Former Saskatchewan Klansman Has Died

We dropped the ball here, but we will report that Carl Finlayson, former member of the Saskatchewan-based KKK lead by Chris Waters, took his own life on April 16, 2010. Finlayson was one of the Klansman who attended the first, "White Pride" rally in Calgary on March 21, 2008.

We received a message that passed through moderation without our notice:

Carl Finlayson passed away Early Friday April 16, 2010. He had left the Klan, and had chosen to do his best to become a better person. Sadly, he took his own life. He felt that the world would be a much better place without him. His guilt and shame plagued him.

Hopefully this will provoke some of the others who are involved in the BOK or the Canadian KKK (more like a few guys from Regina KKK) to realize how this hate and anger can lead someone to no longer want to live. How this life and loss of life has affected and possbily [sic] ruined the lives of so many people, including his very own children. May he rest in peace.

There are some who have claimed that Finlayson, who was originally from Prince Edward Island, had not reformed, however we would prefer to believe that he did. What can we say? We're eternal optimists who choose to believe that people can change.

Whatever might be said about Finlayson, he leaves behind two young children who shouldn't be without a father.

Update on Kyle McKee: March 30, 2010

We've been receiving bits and pieces of information concerning Kyle McKee who was recently released from the Calgary Remand Centre (he had been incarcerated on attempted murder and weapons charges, though those charges were dropped when McKee plead guilty to being in possession of bomb making materials). One message we received stated that McKee was seen speaking to a woman at an apartment complex and that McKee had grown out his hair.

Today McKee, or someone claiming to be McKee, posted a message on Stormfront today in the thread in which Paul Fromm announced McKee's release. We write, "someone claiming" based on the fact that Natalie S. had posted a couple of messages in February using McKee's Stormfront account. So how can we be sure that it is McKee this time?

Well the functional illiteracy pretty much confirms that it is McKee writing (friendly suggestion, Kyle, is that you let Natalie S. proof read your posts before you publish them).

McKee appears to be pretty smug, doesn't he? But then considering he has beaten attempted murder charges and weapons charges, isn't permitted to associate with two people only (the target of the bombing and his then 17 year old co-accused) and he only has a single year of probation, we don't know if we can blame him.

Except....

Turns out, there are a few other conditions imposed on McKee. First McKee has been given a 10 year firearm prohibition. Second, and more interesting, is that it's been reported that one of the conditions for the Crown dropping charges was that McKee would provide information about his fellow travellers. As the charges were dropped, we can only assume that he lived up to his side of the agreement.

McKee (left holding gun) with Tyler Lupkoski, July or August 2006

The waters are still a little muddied for other "White Nationalists." While Paulie was trumpeting McKee's release on Stormfront, he was doing so on his Facebook page as well. It appears that not all completely trust that McKee is completely innocent of the crimes for which he was charged, a double sin considering he was accused of attacking other members of, "the Movement":

The entire truth hasn't come out yet? It seems that Paulie might know more about the case than he's made known. Perhaps he'd be willing to sit down with police investigators and provide them with that information? After all, we can't have people bombing others now, can we? And goodness knows that Paulie, as a well-respected member of, "the Movement" would not want to be associated with such unsavoury criminal activities.

Paul Fromm marching with Aryan Guard, March 21, 2009

As for McKee, he writes that, "the boots are back on the ground and and we are giveing [sic] this city HELL." Kyle, who is "we"? From what we determine, most of the founding members of the Aryan Guard have left. Ryan is gone. So is Dallas. We can't see Rob having anything to do with you. Bill Noble, while celebrating your release, is the moderator of a forum for an Edmonton based "group" (though it might be a stretch to say they're organized to any significant degree) that can't stand you or the Aryan Guard. You've got Marleau still, but really what is he worth? At best, you have a few teenagers.

That doesn't mean that you can't still get into, or cause, some trouble, but it does mean that the Aryan Guard and any new movement you try to start are lame ducks.

More on Courtenay, BC Racial Assault Trial

As the mainstream media reported yesterday, and as we discussed in our article yesterday, the defence is trying to portray the accused as the real victims and that Jay Phillips, the person whose attack was captured on video and published to YouTube, was the aggressor. We understand the role of the defence is to be an advocate for your client, however we have some difficulty understanding how three men (four including the driver who didn't participate in the assault) driving a big truck would feel threatened by a lone man walking down the street.

The accused are also claiming that Mr. Phillips wasn't attacked because of his race. Sure, they may have shouted a few racial epithets, but that was in the heat of the moment and they really didn't mean it. Besides, Mr. Phillips egged them on.

Well, there are some folks who have been covering this case and now trial from day one. We would urge all of our readers to head on over to Keep Courtenay Safe as they have been doing an absolutely fantastic job of digging up information on the three accused, including photos that call into question the claims of the accused that there was no racial bias that motivated their attack on Mr. Phillips (we've received permission to post some of those photos they've uncovered here):


Once again these pictures and others, as well as the best coverage of the case, are found at Keep Courtenay Safe.

