Like Trump, Marine Le Pen Thinks She is Above The Law

Marine Le Pen is shocked, shocked, to learn that not only was she found guilty by a French court for embezzlement but, as a consequence of her actions, is sentenced to four years in prison (two suspended and two under house arrest) and cannot run for office for five years.

This means, barring an expedited appeal, that Le Pen will not be representing the National Rally (formerly the National Front) in the 2027 French presidential elections. 

Not surprisingly, Le Pen has a friend in President Trump. Well, it takes a convicted criminal to know a convicted criminal.

Like Trump, Le Pen believes she is the above the law. Sure, she and other French politicians voted for tougher anti-corruption laws. Le Pen just doesn't believe the laws and their consequences apply to her. 

Of course, it is quite possible France could rally around Le Pen just like Americans rallied around Trump. But unlike Trump, Le Pen has a young successor waiting in the wings in the form of National Rally President Jordan Bardella, who is not yet 30-years-old. While Bardella condemned the sentence against Le Pen, a few months back he made a point of stating last year that "not having a criminal record is, for me, rule number one when you want to be an MP." 

Aside from not having a criminal record, Bardella does not have the baggage the Le Pen name carries despite her best efforts to distance herself from her father's deep-rooted anti-Semitism. The reality is that Le Pen does not want French Jews wearing yarmulkes nor does she accept that Vichy France aided and abetted the Holocaust.

Of course, it remains to be seen if Bardella can overcome the National Front/National Rally legacy of anti-Semitism which has never receded from the party. Although Bardella attended an anti-Semitism conference in Jerusalem last week, his presence caused many invitees to withdraw their participation.

With that said, I'm not counting out Marine Le Pen nor am I counting out the possibility that French voters will elect her President in 2027 - court verdict or no court verdict.

A Few Thoughts on the Anti-Hamas Protests in Gaza

A few thoughts on the anti-Hamas protests in Gaza.

Not surprisingly, at this point, there is silence concerning the protests among those who have disrupted life on American campuses. This cannot be particularly surprising given that pro-Hamas sentiment has been a part of these disruptions.

I also think of the pro-Hamas sentiments which came out when Oakland City Council was debating a ceasefire resolution in November 2023. These sentiments were strong enough to prevent the body from voting against an amendment which would have condemned Hamas. 

Mind you, there is some question as to how truly anti-Hamas the demonstrations in Gaza actually are. 

Well, Hamas seems to think these demonstrations are anti-Hamas as they have seen fit to execute some of the protesters.

While it is well worth noting the silence of campus activists in this country concerning the anti-Hamas protests in Gaza, it is equally worth noting the silence of the Trump Administration in this regard. For all of their crackdowns against individuals who have participated in anti-Israel campus disruptions, the Trump Administration has made statements minimizing Hamas' conduct along with suggestions they will remain in power in Gaza. 

It could be argued that both the Trump Administration and the anti-Israel campus agitators think the anti-Hamas protests will peter out as have earlier protests and/or will be swiftly crushed. Whatever their thoughts, I think both camps would like nothing better than for the anti-Hamas protests to cease.

But let us suppose the anti-Hamas protests escalate to the point where they result in Hamas being ousted from power much like Bashar Assad was ousted from power in Syria late last year. It could very well be the new rulers of Gaza will be every bit as eager to annihilate Israel from the face of the Earth as Hamas is. 

After Carney Says Old Canada-U.S. Relationship is "Over", Trump Calls Him "Prime Minister"

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney isn't playing around as the kids like to say these days.

On Thursday, Carney declared that the old relationship between Canada and the United States is "over":

The old relationship we had with the United States based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation is over.

It’s clear the US is no longer a reliable partner. It is possible that with comprehensive negotiations, we could reestablish an element of confidence but there will be no going backwards.

Carney's statement got President Trump's attention because Trump requested a phone call with Carney which took place the following morning. Take a close look at Trump's comments concerning his conversation with Carney.

Trump refers to Carney by his proper title. At no point, does Trump attempt to call Carney "Governor" let alone refer to Canada as the 51st state.

Trump isn't dealing with Justin Trudeau anymore. Carney will shed no tears.

