00:49 - 31.01.08
Who dunit
One story in my hard copy newspaper stopped me cold this morning. Remember the police report I filed a couple of weeks ago? Today a story about a credit card fraud bust in the city where the letter I had submitted to the police had come from. Over 30,000 cards obtained through fraudulent means. If some of that evidence I submitted was part of what helped them catch the thieves, I am very impressed with the speed at which they were able to respond.
The next news story was one I first heard on television. A local Member of Parliament a Russian spy??? Hmmmm. I first met that particular person when I was working with the local Amnesty International group around 1987, I think. He had come to Canada as a teenager at the end of World War II as a refugee. I was taking the calls for assistance for the Amnesty group in 1987. One call came in pleading for help to gain refugee status for family members living in what was then called Yugoslavia. I had researched the local politicians looking for someone who had actively advocated for sanctuary and protection for refugees or who had demonstrated a good knowledge of political prisoners and their needs. That led me to Dr Kindy's office. Can't recall if it was because he was sitting on the parliamentary committee revamping our refugee and immigration laws or if other factors came into play - probably both - that made me decide to call him. His assistant called me back immediately to discuss the issues. During that period of time there was active genocide being carried out in Yugoslavia. Evidence and World Court trials would verify that decades later, of course. The families here were frantic with worry and rightfully so. I felt helpless, but his assistant said that Dr Kindy was already actively involved in helping other families in the same situation and that he was willing to include the people who had called us. Phew. A real representative of his community.
About a year later I would receive a call from one of the backroom boys in the most corrupt provincial political party at the time. It was summer. The caller stated that he and a member of the Jewish Defense League wanted to meet with me as a representative of the local Amnesty International group to discuss a serious issue. Now I already knew the caller was sleazy and a liar, but I also had read in the local newspaper that the JDL member in question was in fact visiting our city then. The caller wanted a clandestine meeting at one of the politicians' wateringholes at the time to present evidence that the same politician was a dangerous war criminal who had held a senior position in the SS. By my calculations, said politician would have been about 12 years old when he was alleged to be that senior official in the Ukraine ordering the murder of local civilians. Nothing is impossible, but based on other information and evidence I had, I decided that it was likely the local Amnesty group was being positioned to bring the MP into disrepute. Declined the meeting - could be that the JDL person knew nothing of the scam either. I wanted as little to do with that sleazebag as possible at the best of times. He hung around almost all of the volunteer committees in my area at the time. None of the females felt comfortable around him. Instead I contacted one of the lawyers who volunteered in the local group to advise them what I had been told and to ask for direction. They dealt with it, but it did leave me really puzzled as to what the reason was for the attempt to discredit that particuar politician in public.
I also dealt with that particular politician as an election official, although it was before my appointment as a Returning Officer. Just processed some paperwork during the one election where he lost his office as an MP. Apparently the book alleges that he was lured into the spy thing because he needed money for his campaign. What everyone at the time knew was, that between the income from his own medical practice and that of his brother-in-law, the doctor, and the support of that brother-in-law's particular ethnic community, he had ample financial and volunteer support. I really don't understand why it is that he keeps being targetted as an international bad guy. Doesn't make any sense, although there are several political people, past and present, elected and backroom, who I would find it very easy to believe were connected to said activities - money laundering and other assorted illegal activities. Just very strange. Disinformation?? Misdirection??? Revenge??? Why now - what purpose is served. Qui bono?? Who knows.
Maybe that new book by John Grisham could shed some light on the real villains. I think once I have a job and have caught up my bills that will be my first reward to myself for surviving the past year.
Anyway I have a lot scheduled for tomorrow so good night, dear diary. Sleep well.
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