Trial Continues in Courtenay, BC Racial Attack

Back in July, Jay Phillips was attacked by three men shouting racial epithets in Courtenay, British Columbia. The attack, and the language used by the three men, was captured on video and posted to YouTube. Adam Huber and Robert Rodgers, both 25, and David White, 19, were soon arrested for the assault.

At the time, we noted that some boneheads were already playing the victim card and suggesting it was Mr. Phillips who was the antagonist. Well, it looks like this claim is being used by the defence now, despite video evidence that contradicts that very claim:

Two accused admit to racial slurs

By Erin Haluschak - Comox Valley Record
Published: May 28, 2010 10:00 AM
Updated: May 28, 2010 10:39 AM

During videotaped RCMP statements played in court Thursday, two men admitted racial slurs might have started an incident between them and another friend and a black man across the street in Courtenay last summer.

"He called us pussies — he wanted to take us all ... we called him some racial slurs," said David White, 19, to RCMP Const. Busch, during a voluntary statement recorded shortly after the July 3, 2009 fight with Jay Phillips, 39.

Each video of the accused, including that of Robert Rogers and Adam Huber, both, 25, was played in its entirety.

During questioning in the video, Huber admitted the group — including driver Justin Smith who did not participate in the melee — "probably really should have kept driving."

"What kind of racial slurs (were yelled?)," asked Const. Busch.

"Nigger," answered Huber, adding he was not the one who yelled the word. "I don't like the word myself. We're just a couple of roofers ... (the incident) was blown way out of proportion."

Earlier in the trial, Phillips testified all three men taunted him with the slur.

Neither Crown nor defence lawyers began closing arguments during the scheduled third and final day of the trial Thursday. Judge Peter Doherty agreed another date will be set June 3 for closing arguments.

If any of the men are found guilty, Crown prosecutors can seek the accused to be sentenced under hate crime legislation, which would be determined by the judge at sentencing.

photos@comoxvalleyrecord.com

When they made their first court appearance in July soon after their arrest, the three men accused of assaulting Mr. Phillips claimed that they felt threatened.

Considering there were three of them (four including the driver who doesn't appear to have participated in the assault), were driving in a half ton truck and Mr. Phillips was alone, we have to call into question this assertion. But then again, we're a bit cynical. Especially when you watch the video of them leaving the court after that first appearance.

Oh, THIS is Going to Be Fun!

So we're sure our readers are familiar with the website, we presume created by Marc Lemire, which focuses on Richard Warman. Of course, the content of the website lean a wee bit towards the negative when dealing with the subject.

Well, our little birdie came across another website and sent us the link:

Richard Warman

We could be wrong, but it looks pretty clear to us that Mr. Warman had more of a hand in creating this particular website.

And the reaction, vitriole, histrionics and rage from the usual suspects begins in:


5



4



3



2


...

UPDATE 1: Ohhhh!!!! He linked to us! Which means he reads us!

We are literally squealing with delight!

He likes us! He really likes us!

UPDATE 2: Sigh....... hard for us to smug sometimes with our fat fingers and seeming inability to hit the "g" instead of the "t". But at least we fixed it.

Kevin Goudreau Is Delusional Part 102,091,199,347,162,831

Sometimes you just have to laugh at the ineptitude of boneheads.

This coming weekend there's going to be a conference in Toronto: Marxism 2010. Now, being that there are really no communist members of the Collective (the closest some of us come to that ideology would be champagne socialists). So considering we don't really have a dog in that hunt, we were inclined not to provide any commentary.

Except that boneheads really don't like communists, so we knew that if we waited long enough one of our subjects in Toronto would make the discovery that the "reds" were coming to town, and hilarity would then ensue.

Known arsonist and snazzy dresser Richard "Lurch" Martin did not let us down:

We note the following:

1. People who might try to follow the link might have difficulty reaching their destination, as this idiot savant (minus the savant part) didn't quite spell "conference" right. Also, it should be ".ca" not ".com" Hey, chin up sport! You tried your best, but for future reference, we would like to introduce you to the handy "cut n' past" feature on your computer. Might save some embarrassment in the long run.

2. When the people whom Martin associate with try to, "smash reds" it usually involves following from a distance and well out of sight (or so they believe), perhaps shouting a few Nazi slogans before fleeing with their tails between their legs, and then declaring victory. Oh yes, those reds sure were smashed! Alternatively, they sit in puddles and smack themselves.

3. While they might try to prey on individuals, we really don't think too many will view these folks as much of a threat, especially when you see who they're hanging out with now. Try to figure out who we're talking about:

Oh sweet Mary Lou! It's Kevin Goudreau. Just when you think that Benson, Gaio and Martin couldn't sink any lower, they literally scrape the bottom of the barrel. In another picture below, Goudreau is hidden behind Gaio. Consider that to be foreshadowing your future relationship boys.

Where Is Nathan Touchette?

NOTE: Would the person who contacted us regarding "Natty" please leave your email address in the comment section. We won't publish it, but we are interested in talking.

One of our readers has noticed that in the Blood and Honour forums, Nathan Touchette is no longer a moderator in the Canadian section. In fact, he appears at this point to be no longer a member of the website.

