see 'Coast Comment' below], and as did 20 - six of whom died -  in Arizona last Saturday. The signs were evident in New Germany and in Tucson. It's just that in free societies the actions of these crazy few are easy to predict but how can we stop them?

And in the final analysis, that is tragic, especially when it ends in murder – or mass murder as it did in Arizona. Little Christina Green was buried Thursday. She was only nine – born on a horrible day, 9/11/01, and she died on another horrible day last Saturday. We can't think of anything worse that a family must go through than losing a child.

What happened in Tucson could have, unfortunately,  happened anywhere. It happened in a school yard in Scotland in 1996, in an Amish community in 2006, it happened on a Greyhound bus in Alberta two years ago.  Unfortunately, it has happened in far too many other places, far too often - Columbine and, certainly one of the worst, Virginia Tech where 32 were gunned down in 2007.  Some people are simply uncontrollable, and out of control 90% of the time.

If you know of a person like that, phone your local police department and ask them for help in what to do.  Maybe nothing can be done, and it may not prevent the next horrific act, but it is a step in the right direction.

P.S. Signs that Gabrielle is recovering nicely are abundant, and she continues to amaze doctors.
 
Update, Jan. 16: Word in that little Christina's organs have been donated and have already saved a child's life in Boston. If you'd like to be an organ donor, here's a link that can give you information to make an informed decision.

Coast Comment: An email to forward....1/6/11

Like everyone, we receive emails which really touch our hearts - and a nerve. We all have broken the laws on our highways one time or another. Please read the following, and if this doesn't make you respect our motor vehicle laws, nothing will. Thanks to our good friend Jerry Brubaker, in Corpus Christi, Texas, for bringing this to our attention. But whether in Corpus Christi, or Caledonia or Chester or Coburg, Ont. the message is the same - when you are driving a two ton machine that can maim and kill, please be vigilant and mindful of the lives of others.

Jack Simpson took a long look at his speedometer before slowing down: 73 in a 55 zone - fourth time in as many months. How could a guy get caught so often? When his car had slowed to 10 miles an hour, Jack pulled over, but only partially. The cop was stepping out of his car, the big pad in hand. Jack looked back - the policeman looked familiar. Yes, he thought, it's Bob Hart from church. Bob? Bob Hart from church? Jack sunk farther into his trench coat.  This was worse than the coming ticket - a cop catching a guy from his own church.  A guy who happened to be a little eager to get home after a long day at the office. A guy he was about to play golf with tomorrow. He watched the officer saunter up to his car, where he rolled down the window. He started to get out.

So along comes Julian Assange. He is the Australian who has seen fit to release on his Wikileaks website  tens of thousands of documents that have really hurt American intelligence. Yes, he had to have some help within the U.S. military to make this happen, but it is a gross injustice to U.S.  - and by association, Canadian - security that it has happened. It’s easy - and short-sighted -  to think that, ‘So what, it’s not going to affect us….’ But it will. The Taliban don’t differentiate between a U.S., Canadian, or British soldier – as far as those thugs are concerned, we are all part of the enemy – we are ‘infidels’ to them. Assange’s revelations name names, places, and events in very precise order, and as a result, put us all at risk.

It gets worse than this. What person - regardless of citizenship -  is going to assist U.S. intelligence in the future, knowing full well that the possibility of his or her name ending up in the New York Times or on the internet down the road is a very real possibility? So, a Mr. 'John Jones' assists the CIA, and three-four-five years later, he and his entire family could be a target by Jihadists. No question, intelligence gathering will be stifled. Anything that adversely affects U.S. intelligence operations will adversely affect us here in Canada, because if America's security is weakened, so will ours.

Assange is an anarchist, intent on bringing down the American government, and next the American economy with his threat to do his next assault on a major bank, speculated to be The Bank of America. Now, he is threathening that if his site is shut down, that he will unleash a 'poison pill' that will do even more irreparable damage.

He is also a coward, not touching what has gone on in China, North Korea, or Russia, knowing full well that those countries would have him killed in a heartbeat. Worse, than any of this, he is a terrorist, and should be treated under espionage laws as such. The damage from his website will still be felt decades down the line.

