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Manitoba leaders worm their way into history with 'coulda, woulda, shoulda' pandemic response This column is an opinion by Dr. Jillian Horton, a Winnipeg-based physician and author of the national bestseller We Are All Perfectly Fine: A Memoir of Love, Medicine and Healing. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ. So many of our elected officials govern with such a general contempt for humanity, you'd be forgiven for generating a long shortlist. Maybe it was former Manitoba premier Brian Pallister, who once wished happy holidays to the atheist infidels. Maybe it was Premier Heather Stefanson, who said it's time for Manitobans to look after themselves. Or maybe it was then-Manitoba health minister Cameron Friesen caught on camera, referring to me and the 199 other doctors and scientists who wrote to him in November 2020, pleading for action on the brink of a crisis in our health-care system. I couldn't bring myself to write any two-year anniversary reflections on the pandemic. I hate this milestone. To me, it is an anniversary of leadership failure at virtually every level of our government — a heart-wrenching deep dive into a cesspool of indifference and incompetence. Two years in, despite more than 1,700 Manitobans dead and solemn-faced admonitions from our government officials that it's time for us to "learn to live with COVID," there is, as many others have pointed out, little evidence they have learned much of anything. Chief Provincial Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin said recently that mandate-free Manitobans are now "empowered" to make the choices that are right for themselves and their family. While I sympathize with the many challenges Dr. Roussin has had to contend with these last two years, this statement is hard to reconcile with the mantle of public health. COVID is airborne, but general members of the public are not easily "empowered" to know anything about the quality of the ventilation and filtration in the spaces where they work, send their children to school or seek medical care. Patients and at-risk elders aren't "empowered" with the knowledge that their care providers are fully vaccinated. And none of us are "empowered" to make personal choices based on the degree to which COVID is circulating in our community, since the province has eliminated the comprehensive testing and data sharing that tells us how much disease is circulating. Worse still is the language of "anxiety," as if whether or not you think restrictions should carry on is just about desensitizing yourself from fear. This is particularly absurd, as patients who face chronic and life-altering diseases are some of the bravest people I have ever known. Yes, for some, the public health measures are an issue of "comfort" and personal autonomy; for others, they are a matter of life and death. But the fears of immunosuppressed patients are often portrayed as being roughly equivalent to a phobia of clowns, with the suggestion being that one should simply try to relax at the circus. What a depressing development for a province that calls itself "Friendly Manitoba." But of all the things our leaders have said in the last two years, perhaps the most illuminating has been the repetition of this mantra: "Coulda, woulda, shoulda." Pallister started it, Stefanson kept it going, and recently, Fort Whyte PC candidate Obby Khan ran with it, repeating the point as if he had just completed an exceptionally bad franchise training module. 'Coulda, woulda, shoulda' Watching him speak, I found myself thinking about a fundamental aspect of modern medical culture: critical incident analysis. Critical incidents are unintended events that result in death, disability, injury or harm to patients. These incidents can be reported without blame, to support a culture of learning and openness. Events must be meticulously reviewed so we "look at what can be done differently and what improvements can be made to the way health-care providers work." In 25 years of medical education and practice, I have never yet heard a physician respond to a question about a critical incident with "Coulda, woulda, shoulda." As long as we aren't sociopaths — and sociopathy does exist in medicine, although less frequently than in politics — our reactions are usually on the opposite end of the spectrum. We lie awake at night, haunted by that one mistake, that one decision, the death or disability that could have been prevented. For most of us, the grief and shame of having caused harm is unbearable; a physician's risk of suicidal ideation is highest in the weeks after someone has made a complaint about their care. This context is one of the reasons why I was stunned by Premier Stefanson's indifferent and heartless response to questions in the legislature about the death of Krystal Mousseau — a young Indigenous mother of two who died in an attempted out-of-province intensive care unit transfer during the horrifically bungled third wave. Mousseau's death was subsequently declared a critical incident. But when Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew said "Krystal Mousseau's life mattered," Stefanson responded with the totally excellent news that one of her own children had recently won a hockey game. This is much more than a clumsy "Coulda, woulda, shoulda." It is pathological.

The most reliable estimate places Russian fatalities at 14,000-15,000 with about 5x more as wounded-disabled casualties. Plus a staggering amount of tanks, APCs, fuel tanker trucks, helos and fighter aircraft. Apparently Ukraine has lost about 60 tanks but has captured or found abandoned 106 Russian tanks. This does not take into account abandoned/captured field artillery, mortars, and rocket launchers. Ukrainian troops have identified, through personal documents carried by Russian soldiers, that some are as young as 14. Some were carrying condoms after having been told that Ukrainian women would be soo happy to see them, that masses of women would be throwing themselves at their "liberators".

The Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda reports that, according to the Russian MoD's figures, the Russian Armed Forces have sustained 9,861 killed in action and 16,153 wounded in action in Ukraine. A shocking figure. (And probably grossly under-reported)

How Edward VIII Informed for the Nazis and Urged the ‘Severe’ Bombing of Britain Long-standing rumors that Edward VIII aided the Nazis after being forced to abdicate have been given new credence by evidence that he passed critical information to the Germans and urged them to continue “severe bombing” of the country, paving the way for him to return as head of a puppet government. Edward, who was photographed meeting Hitler in 1937 with his wife, wrote four reports on the lamentable state of the French army in 1940, having been invited to inspect the troops by the French government, who assumed he was loyal to the allied cause. Edward was living in exile in France with Wallis, but still held military rank, acted as a liaison officer and had not been completely cut off by the family. However after his reports, which detailed low morale and weak leadership, were ignored by the British, he passed them to a friend who was a Nazi informant. A new documentary Edward VIII: Britain’s Traitor King, based on a book of the same name by historian Andrew Lownie, says that Germany then used the information from Edward’s reports to inform their invasion of France in 1940. The documentary also brings fresh nuance to Edward’s planned role in a potential British puppet government after any German victory. It is a matter of historical record that the Nazis considered such a plan, which was codenamed Operation Willi. However there has long been doubt over whether Edward knew about and endorsed Operation Willi. The new documentary suggests that Edward was actively interested in the plan and reveals that after Edward was forced to leave Portugal for the Bahamas (where he was appointed governor) by Churchill, he sent a message to his friend Ricardo Espirito Santo, a wealthy banker who was a Nazi informant. The coded telegram said that he was willing to come back to Europe, which is interpreted as meaning he was willing to assume the British throne. According to another diplomatic cable, Edward told Spanish agents: “Continued severe bombing would make England ready for peace,” and that he was being kept away from England to prevent him working with “English friends of peace.” The allegations that Edward hoped to return as a puppet ruler installed by the Germans were a subject of contemporary gossip. For example, the lawmaker and diarist Henry ‘Chips’ Channon wrote in his diary in July 1940 that the Duke of Kent, Edward’s brother, told Channon, “My brother wants to be a Gauleiter [the leader of a district in the Nazi system].” In another entry in his diaries Channon writes: “Rumors are over-ripe and rife. Diana Cooper told me today that the Windsors genuinely believe that they will be restored to the throne under German influence; he will become a sort of Gauleiter and Wallis a queen. Perhaps!”

That would be 9mm caliber. Sure as Hell sounds like Trump. Gen. David Petraeus explains why Russian generals are being picked off one by one in Ukraine Appearing on CNN's "State of the Union" to explain the Russian army's latest moves invading Ukraine, host Jake Tapper pressed retired Gen. David Petraeus to explain why so many Russian generals have died in just three short weeks. Pointing out that he was only aware of one American general who was lost in Afghanistan after years in the country, host Jake Tapper noted reports that the Russians have seen a reported five generals killed already. 'The Ukrainians say they have killed five Russian generals; CNN has not confirmed that," host Tapper prompted. "Another is saying Russian soldiers don't appear to be particularly motivated. I can only recall one American general being killed in Afghanistan in the entire conflict, and that was a green-on-blue insider attack, it's not common." "Very, very uncommon," the retired general and former CIA director agreed. "This is in the first three weeks. These are quite senior generals. The bottom line is their command and control has broken down, the communications have been jammed by the Ukrainians; they had to go to a single channel which is jammable -- that's what the Ukrainians have been doing. "They [the Russians] use cell phones, and Ukrainians blocked the prefix for Russia," he continued with a smile. "They took down 3G. They're stealing cell phones from Ukrainian civilians. The column gets stopped and an impatient general goes forward to see what's going on, because there's no initiative, no non-commissioned officer corps, no sense of initiative at junior levels -- they wait to be told what to do. Gets up there, and the Ukrainians have very, very good snipers and have been picking them off." "At least four of the five have been confirmed, I think the fifth we'll hear about today," he added. https://www.alternet.org/2022/03/petraeus/

Ukraine Rejects Russian Ultimatum to Surrender Mariupol - Getty Ukraine on Monday rejected outright a Russian call to lay down arms and surrender the besieged city of Mariupol, where fierce fighting has trapped an estimated 300,000 people with dwindling supplies. “There can be no talk of any surrender, laying down of arms,” Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk told Ukrainska Pravda. “We have already informed the Russian side about this.” Russia’s proposal was offered Sunday by Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev, who said a “terrible humanitarian catastrophe” was unfolding in Mariupol. The strategic port city has faced particularly heavy bombardment by Russian forces in the three weeks since the invasion began, with authorities saying that roughly 2,500 people have been killed there, though the true number may be much higher. Gen. Mizintsev’s Sunday overture included the promise that civilians and disarmed defenders would be allowed safe passage out of the strategic port city. The plan also outlined the opening of humanitarian corridors by which food, medicine, and other kinds of aid could have been brought in. Vereshchuk said that more than 3,000 people were able to leave Mariupol on Sunday, with government plans in place to send a fleet of buses there on Monday for further evacuations, according to Reuters