Now, I'm under no illusions that Canada-U.S. relations have been fixed in a single phone call. When Trump is due to implement a new set of tariffs on April 2nd, he might very well resume using the 51st state rhetoric or try to belittle Carney. 

But I have no doubt Carney is well aware that Trump will likely be less respectful towards Canada in a few short days. The important thing is that Canada is not without options and tools at its disposal. It is up to Canadians to choose a leader who knows how to exercise those options and tools.

For the moment, Carney is setting the terms with Trump because he knows money works in a way even Trump doesn't and probably never will.

Poor Nestor Cortes, Jr.

 

I feel sorry for Nestor Cortes, Jr.

Last October, his tenure in a New York Yankees uniform came to an inglorious end when he surrendered a walk-off grand slam HR to Freddie Freeman in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Yankees then traded Cortes to the Milwaukee Brewers for closer Devin Williams who has already made history with the Bronx Bombers due to the team changing its policy regarding beards last month.

This afternoon, Cortes made his return to Yankee Stadium in a Brewers uniform.

This also represented his debut with the Brewers.

It did not go well.

His first three pitches to Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge all ended up in the seats.

Then again, the trio has won a combined four MVPs between them.

This was the first time in MLB history such a thing has ever happened.

It would get worse.

Later in the first inning, Cortes gave up yet another to Yankees catcher Austin Wells. 

Things did not improve for Cortes in the second inning as he gave up a 3-run HR to Anthony Volpe. 

After Cortes surrendered a RBI single to Bellinger in the 3rd, Brewers manager Pat Murphy gave him the hook.

In two innings plus, Cortes gave up 8 runs on 6 hits (including 5 HR) while issuing 5 walks against 2 strikeouts.

Mind you, the Brewers bullpen didn't do much better. Judge hit two more HRs including a grand slam. Jazz Chisholm, Jr. and Oswald Peraza also added dingers of their own. In all, the Yankees hit a game record 9 HR in a 20-9 shellacking of the Brew Crew.

Perhaps Cortes will fare better next week at Miller Park facing the Cincinnati Reds.

Or perhaps today was a preview of worse things to come for Cortes.

Why I'm Glad Trump Withdrew Stefanik's Nomination as UN Ambassador

I have to confess that President Trump's decision to withdraw Elise Stefanik as his UN Ambassador gave me a bit of a smile.

Stefanik is among the few Republicans who were willing to echo Trump's claims the J6ers were "hostages". Even Marjorie Taylor-Greene wasn't willing to go there. 

The J6ers are not now and never have been hostages. They received due process and were never in any danger of being raped or murdered unlike those who are still being held in captivity by Hamas. 

Yet no doubt this incendiary language caught Trump's attention, and he rewarded Stefanik with an ambassadorship, or so she thought.

With Republicans possibly losing seats previously held by Matt Gaetz and the Signal-gate instigator Mike Waltz, Trump decided he needed her in Congress after all with the slimmest of Republican majorities in the House of Representatives.

Evidently, the thought of being stuck in Congress was enough for Stefanik to beg and plead with Trump to reconsider to no avail. Stefanik has now learned the hard lesson that loyalty to Trump is a one-way street and she just got run over. As Charles Pierce quipped in Esquire, "I wish I could say that Stefanik didn't deserve to be treated like a doormat but, damn, did she deserve to be treated like a doormat."

It isn't to say that Stefanik couldn't be part of Trump's orbit again soon. Perhaps there will soon be an opening at the National Security Advisor post or in DoD. 

With that said, it will be interesting to see who Trump nominates to be his new UN Ambassador. Since it won't be a Republican member of Congress then perhaps it will be a Democrat like Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman who has been downright chummy with Trump these days and who Democrats might not be so enthusiastic about renominating in 2026. Yet Fetterman has managed to show his concern about hostages being held by Hamas while not calling J6ers the same.

Then again, Fetterman might not want to get too close with Trump like Stefanik did. 

My Thoughts on Rumeysa Ozturk Being Detained by ICE on the Streets of Somerville

I would be remiss if I didn't offer my thoughts on ICE's detention of Turkish born Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk on the streets of Somerville on Tuesday night, no more than a couple of miles away.

