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Bill Rea — Right wing not always rightI know it is very bad form, if not sinful, for one to question his or her blessings. But it is a fact that some of us are blessed with things we could probably better do without. For the last couple of years, I have been getting emails at my office from an outfit calling itself Freedom Watch. Based south of the border, it's essentially a right-wing propaganda vehicle. During the first couple of years I was receiving these emails, I would read arguments as to why Barack Obama should not be President of the United States, arguing he was not born in the country, which is a requirement under the Constitution. Those of you who follow American politics are probably aware there was some controversy about eight years ago as to exactly where Obama was born. But the matter was settled sufficiently enough to have him elected twice to that office. Fortunately, we in Canada don't have that silly rule when it comes to who our prime minister is, as John Turner, who was born in England, demonstrated in 1984. This being an election year in the United States, the frequency of these emails has been increasing. We're now up to two or three a day, and I expect that number will increase as we draw closer to the November election day. I generally read maybe the first couple of paragraphs, then move on to other things. This stuff, as I alluded to earlier, comes through on my work email, meaning I have only limited time to peruse it. My employer is one of those guys who actually expects me to get a community newspaper on the street every week, so I can't spend too much time reading manifestos for other countries. Most of these emails contain the writings of a guy named Larry Klayman, who is the founder of Freedom Watch. “I am a former federal prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice when it still had an ounce of integrity, and the founder of both Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch, as well as a former candidate for the U.S. Senate in Florida.” His words not mine. But a pretty good introductions to the man. According to Wikipedia, Klayman has brought lawsuits against Obama and former president Bill Clinton. He constantly hammers at Obama for being a Muslim, stressing that his middle name is Hussein. “It had become apparent to me that the nation was in a downward spiral, being led by an illegitimate president whose Muslim . . . heritage permeated everything he, as a self-appointed king, had foisted on us,” Klayman stated in one of his most recent rants. “At the time, the United States was just beginning to feel the effects of Obamacare, and the administration was immersed deeper and deeper in scandal — ranging from Benghazi-gate, to IRS-gate, to Immigration-gate and a host of other sleaze. To top it all off, this ‘Muslim king' was doing everything in his considerable power to harm our trusted ally Israel, to likewise dismiss and ignore the interests of Jews and Christians at home and abroad, and to institute his system of socialist government largely designed to extract reparations from white and other Americans for the years of discrimination against his people. In short, the United States was being ruled by a tyrant.” And lest anyone gets the idea he's only after democrats, Klayman evidently has legal issues with former vice-president Dick Cheney. Needless to say, Klayman is less than pleased with the possibility that Hillary Clinton could be the next president. He refers to her as “the Wicked Witch of the Left.” There are even suggestions holding Obama responsible for the killing of those five police officers in Dallas last week. In many ways, the Constitution of the United States is much like the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in Canada. They both call for freedom of speech and freedom of expression. But neither stipulates one has to be playing with a proverbial full deck before exercising those rights. Besides, everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, and if Klayman wants to spread his all over there world through emails, that's up to him. Thus, you have been given a couple of samples of the right-wing kaka I am receiving at work a couple of times a day, which I would rather not receive at all. I am also very mindful of the fact there are a lot of left-wing loonies out there putting out their own rubbish and I just happen to have not made their distribution list yet (and I hope to continue to be just as lucky). A few reminders might be in order. Most people familiar with my views and writings know I am essentially a conservative. I also fancy myself a casual student of the American presidency, as well as presidential politics. The coming presidential campaign is something to which I'm very much looking forward. Although it hasn't yet been made official, it looks very much like Clinton will be going up against Donald Trump. I know. A couple of months ago, I stated in this space I would be astonished if Trump was still in the running at this point, but he evidently is. It is a fact that I have been covering elections for more than 30 years now, and it's been seldom that election night hasn't included at least a couple of surprises, so I guess there's room for a few more in the coming months. I think it's very clear that people are in a funny mood these days. The threats of terrorism are very real. As well, there is a tendency to get violent, as was demonstrated in Dallas last week. And voters are able to do the unexpected, such as the way British voters came out in favour of taking their country out of the European Union. It's true there has been no definite action taken on that yet. Such a move takes time to set up. In fact, I think there's a good chance that nothing will come from that recent vote, but I've been known to be wrong in the past. There seems to be a call to move to the right in the States although I'm not exactly sure why that is. It happened in 1980, when Americans elected Ronald Reagan president, but that came when their economy was in the tank and American prestige in the world had taken a thumping over events in Iran. And I don't think it was a bad thing to make Reagan president. Indeed, I think it was one of the smartest moves the American electorate has done in my lifetime. I guess there could be another big swing to the right in November. It will be up to the voters in that country. I just hope people who read the same emails I get take the time to really think about what they're reading. On the other hand, even if they don't, things will go on as before. Life does tend to work that way, doesn't it. 
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