Did you know Canada has troops in Africa?

This headline at the Globe and Mail caught my eye this morning; Canadian Peacekeepers plot strategy to defend Congolese city from rebels. Say what? We have peacekeepers in the DRP? (Democratic Republic of Congo, not to be confused with Dan’s Republic of Congo, named after Dan Gertler, which operates in the same general neighborhood.) Who knew? I didn’t, and I pride myself on keeping up with all the latest developments in Canada’s global battle for freedom and democracy. Geoffrey York moseys along for 14 meandering paragraphs before we meet the nine (9) Canadian officers working with the UN mission there. “In their staff officer positions…CAF members are playing a key role…” Of course they are! They are bringing Canada’s key strengths to the battle against the M23 rebels, including “leading joint planning sessions.” I assume this means sorting out who brings the weed and who brings the rolling papers, because if it means much more than that, the Congolese are truly screwed. Who in their right mind would expect the Canadian military, who have a decades long track record of failing to plan the timely replacement of everything from Sea Kings to frigates to submarines to fighter jets, to come up with a timely and effective plan to stymie the M23 rebels? What have these people been smoking? And if that’s not embarrassing enough, York drops another truth bomb a few paragraphs along. “Despite the small size of the Canadian contingent in Congo, it is the second largest of Canada’s handful of remaining units in UN peacekeeping forces.” Lester Pearson must be spinning in his grave.

The brazen stupidity of Harper's immigration policy

The Harper gang has done their level best to undermine Canadian workers with the wholesale importation of "temporary foreign workers" and so on.

But here's a guy who has lived in Canada for 16 years, is not "temporary" by any stretch of the imagination, has lived a productive life here, and they want to send him back to Congo?

How stupid is that?

Mr. Betoukoumessou is exactly the kind of ambitious immigrant this country should be recruiting.

Nevermind "temporary foreign workers". That program should be shut down entirely right now.

But folks like Debase Betoukoumessou should be welcomed with open arms.

Storm clouds over Dan's Republic

The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of those African nations that has yet to grow into its potential in the post-colonial era. There's a certain segment of old-school pinkos who lay the blame for this on the legacy of colonialism.

I blame Dan Gertler. Gertler is the international man of mystery who has done a really great job of enriching himself with a wide range of business activities in the DRC. In fact, Gertler's net worth after a couple of decades of wheeling and dealing in the Congo is greater than the country's GDP!

Then I read Alex Engwete's impassioned defense of Gertler, and maybe he has a point or two. The Gertlers of the world do bring something to the table, and I agree that notions of transparency transposed willy-nilly onto emerging economies fail to take into consideration the realities of doing business in that kind of environment. Successful developed economies all had their share of crooks, swindlers, scallywags and carpet-baggers make their contribution in the course of their evolution.

But Dan's fabulous Congolese adventure may be facing a dark future, and it's all got to do with players much bigger than him. As part of the long term Africom strategy to remake Africa as an American fiefdom, the M23 rebel army is rapidly making inroads in the country. That's a rebel army underwritten and directed by our erstwhile ally, Rwanda.

But Dan's a land-on-his-feet kind of guy. He's probably making deals with the M23 commanders already!

World Statesman of the Year has no problem sucking up to corrupt president of the Congo

On the face of it this doesn't make a lot of sense. There's big Steve swanning around Kinshasha in the company of some of the most corrupt robber-politicos the world has ever seen, according to all the do-gooder NGO's who make it their business to follow this sort of thing.

Could this be the same Stephen Harper who doesn't want to address the UN because it houses too many corrupt and anti-democratic delegations with darkish skin?

Could this be the same Canadian Prime Minister who closed Canada's embassy in Tehran because, oh my gawd, that filthy regime of towellers OPPRESS THEIR PEOPLE?

By virtually any standard you want to invent, the oppressed citizens of the Islamic Republic have it way better than the oppressed citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

But there's the World Statesman of the Year, spending a couple of days hanging out in Kinshasha to address the Francophonie.

But wait a minute. I have a theory.

Think Chabad Lubavitch.

Isn't Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird's "personal Rabbi" a Lubavitcher?

And isn't that World Statesman of the Year award presented by Rabbi Arthur Schneier? Why indeed it is, and he too is a Lubavitcher, and not only does he present the award, he invented it!

Now try to focus here, because this is where things get interesting. A certain Lubavitcher named Dan Gertler has been at the center of DRC corruption controversies for years. He's really tight with DRC President Joseph Kabila, as he was with former President Laurent Kabila till he was assassinated.

Having democratically elected offices pass from father to son is just how things work in some of those places.

Gertler has magical powers to get lucrative mining concessions from the DRC government, even after others have bought and paid for them! And guess what? He is the biggest benefactor of the Chabad Lubavitch House in Kinshasha!

What's extra funny is that a whole string of Canadian mining companies have been screwed over by Gertler's antics in the DRC!

Now before you think I'm shilling for the Canadian mining industry, let me assure you such is not the case.

But you'd almost think Prime Minister Harper should be.