As with Mahmoud Khalil at Columbia University, I don't have much sympathy for Ozturk's views where it concerns Israel. I don't accept the claims Ozturk made in an editorial she co-wrote a year ago in the Tufts Daily accusing Israel of committing genocide. Ozturk is probably both pro-Hamas and anti-Semitic and someone whom I would stay as far away as possible.

However, like many people, I saw surveillance footage of her arrest and was utterly appalled. The ICE officers looked more like bank robbers than law enforcement. The first ICE officer physically assaults Ozturk. 

I know the Trump Administration wants to make an example of foreign students who they believe support Hamas by revoking their student visas or their green cards. But in so doing they end up turning them into sympathetic figures.

It is also difficult to take the Trump Administration regarding this campaign when their envoys keep saying nice things about Hamas. They can't have it both ways though Secretary of State Marco Rubio is trying:

If you apply for a visa to enter the United States and be a student, and you tell us the reason you are coming to the United States is not just because you want to write op-eds, but because you want to participate in movements that are involved in doing things like vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus -- we're not going to give you a visa.

Yet, at this point, neither Rubio nor anyone else in the Trump DoJ has specifically accused her of committing vandalism, harassing Jewish students or being involved in taking over campus buildings much less having direct involvement with Hamas. 

If they have evidence and facts that Ozturk has done these things or worse (i.e. provide financial support to Hamas) then I will reconsider my opinion. But if they had this information then they would have already charged her with these offenses.

As it stands, U.S. District CIourt Judge Denise Casper has ordered Ozturk's deportation halted pending a hearing which is what ought to have happened in the first place if there were legitimate concerns about her student visa. But the Trump Administration doesn't have legitimate concerns about anything other than their own glory. 

Again, I do not share Rumeysa Ozturk's views on Israel. But those aren't grounds to deny her due process and her day in court. If the Trump Administration has more evidence regarding Ozturk's activities, then let's see it. If not, then they ought to leave her alone no matter how repugnant her views on Israel and Jews might be. I nor anyone else is obligated to associate oneself with her or her views. 

Lament of a Dual Canadian-U.S. Citizen After 25 Years in America

Today, I marked my 25th anniversary in the United States.

For those who might be unfamiliar with the details, I was born and raised in Canada to a Canadian mother and an American father. Thus, I had a claim to U.S. citizenship which I have exercised.

Although I chose to celebrate this milestone with a quiet dinner at a Jewish restaurant in Somerville, I am filled with mixed emotions.

I am content with my day-to-day living. I feel at home in Cambridge, Massachusetts in a way I never did when I grew up in Thunder Bay, Ontario or when I attended university in Ottawa, Ontario. I also strongly prefer Boston and Cambridge to New York and Atlanta. This is where I wish to spend the rest of my days for better or for worse.

Unfortunately, things have become considerably worse. I abhor what President Trump is doing to this country with regard to the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law, the hollowing out of the federal government while abandoning any pretense of competence, attacks on our independent institutions within civil society, our abandonment of Ukraine and our NATO allies in favor of Russia and other dictatorships. Like millions of Americans, I fear for the very existence of our democracy. When it comes our allies, I am naturally appalled at Trump and members of his administrations contemptuous and disdainful behavior towards my home and native land.

Since returning to the White House just over two months ago, Trump has imposed harsh tariffs against Canada and repeatedly referred to his northern neighbor as the 51st state. So too has DHS Secretary Kristi Noem who, during a January visit to the Haskell Free Library and Opera House which is situated on the Quebec-Vermont border, repeatedly leapt back and forth between Canada and the U.S. As she did so, Noem would utter "U.S.A. Number #1," while on the American side and then uttered "51st state".  

To add insult to injury, effective this week, Canadians will no longer have access to the main entrance of the Haskell Free Library which is situated on the U.S. side forcing them to make "costly and unnecessary infrastructure overhauls."  The U.S. Custom and Border Protection Service issued a statement claiming the changes were necessary to protect Americans from "drug traffickers and smugglers." When people think of the Haskell Free Library, I can assure you that drug traffickers and smugglers do not come to mind.