We wonder if anyone could shed any light on this, purely to satiate our own curiosity?

Nathan Touchette was once a fairly visible bonehead, having participated a few protests and associating with other boneheads. He and Kyle McKee were also the focus of a couple of news articles when they decided to fly a Nazi flag outside the residence in Kitchener they were staying (and subsequently trashed) as well as their desire to move to Calgary to find work in the construction industry.

Then, not long after he left Edmonton where he had been living (at various times with Glen Bahr and Bill Noble), he seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth.

It should also be noted that Touchette was (and most likely remains) a person of interest involving an arson in Edmonton.

His activities online have been sporadic. He last posted on Stormfront (using the handle "Teardown") on March 9, 2010. Between his leaving Edmonton and now, there's been a lot of rumors about his whereabouts, though we do know he was in the UK for a time.

In any case, Touchette's departure from Blood and Honour (at least the forum) leaves the mostly moribund Canadian section with a single Canadian moderator, though in the not too distant past there were as many as 5. In theory. In reality, Chris Vickers hasn't been active in years either.

Maybe that leaves an opening for Marleau.

Fromm On Kyle McKee: Charismatic, Talented, Sensible and Savvy

One of the bits of news that struck as interesting is how little boneheads are talking about McKee's release. Sure, Marleau posted a message on the Blood and Honour forum's "POW" section (as of this article's publication, the thread had no responses and had been viewed by 19 people) and the folks on Nexopia posted a link to our blog, knowing Natalie S. and Marleau would see it, but that was pretty much it. Very little was mentioned initially. In fact, McKee's release seemed so unimportant that they didn't even bother mentioning it on the Aryan Guard forum:


The most recent comment was posted yesterday, but it has nothing to do with McKee and his release. When we enter the subforum, we notice that the last thing said concerning McKee was almost a month ago:

One might think if the leader of your gang was released from jail with murder charges being dropped, someone might mention something about it on the gang's forum. We guess this is yet a further indication that the Aryan Guard is all but dead (leading us to wonder what McKee will be doing now that he's out, though that's an issue for another day).

Attempted Murder Charges Dropped in McKee Case

Looks like Kyle McKee won't have to suffer in the cold, cold Calgary Remand Centre any more:

Attempted murder charges dropped against accused Calgary bomber

White supremacist Kyle Robert McKee pleads guilty to making explosives

By Daryl Slade, Calgary Herald
May 18, 2010 11:05 AM

CALGARY - A self-professed white supremacist has been absolved of two attempted murder charges relating to homemade bomb being planted outside a northeast townhouse last November.

Crown prosecutor Rajbir Dhillon withdrew those two charges, as well as one count each of arson and possessing a weapon dangerous to the public against Kyle Robert McKee, 24, after he pleaded guilty to one count of making explosives for devices found in a search of his home later the same day as the bomb incident.

He was to be released later on Tuesday after being given double credit by provincial court Judge Peter Barley for five months already spent in remand since his arrest in December.

Defence lawyer Adriano Iovinelli made it clear to court that McKee had maintained his innocence in connection with the Nov. 21 incident at the home on Rundlehorn Drive.

Dhillon told court that Carolyne Anne Kwiatek believed she was the target of two culprits she saw outside her balcony early that morning.

She awoke her boyfriend Tyler Sturrup, who grabbed the two explosive devices, which had been lit, and threw them into the parking lot. One of them exploded and the other failed.

Screws, nails, coins and ratchet bits were found in the other device.

Police were not able to tell what type of liquid was used to make the bombs.

Police then obtained a search warrant for McKee's residence and found similar explosive devices, which led to the guilty plea.

They also found sawed-off rifle stocks and barrels in the home.

McKee was also placed on probation for one year and prohibited from having any contact with either of the victims, as well as a youth who was originally facing the same charges.

Dhillon said he previously withdrew charges against the youth, because of an unlikelihood of conviction.

McKee had been scheduled to face a two-day preliminary hearing starting May 27, which would have been held to determine if there was sufficient evidence to send it to trial at Court of Queen's Bench.

dslade@theherald.canwest.com

© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

Looks like the Crown decided that they didn't want to bother making a case. After all, when you find explosive materials that can be linked to a bombing, it must be a tough nut to crack. We wonder if McKee had an Arab-sounding name if this little effort would be put into the case?

It's easier to take a plea to lesser charges than to keep Calgarians safe. A pity, but not unexpected.

No doubt the remnants of the Aryan Guard will be celebrating McKee's release, however he does have some pretty strict conditions that he will need to follow in order to stay out of jail.

And we will be watching.

May 2010 Bits and Bites

It looks like a few boneheads are talking about the Fromm story on Nazi Watch Toronto that we linked to. And it appears their little hearts have been crushed:

To be fair, another poster soon dismissed the allegation as having been made up by "antis" to discredit Paulie. We don't think that's the case though.