Sweden also has an arrest warrant out for him for alleged rape. He is now seeking political asylum in Switzerland. While we wish you all the best for the Holiday Season and 2011, we can only wish Mr. Assange the worst.

Sorry, but you, Mr. Assange, are just a piece of garbage and deserve to be treated as such....

I wish there were something different that could be said about what happened a day short of nine years ago. I wish that somehow we could wake up tomorrow and realize that it was all a bad dream. That 2978 innocent people were not murdered on Sept. 11, 2001, because their biggest mistake was to show up for work that day. I remember being in a hospital room with my wife, awaiting the birth of our daughter, Kelly Ann. She arrived at 2:11 pm, Central Time, several hours after the buildings had collapsed, when the realization of the horror that had taken place in New York, Washington, and in a field near a small Pennsylvania town had finally sunk in.
 
It seemed beyond comprehension that so-called human beings could do what these 19 terrorists - thugs, murderers, mindless creatures -  did to those 2978, and their friends and families on that warm sunny, September day.  24 of the murdered came from Canada.

For a brief, fleeting moment that fateful day, as I watched with fear and horror and disbelief, I thought to myself - "What if, over time, people forget?" Thankfully, it appears that those thoughts were for naught. Because we can never forget, can never let that day become a hazy blur in our collective memories. We can never forget because the enemy is still out there, somewhere in Yemen or Iran planning another attack that will make what happened nine years ago look like child's play. These murderers are also among us, living in Toronto, or Denver, or New york. These 'second generation' terrorists were born right here, in North America, and now want to carry out the deviant wishes of their parents. These are 'people' - and the term is used loosely -  who stone women to death for adultery, while as men, they can have multiple wives. They want Israel wiped off the face of the earth. You cannot deal with crazy people - and they don't get much crazier than militant jihadists - and because we cannot, it is difficult to imagine that there will ever be any kind of understanding between us. Those who think there can be will put us all at risk, because they will force us to drop our guard as they think these people can be persuaded to reason over a cup of tea.  As you watch the footage from that day on the news channels, it is like it happened yesterday. The wounds and the memories are raw and will never heal. Especially for friends and relatives who lost their loved ones on that otherwise typical New York morning.

As we do remember, as we recall the images of people jumping to their deaths from the top of the World Trade Center Towers, as we recall the sight of a commercial airliner crashing into the top of one of the imposing structures, we must thank those every day who are overseas protecting us. We have a very dedicated enemy, an enemy made up of cowards, an enemy who will in a blink strap explosives onto young children to run into a pizza shop and blow up its customers. Or, on a larger scale, to fly jetliners into sky-scrapers, killing  thousands of others in a far off land like America.

Happy birthday, Kelly Ann. My wife Jannie helped me get through it all, the anguish and the tears. You  both were the one bright spot that horrific day. Thank-you. PS - See 'Battle in the Apple,' below.

Coast Comment: The 'battle in the apple.' August 2, 2010

By now you may have heard of the plans of a Muslim sect in New York to build a $100 million mosque six hundred feet from the site of the former World Trade Center. The proposed structure is so close, in fact, that the landing gear from one of the hijacked planes fell into the roof of the building currently occupying the lot.

The head of this project, an 'imam' by the name of Feisel Abdul Rauf, said he wants to 'build a bridge for peace.' This is a man who has publicly praised Hamas, and said that the United States was complicit in the events surrounding 9/11 [look at this interview with the late Ed Bradley of '60 Minutes,' and notice the look of sheer shock on the face of Mr. Bradley as Rauf 'answers' his questions].  Rauf wants to open his new mosque - to be called 'Cordoba House' - on the tenth anniversary of the attack, Sept. 11, 2011. The name 'Cordoba,' incidentally,  implies conquest. Indeed, the first Cordoba mosque was built in the Spanish city of Cordoba after the Muslim conquest of Christian Spain in the 8th century AD. Many New Yorkers echo the words of Frank Gaffney - they are appalled at the thought of this 13 story edifice being built so close to 'ground zero.'