Of course, this move has nothing to do with drug traffickers and smugglers. The Haskell Library was built as a symbol of friendship between Canada and the United States, and the Trump Administration has made it clear they no longer want Canada's friendship. The Trump Administration seeks from Canada only its land and its servitude.

When President Trump told Laura Ingraham last week that "Canada is meant to be our 51st state", I had to wonder what he meant.

Is Trump relitigating the Treaty of Ghent which ended the War of 1812 between the U.S. and Britain? Of course, at this time, Canada was part of the British Empire. This is quite plausible because according to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a phone conversation between them in January 2025 Trump told him that he "did not believe that the treaty that demarcates the border between the two countries was valid and that he wants to revise the boundary.”

If this is the case, there were only 18 states when the war concluded in 1814. By the time Canada gained its independence from Britain in 1867, that total had more than doubled to 37. 

And how exactly could Canada be a single state? In 1867, Canada had four provinces - Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Today, Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories. In the unlikely event, Canada ever became part of the U.S., it would add between 10 to 13 new states. That is, unless, Trump intends to give Canada the same status as Guam.

In all honesty, I'm probably overthinking all of it. Trump also told Ingraham, "Canada was meant to be the 51st state because we subsidize Canada by $200 billion a year." The U.S. does no such thing. As often happens with Trump, he pulled that figure out of his enormous rectal cavity.

Pierre Trudeau (Justin's father) who served as Canada's Prime Minister for 15 years said of the United States in 1969 while visiting President Nixon in Washington, "Living next to you is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast, if I can call it that, one is affected by every twitch and grunt."

Needless to say, the elephant currently occupying the White House is neither friendly nor even-tempered. 

To be sure, there have been occasions when Canadians feel ignored or overlooked by the United States such as when former President George W. Bush neglected to thank Canada during his special joint address to Congress in September 2001 following the 9/11 attacks. More than 250 commercial flights were diverted to Canada, including 38 flights to the small town of Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador. 

At the time, the office of then Prime Minister Jean Chretien issued a statement denying Bush had snubbed Canada. However, years later, former Bush speechwriter David Frum (himself a Canadian) disclosed that Bush as well as fellow speechwriter Michael Gerson had simply forgot Canada.

These days, I'm sure there are a lot of Canadians who just wish Trump would forget about Canada the way Bush did.

Alas, the reality is that Canada is very much on Trump's mind. In this respect, I am glad new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made a point of visiting Gander in one of his first campaign stops to remind everyone what a friend Canada has been to the United States.

Since Trump has now seen fit to add a 25% tariff on all cars coming into the U.S., voters might very well reward new Carney with a Liberal majority government come April 28th. This would be much to the consternation of the Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Party which has seen a 20-point lead in the polls evaporate due to Trump's tariff actions and annexation rhetoric. 

For his part, Poilievre has tried to seize on remarks in Trump's interview in which he claimed he'd prefer a Liberal government to a Tory government claiming that he would be tougher on Trump than Carney. But given how Poilievre has modeled himself after Trump and ascended to party leadership during the infamous 2022 Canadian trucker convoy this might prove to be a hard sell. In a recent poll, when Canadians were asked which leader would "roll over and accept whatever Trump demands" they chose Poilievre over Carney by more than a 2-to-1 margin. This is one poll which Poilievre can ill-afford to lead. 

Whatever the results, here is what I worry about on a personal level. In the event relations between Canada and the United States deteriorate even further, I can foresee the possibility of President Trump seeing fit to strip dual citizens like me of our American citizenship and deport us regardless of its constitutionality. If ICE is prepared to detain American citizens, Canadian citizens and people with valid student visas then why wouldn't they go after dual American-Canadian citizens at Trump's insistence?

Then there is a possibility that Trump could see fit to escalate a trade war into an actual war and drop bombs on Ottawa or perhaps the Haskell Free Library and Opera House while he is at it. I still have family in Canada and am concerned for their well-being. 

Or Trump, who has the temperament of a petulant child, might get bored with Canada, forget us and move onto something else.

While the latter would be the most desirable option, the damage Trump has done to U.S. relations with Canada would still be done and not easily repaired.

As things stand now, I will continue to live my life in America for better or for worse with knowledge that things are very likely to become much, much worse.