Oh, that's right. We forgot to let the folks of the web-based White Nationalist Legion know that we've been on their forums for months:

We haven't said much though because you haven't really done much outside of posting online. And really, when two of your most active members are a pudgy 16 year old who thinks he's a National Socialist and a 14 year old girl who doesn't appear to understand the tenets of the philosophy she now claims to believe in, how much do we really need to talk about you? But don't worry. We've been identifying the posters just in case it becomes relevant in the future.

But speaking of Blood and Honour, looks like some of the Canadian members, "XiLeD ArYaN" (Eric Kosak; hey, looks like learning those identities is already paying off), "jagermeister88" (John Marleau) and "Exterminance" (Bill Noble) are trying to provide some helpful suggestions to an Italian bonehead who sent threatening messages to the U.S. President:


Probably not a good idea, but perhaps the Canadian boys will be able to help, "ViolentNS" out of this jam? What does Mr. Kosak of Edmonton have to say?


So, Eric suggest that rather than threatening violence, the Italian bonehead should carry out a political assassination? Doesn't seem very helpful to us. Maybe Marleau could be more helpful?

Doesn't look like John knows much about how computers work. It's not as if changing one's location or account will confuse the police for very long.

It's all up to you Billy. Let's see what you've got:

Ookkayyy then. That was........ not helpful.

Now, we realize that Noble is just trying to be provocative and to get a rise out of any anti-racists or police who might be reading his post, but we have to say that of all the acts of violence he would choose, rape isn't the first one we would have thought a White Nationalist would go with. Do our dear readers think Bill is projecting?

Billy? Did something happen to you in jail that you're trying to awkwardly tell people about?

An Examination of Marc Lemire: Part V (You Mean There's More?!)

Okay, so we admit now that it looks like we're beating a dead horse. There's nothing wrong with supporting the message even if you find the messenger to be a reprehensible human being but when people are trying to turn Marc Lemire into a sainted free speech martyr, well, we think that a bit of exposure of his real views might be a good thing. In the spirit of free speech and public dialogue, of course.

We've already discuss Lemire's views on race and ethnicity in our first article on this subject. Our second deals with his involvement in the Heritage Front. A third refers to his close relationship with Ernst Zündel. And, to our surprise, we were able to find the transcript of an online chat that Lemire had with James Richardson (posting as "WPCANADA"), a leader of the Canadian Ethnic Cleansing Team and member of the Tri-Cty Skins which became the subject of our final article. Well. at least we thought it would be our final article.

Turns out, there is more. Much more

Oh! Oh My Paulie! Have You Been a Naughty Little Boy?

We've heard rumors about Paulie, but we've never published any of them because we didn't have proof and couldn't be certain that the rumors were true, exaggerations or completely false. However, it looks as if at least someone may have been able to gather said proof.

Want to know what we're going on about? Click on the following link and be taken to a world of disturbing imagery that might cause you to never close your eyes again for fear of seeing what should never be seen by human eyes:

Paul Fromm - God's April Fool Joke on Women

Try getting some of those mental pictures out of your head.

If the allegations are true, then it sort of flies in the face the "traditional" morality that racists claim ownership for themselves. We'll keep watching to see if anything new develops.

Man Sentenced in Racist Attack in Edmonton

And on the heels of the article we posted yesterday, a further indication that their concerns were and are valid:

Racist man bear-sprayed student

By TONY BLAIS, QMI Agency

EDMONTON - A racist Edmonton man has been put behind bars for his part in a hate-motivated attack on a black man that saw the victim taunted and blasted with bear spray.

Dylan Trommel, 23, was sentenced to 60 days in jail Wednesday after pleading guilty to criminal harassment.

Provincial court Judge Robert Philp told Trommel his actions were "evil" and said people should be free to walk around the city without being racially targeted.

"It's a terrible thing to reflect on someone's heritage, skin colour or creed," he said. "Your comments to this individual are absolutely inexcusable. There is no excuse for it."

Court heard victim Valentin Masepode, a 32-year-old student originally from the Congo, had been in a 7-Eleven at 4939 118 Ave. after midnight on Sept. 27 when he was confronted by Trommel and a woman, who are both white.

Prosecutor Tania Sarkar told court Masepode was talking on his cellphone when Trommel said to the woman: "Did you hear what the n****r is saying" and they laughed.

The woman then turned to Masepode and said "n****r" which surprised the victim because he had not done anything to warrant this "extreme hatred," said Sarkar.

Court heard Trommel -- a short, muscled and heavily tattooed man -- then said: "This is our country, n****r."

Sarkar said both Masepode and others in the store were worried for their safety, however one customer told the pair to leave the victim alone and they exited the store.

The Good Samaritan offered to escort Masepode out, but he was too scared of the "imminent danger" and stayed by the store's surveillance camera, said Sarkar, adding the woman and Trommel were gesturing to him to come out.

Court heard the woman then re-entered the store, went up to Masepode and blasted him in the face with bear spray, which was captured on videotape. The pair then fled.

They were identified through the surveillance tape and arrested three months later.

Sarkar said the attack was aggravating because it was "motivated by hate" and Masepode was targeted due to the colour of his skin.