Additionally, Rauf wants sharia 'law' to be brought into the United States. Sharia 'law,' among other things, calls for death to gays, and stoning for women who commit adultery. It is also extremely repressive and restrictive to women as a group. It espouses 'honor' killings, whereby female members of a family are murdered - by their fathers or brothers - because they have brought 'dishonor' to the family. Bill Hemmer did an excellent special on August 6 on two sisters - 17 and 18 -  murdered by their father in Texas because they wanted to date non-Muslim boys. He has never been caught.

In our opinion, sharia implementation anywhere is just completely unacceptable in today's society. And if he wants to 'build a bridge,' why not have a synagogue and a church inside this building? How about a place for gay/lesbian Muslims to meet? Radical Muslims think the solution is to murder them - see section five in this article.

While this structure could be built anywhere, Rauf is insisting that it be built on this proposed site. This is just too much for many New Yorkers, especially those who lost loved ones to the murderous thugs who brought down the buildings almost nine years ago. This is what Debra Burlingame of Keep America Safe had to say about this issue: "I think they intuitively understand that having a mosque there, a 15-story towering structure overlooking that site, will send a very bad message to the world. It will allow our enemies to use it essentially to recruit. It will be seen as a sign of triumph."
 
It is, with zero exaggeration, the middle fingered salute from this very questionable man, a person who has been asked many times 'Where is the to do with religious freedom, and everything to do with a political statement. It has been inferred by more than one commentator, that Bloomberg sided with the 'cleric' because of a fear for his own and his famimoney coming from?'  - he has refused to answer. Mayor Bloomberg - justifiably heavily criticized for his position - says his decision was based on 'freedom of religion.' However, the reality is that this mosque has nothing ly's safety if he said 'No.' 

There is no legal precedent to stop the building of this structure. They have every right - unlike those in Saudi Arabia who will not allow a church or synagogue anywhere within their borders -  to build this mosque. There are over 100 mosques in New York City alone. This is not about denying Muslims the right to their expression. Rather it is a request to them that they honor the memory of 3,000 innocents murdered that day by Muslim terrorists,  and not have their building right on the heels of the World Trade Center site. They have steadfastly refused to even consider a compromise.  The left says that 'Not all Muslims are terrorists,' and they are absolutely correct. Most are, indeed, good people, just trying to get through life in a way that benefits them and their families. And  with equal determination, the right will say that all terrorists are Muslim - an equally true statement. And 19 of them brought down the symbols of the free world back on that dark day in 2001. If you have any question as to the resolve of the nut fringe of this group, you need to watch 'Obsession.' This radical fringe - in no uncertain terms - wants anyone dead who does not agree with them. When you watch the movie, think not of the consequences for yourself, but for your children, and grand-children who, for sure, will live in a far different world than do we.

You know someone who knows someone who knows someone murdered that day from Canada - 24 from our great country lost their lives in the fiery melee that warm September morning. The one good thing about all this is that Rauf will have a difficult time getting construction crews to work for him.

Bloomberg has no sense of decency, but we bet - and hope - the trades do.

Update, Aug. 9: Raheel Raza, a Muslim Canadian journalist, public speaker, and writer, living in Toronto, tonight on The O'Reilly Factor, really, as Mr. O'Reilly said, 'nailed it' when it came to her comments on the above topic. Ms. Raza stated that the attempt to build this mosque is a 'deliberate provocation,' and it should be stopped. We salute Ms. Raza - she - unlike Mr. Rauf - is a model for the bridge needed between Muslims and main-stream North Americans. Her commentary was insightful, brilliant, and right on the money. Her thoughtful rhetoric reminded us of the late Benazir Bhutto, gunned down in Pakistan in late 2007.

Update, Aug. 14: Obama has announced that Rauf will represent the United States to the Arab world, and will be sending him to the Middle East for a 'fact finding' mission. Understand this is a man who, 19 days after 9/11, blamed the United States as 'complicit.' Obama has also announced that he is in favor of the building being constructed, another statement by him that has lit up a fire-storm.