Pro-Trump group sent armed members door-to-door in Colorado to “intimidate” voters: Lawsuit. Lawsuit accuses Colorado group linked to Mike Lindell of violating the Ku Klux Klan Act and voting rights laws Voting rights groups have filed a lawsuit seeking to stop a pro-Trump group from going door-to-door in Colorado in search of evidence to support voter fraud allegations that have already been debunked and rejected by courts. The lawsuit alleges that the U.S. Election Integrity Plan — led by Shawn Smith, an ally of former Trump strategist Steve Bannon and MyPillow founder Mike Lindell — is sending armed members door-to-door in areas with large numbers of voters of color, questioning people about how they voted and taking photographs of their homes. The lawsuit, which is backed by the state chapter of the NAACP, the League of Women Voters and Mi Familia Vota, alleges that the "voter intimidation" campaign violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, a post-Civil War law aimed at preventing white vigilantes from terrorizing Black people to stop them from voting. https://www.salon.com/2022/03/21/pro-group-sent-armed-members-door-to-door-in-colorado-to-intimidate-voters/

Ukraine: Russian Soldiers' IDs show them at age 14

Russian navy commander killed in Ukraine -Reuters LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - A senior naval commander in Russia's Black Sea Fleet has been killed in Ukraine, the governor of Sevastopol said on Sunday. Post-Captain Andrei Paliy, deputy commander of the fleet, died during fighting in the eastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said on the messaging app Telegram. The Russian navy did not respond to a request for comment. Sevastopol, which is a major base of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, is located on the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Trouble In Kremlin Gulag: Spy Boss Reportedly Arrested As Putin Fumes Over Ukraine Invasion A top commander of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) intelligence agency has been placed under house arrest amid upheaval and infighting among officials as President Vladimir Putin fumes over the botched Ukraine invasion, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. Russian commander Col. Gen. Sergei Beseda was in charge of the FSB’s Ukraine operation, according to the Journal, citing a U.S. official. The unidentified American official also told the newspaper that “bickering had broken out” between the FSB and the Russian Ministry of Defense, which were the key government agencies planning the invasion. Citing Russian news sources, The New York Times reported that a second FSB official was also under house arrest. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/spy-arrested-putin-anger-ukraine-invasion-trouble_n_623691cde4b046c938dca2e9

If you think of Batman/Bruce Wayne as a goth, its for you.

California MAGA candidate says she’s running because Jesus spoke to her son in a closet California Republican Rachel Hamm is running for Secretary of State in the June primary. Like many candidates, she is speaking about her motivation for running. Like many GOP candidates, she is claiming God was involved in her decision. Unlike any other candidate, Hamm says Jesus spoke to her son in a closet and told her to declare her candidacy. “I’ve been a prophetic dreamer so I had spent a lot of 2019 and 20 having a lot of political dreams that I was in office. And because our youngest son, Ezekiel is a seer I went and got him and I said, ‘Hey, can you look around and see what you’re seeing?’ Because I just really, I get a kick out of hearing him describe, you know, what he sees?” “And so, he said, you know, let me know if you see anything. And so he looked at my bedroom and my bathroom. He said, ‘There’s nothing there.’ And then he goes into the closet – which is where I had been when I was praying – and he said, ‘Whoa,’ and his eyes got like, big as saucers, and he kind of like started backing away, and then started bending down and he said, ‘You’ve got a really big guy in your closet, and his power is pushing me to the ground,’ and we had never had he’d never had that reaction ever, to an angel. And so I’m like, is he’s for us, not against us, right?” https://www.alternet.org/2022/03/jesus/ (And many of the GOPers know a lot about closets)

The international price for sweet crude returned to pre-Ukrainian war levels. Lets see if/when out pump prices return to the old prices.

To add a note of levity (and politics), a couple of weeks ago, Trump held a rally with attendees paying several hundred dollars to be in The Presence. They were fed......McDonald's hamburgers, fries and cola. That summed up Trump's GOP perfectly.

Right after he said that, he stated that his immediate plans were to learn to walk on water, become a world-class rap performer and marry Scarlet Johanson.

Why not reduce the number of players on the filed by one as well and rename the CFL to "NFL Tier Two"?

Sounds about normal- for Alberta, the Alabama wannabe.

"No such thing as bad publicity"

Can't believe how many accolades McDonalds is getting here. I guess sometimes calories are more important than standards. Fatburger for me.

Hard work often pays off.

You bet I have.