Trommel told court he was sorry for what he had done.

"I was very intoxicated at the time and I apologize for my actions," said Trommel. "It was a very stupid thing."

The judge also ordered Trommel to submit a DNA sample for the national DNA databank in Ottawa.

Masepode, who is upgrading his Grade 12 at Grant MacEwan University and plans to study chemical engineering at the U of A in the fall, said he was "satisfied" with Trommel's sentence.

He said it took three months for the effects of the bear spray to wear off and he still gets nervous out in public.

"I don't talk to anybody because I am scared that something like this would happen again," said Masepode.

Lacey Snyder, 22, is slated to be in court May 18 on charges of criminal harassment, assault with a weapon, causing a disturbance, possession of a weapon and mischief.

tony.blais@sunmedia.ca

Hate Crimes Legislation Needs To Be Strengthened

Sometimes, we don't need to add a thing to the discussion.

Tougher legislation needed

By Kristopher Wells And Murray Billett, Freelance
May 12, 2010

Hate crime has a long and pernicious history in human society, including atrocities such as the Holocaust, ethnic cleansing campaigns in astern Europe and Africa, and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Canada's conscience is not clear as we have our own history of hate and hate crime, which includes the forced internment of Japanese Canadians, the tragic legacy of the residential school system, active and vocal Holocaust deniers, and here in Alberta, the Aryan Guard marching in the streets of Calgary and the public desecration of synagogues.

In response to the ugly legacy of hate, more than 30 countries around the world have enacted specific hate crimes legislation. Here in Canada, the gravity of hate crimes was officially recognized in 1970, when the government amended the Criminal Code to include hate propaganda as a punishable offence.

In 1996, the government also introduced enhanced sentencing provisions for offences motivated by hate, and in 2001 included mischief to religious property as a specific hate-motivated offence.

Despite this evolution, we argue that these legislative responses to hate have not gone far enough. The problem most concerning to many diverse communities and law enforcement officials involves the fact that there are still no direct provisions in the Criminal Code to identify hate crime as a violent offence (such as assault) or as a crime against a person or individual property (such as vandalism).

Hate crimes have often been called "message crimes" because they not only target individuals who are different, but also are designed to strike fear and terror into the very heart of communities. These crimes not only threaten the safety and welfare of vulnerable individuals, but also set communities against each other and, in turn, erode the very tenets of democracy and serve to unravel the social fabric of our diverse, pluralistic, multicultural society.

In Canada, the Supreme Court has ruled that individuals have the right to hold discriminatory beliefs; however, they do not have the right to act upon them in public space. This is the difference between belief (freedom of conscience and speech) and conduct (freedom to act in discriminatory ways).

Accordingly, hate crime laws are an important deterrent, as they provide enhanced recognition of the gravity of hate crimes and acknowledge the importance of protecting diverse and vulnerable populations within our society. In essence, hate crime laws are fundamental to a democracy that believes in the rights of the minority to be protected from the tyranny of the majority. Hate crime legislation not only serves as a deterrent, but also serves as a symbolic representation for the kind of society that we aspire to become.

Although the term "hate crime" has entered into the popular lexicon, there is little consensus in Canada as to its exact meaning and, therefore, we see differentiated responses from the police and justice systems, which may cause communities to lose trust and faith in our social institutions.

Hate crimes are different in that they have a specific motivating factor (hate, prejudice, or bias) not found in other crimes. The challenge and problem for the police and justice system centres on the complexity of proving motivation when investigating an alleged hate crime. For example, crimes often have multiple motivations that can prove difficult to pinpoint to one defining factor.

Unfortunately, research indicates that only one in 10 hate crimes is reported to law enforcement and even fewer are prosecuted. For example, in Alberta, within the past decade there have only been two successful hate crime prosecutions.

A standardized hate crime definition, professional training, accurate data collection, and establishing collaborative policing-community relationships with diverse communities would help to significantly enhance our understanding of this complex and socially divisive issue.

We believe that communities, law enforcement and the justice system need to become better educated on hate crimes. Police also need to work more closely with diverse communities to help increase the identification and reporting of hate crimes.

Together we need to improve and support restorative justice models that seek to educate and change discriminatory behaviours, rather than to simply mete out discipline and punishment as corrective measures.

Hate is a learned behaviour, which divides families and communities. Rather than let hate divide us, we call for communities to stand united against hate and announce that it is not a value that will be tolerated in the province of Alberta. After all, hate imprisons everyone: the victim, perpetrator, and community.

To help achieve this vision of a hate-free Alberta, we call on the province to develop a strategy against hate. It should include:

- Directed advocacy to include specific provisions within the Criminal Code of Canada for hate crime offences;

- Development of a standardized definition and response to hate crime;

- Mandatory reporting of hate crime statistics by all law enforcement agencies;

- Support for restorative justice and innovative educational programs (punish the problem, not the people);

- Creation of a provincial hate crimes office to help with investigation, training, public education, and support for victimized communities.

Kristopher Wells, a graduate student in the U of A's faculty of education, is a member of the Alberta Hate Crimes Committee. Murray Billett, a former vice-chair of the Edmonton Police Commission, is a longtime human rights and community activist.

© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

Nazi (Not Neo) Jailed For Hate Crime

Whenever a Jewish synagogue or community center or school or, well, whenever anything connected to the Jewish faith is vandalized, boneheads routinely claim that the Jewish members of the synagogue, etc are really the ones who committed the act in an effort to demonize those poor, unassuming, neo-Nazis and their sympathizers.

So chew on this:

83-year old German war veteran jailed for hate crime
Man wrote anti-Jewish material in various public places in Guelph

May 11, 2010

Thana Dharmarajah

GUELPH — Justice Norman Douglas felt it was morally and legally wrong to sentence an 83-year-old German native who scrawled anti-Semitic graffiti in public spots around the city to anything but a jail sentence to be served within the confines of a prison cell.

“This may be the last opportunity for a Canadian court to look into the eyes of a German military (subject) and state clearly to him what all Canadians think of this type of act that led to the death of six million Jews,” Douglas said Monday, just before delivering Max Mahr’s sentence.

Mahr was sentenced to six months imprisonment for willful promotion of hatred against an identifiable group — Jews. He was arrested and charged on Sept. 30, 2009, in connection with writing hateful remarks against Jews with a black marker in various locations within the city last year from Jan. 2 to Sept. 29. The accused pleaded guilty in March.

The slight, grey-haired man slowly followed court officers as he was led out of the courtroom after the judge sentenced him. His wife watched, seated on a courtroom bench.

Once Mahr is out of jail, he will be on two years probation where he is to take counselling as required and serve 40 hours of community service. Douglas recommended he might volunteer to clean up graffiti in the community.

The judge said Mahr’s wilful promotion of hatred was obvious in the 19 separate occasions that he wrote in public places, such as in washrooms in Stone Road Mall and Wal-Mart, words urging others to kill all members of the Jewish race.

In a pre-sentencing review prepared for the court, Mahr indicated he understood that what he did was wrong and criminal and expressed remorse for his actions. But Douglas said there also appeared in that assessment a suggestion that Mahr saw himself as a victim, since he was initially discriminated against for being German when he arrived in Canada decades ago.

“I believe Hitler was right at the time,” Mahr said in a police interview after his arrest, Douglas told the court. “I didn’t know any better. I was (taught) like that and now I know the difference.”

Douglas wondered aloud however if Mahr truly appreciated the difference.

Last week, when Mahr was initially to be sentenced, defence lawyer Matthew Stanley requested a conditional sentence — known as house arrest — which was identified by the Crown as the best option for Mahr, given the offender’s lack of criminal record and his age. However, assistant Crown attorney Steve Hamilton sought a lengthier sentence than the three months requested by Stanley.

On Monday, Douglas said although he reviewed similar cases in coming to his decision, there weren’t any other cases that involved a man who grew up in Germany, served in the Second World War and committed offences in the present that embraced the mindset that led to the Holocaust.

“As I see the case, the crime wasn’t committed 65 years ago,” he said. “Mr. Mahr has brought this poisonous hatred into the 21st century.”

Every Jewish person alive today is a victim of Mahr’s crime, Douglas said. It isn’t just war veterans that might have an interest in Mahr’s sentence, he said, but every Canadian who values the basic freedom enjoyed as a citizen.

“The accused took advantage of those freedoms,” Douglas said. “He was welcomed after the war. He reaped all the benefits and he breached that trust.”

Bernie Farber, chief executive officer of the Canadian Jewish Congress, said the jail sentence speaks volumes about the importance of ensuring Canadians live in a tolerant society that accepts everyone.

“It takes into account that Canada’s hate laws are serious and will protect vulnerable minorities,” Farber said, adding Douglas delivered a strong message and an absolutely necessary message in the 21st century.

Thana Dharmarajah is a Mercury staff writer. She can be reached at tdharmarajah@guelphmercury.com

We're surprised that Paulie hasn't immediately jumped to Mr. Mahr's defence and accuse the prosecution and media of, "German bashing." In fact, Paulie hasn't made a peep, unlike his vigorous defence of a woman who may very well be designated as a dangerous offender.

Kyle Is Cold....

.... and wants a blanket, some warm milk, cookies (didn't get that piece of cake at Christmas, perhaps?) and a bed time story:

Shivering in the slammer

By Kyle Robert McKee, Calgary Herald
May 11, 2010

Re: "Chilly weather to continue," May 5.

I really hope your meteorologist with Environment Canada is correct about the temperature starting to rise. I am an inmate at the Calgary Remand Centre, where the heat has remained off over the past couple weeks of winter weather. Must be part of the rehabilitation: "Don't break the law -- you will freeze."

Kyle Robert McKee,

Calgary

© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

As this letter isn't rife with grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors, we can only guess that the proof readers on the Calgary Herald staff earned their money on this one.

To the person who clued us in to this letter, thanks.

Paul Fromm Goes to Bat For.... Michelle Erstikaitis???

Who the hell is Michelle Erstikaitis???