Coast Comment: HANK-FM is lauched...7/26/10

Irving Oil, the parent of Acadia Broadcasting,  launched HANK-FM Thursday, July 22 at 100.7 on the FM dial. HANK-FM is the Irving's answer to chipping away at powerhouse CHFX, Halifax, which has dominated the country music scene for almost 40 years. It will be a big challenge, but the huge conglomerate has the resources and determination to make this new station work.

Coast Comment:  Two local businesses shine....7/22/10

You may wonder what the letters in 'BP' stand for. 'Beyond Perversion' would be a good guess.
 
It is now coming out that BP lobbied the British government for the release of Abdul Basset al Magrahi, a piece of garbage who blew up Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in December of 1988, murdering all 270 on board. BP had been trying to negotiate lucrative oil leases off the Libyan coast, and in 2007 started appealing to the British government for the release of this heinous individual. The deal with Libya will be worth $900 million to them.
 
Magrahi returned to Tripoli in August of 2009, ostensibly released on 'compassionate' grounds because he had little time to live because of a prostate cancer condition. He is now 'doing better.' He served a total of 8 years, which is about 10.8 days for each person murdered. So, if your friend-mother-father-brother-sister-cousin  - or whoever -  was blown out of the sky on what was to have been a routine flight home, the Scottish government placed a penalty on that person's life of a little less than 11 days! [Yes, you read that correctly, 10.81 to be exact]. We would think a shoplifter would get a stiffer sentence. And once this mass murderer was on that plane bound for Libya, all the road blocks that had stood in the way of the oil deal started to vaporize.
 
July 29th., the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee will be launching an inquiry into this matter, which killed 170 U.S. citizens. William Hague, the UK Foreign Secretary, says there is 'no evidence to link BP to the release of this terrorist.' However, in BP's pressure to get a prisoner swap deal done, it appears that Magrahi was the only felon in their sights.

By the way, Magrahi returned to a hero's welcome. Anyone who helped this piece of scum go free is as guilty as he is.

Coast Comment: Murder in a small town...again....7/3/10

'Murder in a Small Town' is the name of a series written by Lighthouse Publishing crime reporter, Lisa Brown. It chronicles the horrible murder of 12 year old Karissa Boudreau, who died at the hands of her own mother in Bridgewater two years ago. The series was well written, well documented, and it won Ms. Brown the prestigious Atlantic Journalism Award. She deserved it, and we have made note of it at the head of this page. It is also a story Ms. Brown wishes she had not had to write.

Fortunately, murder on the South Shore is a story that infrequently  needs  to be covered, but now, there has been another murder in a small town, this time the killing of Tina Eisnor, allegedly by her estranged husband, Wayne Eisnor, 47, of Barss Corner. It happened just after noon outside a grocery store in New Germany, on the last day of June, and her ex is lying in a hospital bed in Halifax, now charged with first degree murder. Devan Eisnor, Tina's son, says that he is glad that his father did not succeed in killing himself - "It would be the easy way out for him," he said in a CTV interview. 

"Research shows that women are very often at their most vulnerable when they are leaving an intimate partner relationship” said Laurie Ehler, Executive Director of Bryony House, and Co-chair of THANS. "It is vital that women at risk, whether in an abusive relationship or not, create a safety plan for themselves and any dependent children they may have.”

In 1982, in one of the most infamous of all Canadian spousal abuse cases, Jane Stafford shot the county bully, her husband, Billy Stafford, after years and years of abuse, verbal and physical. A local Mountie at the time said "Instead of prosecuting her, she should have been given a medal." Billy was well known throughout Queens county as one of the nastiest people you could ever meet, and his demise was met with little sorrow from anyone. He had the reputation of a force to be reckoned with, and was continually in trouble with the law. Many police feared him. Jane Stafford was acquitted of murder, but the Crown appealed, and she subsequently pled guilty to manslaughter. She served two months, and after being released, spoke out on family abuse. Up until that time, the subject was almost seen as taboo. In 1992, sadly, she shot herself and was found dead in her car on the Halifax water-front February 23rd. Like the soldier who has to live with post-traumatic stress disorder, Billy's demons had hung around Jane just long enough for her to give up and take her own life.