Why, this is:


Now, we admit that we've never heard of her, but what we've read thus far really has been a bit of an eye opener:

Bernardo fan asks for 'dangerous' status

Susan Clairmont
The Hamilton Spectator
(Jan 7, 2010)

She wants to be declared a dangerous offender. Just like the man she worships.

Years ago, at the peak of the Paul Bernardo case, she used to phone me. Sometimes several times a day.

She would call to say she loved the serial sex killer and he loved her. That we were all wrong about her Paul. He was innocent. Misunderstood.

She would go on to be a diagnosed off-the-dial psychopath. She would tell psychiatrists she wanted to become a famous killer.

Her name was Michelle Erstikaitis. Still a teenager back when she used to dial me. Obsessed with a man she had never met.

I had lost track of Michelle. Until this week.

On Tuesday she appeared -- sans lawyer -- in a Toronto courtroom to tell a judge she wants to be declared a dangerous offender. If the court bestows that designation on her, the now 30-year-old says, "I'll write a book about it."

The Toronto Star's Peter Small quotes her saying: "I'll be the only female dangerous offender. ... I'll write a lot of nasty s--- about everybody who's done this."

The judge has put the matter over until a later date with plans to appoint a legal professional to assist Michelle, who fired her lawyer a month ago.

Meanwhile, let me tell you about the train wreck of a person who is Michelle Lyne Erstikaitis.

She is a Hamilton girl. The eldest of three sisters.

"First born, first forgotten," she once said.

Her mother was a sex worker and drug addict. Michelle was raised by her for the first five years. At 8, she was adopted by a local family. They had their hands full.

During the next few years, she was hospitalized with mental health problems -- depression, hysteria, psychosis and borderline and antisocial personality disorders -- at least five times. She used drugs and cut herself.

At 13 she became obsessed with Bernardo, writing to him in jail and claiming he was the only one who understood her.

In 1995, when Bernardo was on trial for the first-degree murders of teenagers Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French, Michelle's obsession flourished. (She was also becoming infatuated with Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.) She began leaving sadistic, threatening messages on Debbie Mahaffy's answering machine about her dead daughter. A girl her own age.

Sometimes Michelle pretended to be Leslie. Other times, she threatened to kill the grieving mother and her son.

"I love him, you know," she said in a message after Bernardo was given a life sentence. "But you put him in jail. ... I'm afraid I'll just have to go to your son's school and -- you know -- get him, a la Kristen French."

Michelle also called 911 and said she was going to kill Debbie Mahaffy. Michelle gave her name. She was convicted of making death threats in early 1999.

That fall, she poured gasoline around her Hamilton apartment and ignited it. Emergency workers broke down her door to rescue her. Tenants were home in six other apartments in the building. She was taken to Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital first, then charged with arson, endangering life and breaching her probation.

After a guilty plea and a two-year sentence, the Hamilton Crown attorney's office ordered a psychiatric evaluation as part of a dangerous offender application.

Out of a possible 40 points on the psychopathy checklist, Michelle scored a 37.8. Anything over 30 indicates a substantial risk that the offender will commit a violent crime.

Michelle was just 22. A young woman to be facing a possible lifetime locked up as a dangerous offender. In the end, the Attorney General of Ontario sought -- and got -- a six-year long-term offender designation instead, meaning she was supervised for six years after her release from prison.

She was still on that supervision when she allegedly slashed her boyfriend with scissors a year ago. And that's why she was in court this week. She wanted to plead guilty to armed assault, mischief and threatening and consent to being declared a D.O., which means an indefinite sentence.

Michelle, who has been in custody since last January, wants to represent herself. She told the judge she was capable: "I have more intelligence than the average inmate." The judge, however, wants her to have a lawyer by her side if the long process of declaring her a D.O. -- a designation Bernardo already has -- is to begin.

Now, we suppose you're wondering why we would take the time on this blog to write about this particular individual who is clearly mentally ill and who, perhaps for her own safety and certainly for the safety of people she might come into contact with, should be designated as a dangerous offender and put away for an indefinite period of time?

Well, it seems that, according to Paul Fromm, Ms. Erstikaitis is the victim here. You see, she's being persecuted for her "White Nationalist" beliefs:

We've taken the time to transcribe Paulie's text. See if you can notice what he omits and glosses over in his description of Ms. Erstikaitis and her current predicament:

APPEAL: DON'T DESIGNATE MICHELLE ERSTIKAITIS A "DANGEROUS OFFENDER" FOR HER WHITE NATIONALIST POLITICAL VIEWS

Michelle Erstikaitis is a highly intelligent, White Nationalist who has been held without bail for 16 months for a minor domestic case of alleged assault where no one was injured.

Yes, Miss Erstikaitis is impulsive and has had a somewhat checkered past -- youthful convictions for attempted arson, possession of marijuana and assault.

In 2009, she was through with probation and had found a good job. In 2008, she had worked for Elections Canada. She is personable and eager to succeed. Now, the Ontario Government is considering naming her a "dangerous offender" -- subject to unlimited imprisonment.

There is strong evidence this extraordinary action is being considered, not because Miss Erstikaitis is a dire menace to the community, but because of her unabashed political views -- she once wrote a letter encouraging Timothy McVeigh to die proud.

It's urgent that people FAX Ontario Attorney General Christ Bentley and urge him not to do this. Yuo [sic] can also e-mail him by logging on to the Attorney General's webpage http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca. Go to "Contact Us" and click on to e-mail and send your message.

Paul Fromm
Director CANADIAN ASSOCIATION FOR FREE EXPRESSION
Canadian Association for Free Expression Inc.,
P.O Box 332,
Rexdale, ON., M9W 5L3
Ph: 905-274-3868:
FAX: 905-278-2413
Paul Fromm, B.A., B.Ed., MA. Director

Hon, Christopher Bentley,
Attorney General of Ontario
Re: Possible “Dangerous Offender” Application for Michelle Erstikaitis
BY FAX: 416-326-4007

Dear Minister Bentley:

I am writing to urge you to avoid a draconian miscarriage of justice. It is our understanding that on Monday you shall announce whether you are seeking to have Michelle Erstikaitis, presently in the Vanier Detention Centre on minor domestic assault charges, declared a “dangerous offender.”

Incidentally, Miss Erstikaitis has been held in remand for over sixteen months and has not been granted bail – a seeming waste of taxpayers’ money and a violation of her rights to bail and a speedy trial. Miss Erstikaitis has an arson charge going back to her teen years and a number of minor assault convictions.

Before the January, 2009 domestic violence charges, two of which have been withdrawn, Miss Erstikaitis was gainfully employed and had worked for Elections Canada in the 2008 election. It is our fear that it is her White Nationalist political views that have targeted her as dangerous.

While she was still a teenager, she wrote to Timothy McVey, the alleged Oklahoma City bomber and encouraged him to die bravely. While such a teenage crush may be questionable behaviour, it scarcely brands her an incorrigible menace to the public.

Miss Erstikaitis also says that one of the arresting officers, called by her then boyfriend, spoke inappropriately to her, saying words to the effect “we you know who you are, you racist bitch, and you’re going down.”

I urge you not to declare Miss Erstikaitis a dangerous offender as it seems only her political views set her apart from others with far more serious and life threatening crimes, who still walk our streets.

Sincerely yours,

Paul Fromm

Interestingly, we're not the only ones who've noticed that Paulie might be a bit premature in voicing his unequivocal support for Ms. Erstikaitis:

So how bad is it when Bill Noble appears clear headed by comparison?

We really aren't sure why Paulie is willing to fall on his sword for this woman, though it's not exactly the first time he's voiced his support for questionable individuals (his support for the Aryan Guard and of Kyle McKee regarding the pipe bomb allegation in particular being two such examples).

We think Paulie has lost his mojo. Or jumped the shark. Or whatever pithy pop culture reference for loosing his shit you, our dear readers, can come up with yourselves. Feel free to share.

But hey, if Paulie is so confident that she's being railroaded, perhaps he'd be willing to take Ms. Erstikaitis in to his own home to prove she's not a threat?

How about it Paulie?

Happy VE-Day

We in the Collective run the gamut [NOTE: No, you're right about the spelling. Thanks.] of political thought. Among our differences includes our feelings towards the military. Simply put, some support it, others do not. However, whatever our particular views on the issue are, we did agree that the day 65 years ago when Germany officially surrendered was a pretty good day:

Veterans mark VE-Day anniversary

Last Updated: Saturday, May 8, 2010 | 1:58 PM ET

Canadian veterans gathered in Ottawa on a cold, rainy Saturday morning to mark the 65th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.

"Macleans" Hurt Bill Noble's Feelings

The April 26, 2010 edition of "Macleans" featured a story entitled, "The Return of Hitler" written by Katie Engelhart. The main focus of the article was to discuss the growing interest in Hitler's, Mein Kampf and the resurgence of the far right in places such as Hungary, but also the growing popularity of Hitler's book and the ideas found within in such unusual locations as India and Turkey.

Not too far into the article, Engelhart mentions something that most literary critics have stated already regarding Mein Kampf. As writing goes, it's really not particularly well done. In fact, it's tedious, convoluted and as Winston Churchill stated (and whom Engelhart quotes in the article), "turgid, verbose, [and] shapeless."

One of our resident boneheads from Calgary took great offense to this characterization of der fuhrer's efforts:

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KATIE ENGLEHART calls Mein Kampf “Hitler’s poorly written, 700-page magnum opus,” “a badly written book” and “part autobiography, part raving philosophical treatise.” And she seems to base this largely on the opinions of other critics. Has she ever read Mein Kampf? Can she provide any actual examples of poor writing from within this tome? Hitler’s writing is straightforward and clear.

Bill Noble, Calgary Okay, okay, we know this is an old photo and that Billy looks a bit different now, but it sort of makes the point that we're not exactly dealing with someone who is dealing with a full deck of cards. But if our readers insist that we provide a more up to date photo, well, this is the most up to date that we can come up with:


See. Not a hell of an improvement.