So why don't victims leave when they first experience terrible hostility and anger from their spouses? The answers are complex, and generally make no sense to someone who's never experienced such deviant behavior. Often the dominant spouse will 'promise' to kill children if the partner leaves. Terrified, they stay. Or they threaten all manner of retribution, all designed to terrify the other person, and keep - generally - her in place. Another case locally involves a 52 year old Lunenburg County man who will be sentenced in September for molesting his daughter, now a teenager. The man was found guilty of this crime over a four year period between 1995 and 1999. When one's own father cannot be trusted, it's very difficult for a young person to grow up able to trust anyone. Scars of this nature follow the individual around forever, and sexual molestation of a young child is one of the most heinous of crimes. Many times the young girls are told that if they tell anyone about what their father has been doing, that their mother will be killed. It is an absolutely awful crime, and just one of the types that we are zeroing in on here. In the penitentiary, there is an un-written code that if you molest a child, your time will not go down easily. We can only hope they will not make an exception for this man.

One of the things your radio station will do is support centres that assist in the protection and safely of those threatened by domestic terror - that's what it is. Whether it's physical or verbal abuse, or sexual assault on a young, non-consenting  person, it's all the same thing to the recipient - terrifying. Working with someone in the early stages is absolutely necessary to getting that person out of that situation and environment. The longer the abusive relationship lasts, the more difficult it is to leave, because the dominant partner keeps tearing down his [mostly] or her spouse. It is a far more pervasive problem than most realize, and it is an absolute tragedy when its culmination is as it was in New Germany a few days ago. Tina Eisnor probably saw the freight train coming, but as with the moth transfixed by the July porch light, she was powerless to get out of harm's way.

Oprah Winfrey, the popular talk show hostess, has stated more than once that she wants to see this kind of familial abuse eliminated forever. Realistically, that will never happen. But 50 years ago we were only learning about the negative effects long-term smoking can have. And we have made enormous strides in awareness of the health issues associated with this terrible addiction. In a similar vein, we can make the same sort of progress with this issue, by talking about it, by having a plan, and by letting those know who are on the bitter end of some bully, that yes, something can be done.

As you have read this, someone, somewhere has been the victim of the kind of violence described here. That is so unacceptable. And these acts of violence are never random, or isolated. Once the terror starts - for it can be called nothing else - it continues until the person gets out of the relationship, or in the case of Tina, a murder ensues. As to Lisa Brown, you are an excellent reporter, a good person, and your paper has superb resources and integrity. We know you'll follow this story. Help your readers be aware of what a serious problem this is, as we will do when we get on the air. We want to see you win another Atlantic Journalism Award, and we want to see you expose these horrid crimes for what they are: domestic terrorism. But mostly, we want to see you help stop them, which we know you can and will do, and that your paper will back you 100%. Lighthouse Publishing has always cared about the area, and taking up this torch will be amazing assistance to those who so badly need it.

May we suggest that you go to this website to see how you may assist in the prevention of such a senseless crime again. Our hearts go out to the family of Tina  Eisnor.

Update, July 9: Mr. Eisnor has asked for a lawyer to be appointed for him. In an unrelated matter, a Mill Cove man has been charged with pushing his wife down some steps. The man, Spencer Brigley, has prior assault convictions. This is the kind of violence being addressed here.  Lisa Brown has more...

Update, July 13: Lisa Brown speaks with Devon Eisnor. Also, Mel Gibson is in trouble, as he should be. In recordings released by his ex-fiance, out-of-control anger is evident in his threats. Gibson is the kind of person who cannot handle any sort of emotional conflict, and when he experiences it, he explodes. With his money he can buy as many lawyers as he needs, but if Oksana  Grigorieva decides to press criminal charges, Mr. Gibson could be in for a rough ride.

Coast Comment:  Afghanistan - it's time to leave....6/27/10