BY STEVEN KASZAB

Colonialism: The policy or practice of acquiring fully or partial control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.

Global attitudes towards colonialism vary, yet one common point of acceptance is that colonialism has been: exploitive, destructive and is morally wrong.  What so many colonial powers did historically was: rape their colonies of natural resources, and harvest everything above and under the host regions, often with no worries regarding the morality of their process and how the native population was treated.

Can we use this concept to build, rather than destroy? Can colonialism be rebranded for the 21^st Century?

Haiti
Haiti is historically a petri dish of colonialism. Once the colonialists left, they left the nation in disarray, a political and social vacuum filled by self-declared leaders, Papa Doc Duvalier followed by Baby Doc Jr and a slew of Generals.

Presently Haiti is being torn apart by gangland violence financed and politically inspired by several powerful families vying for supreme power. The world looks upon this situation realizing that throwing money at the problem will not achieve anything except to empower families who already have a tight hold on the country. Sending in troops to take control of the situation is a challenge no one, or group of nations is willing to do. What then can be done? Many Haitians are being terrorized, oppressed and murdered.

The New Colonialism
How about the policy, or practice of one nation (Canada) to acquire full, or temporary control of another nation? This is done in order to achieve a humanitarian goal: the democratization of a failing nation.

Canada is a multilingual nation speaking French, the language of Haiti. Canada has very close ties to Haiti as well. Canada is a former colony that understands the pitfalls of colonialism historically and practically.

Canada could proceed using these following tenants:

1. Official invitation of Haiti to join Canada’s Federation fully or temporarily. If fully Haiti would become a province of Canada in time (say 10-15 years) Haiti could be a protectorate moving towards full membership or be a member over a 10–15-year period, Allowing the authorities to shape the nation: judicially, politically, socially and financially.
2. Canadian police and military action will be required to seek out and crush all forms of violent gangland activities. The RCMP, Canadian Police Forces across Canada will supply investigators to seek out all forms of financial, political, military and international corruption. The Haiti Oligarchs will be brought to justice.
3. Canadian Forces will train, equip and assist Haitian Police and Military Forces so that they can be self-sufficient in their policing abilities.
4. Economic and political ties between Canada and Haiti and the Caribbean will become a primary focal point of policy in the 21^st century binding a multinational alliance.
5. Property ownership in Haiti will become a prime concern. Possible land transfers from corrupt officials to the public domain may be demanded. We are talking about land reform, and full equality. This would be a new democracy offered and given through Haitians efforts.

A national vote must be offered to all in Haiti, voting upon their place in Canada. Will a majority of Haitians accept Canada’s offer to join the Federation fully, or in a temporary status ending in 10-15 years’ time?

The horrors that Haiti is going through is not new to Haitians. Corruption has influenced and often controlled the nation and its people for many decades. Only a strong statement of action will bring peace to the Haitian People, and not temporarily, but for all time. Haiti’s potential economic future can only be accomplished if the Haitian status quo changes directly and forcefully.

Giving Haitians the opportunity to become Canadian citizens experiencing all the benefits Canadians experience, or accepting Canadian assistance to change Haiti’s future while remaining an independent nation. It’s a vote for future change no matter how you look at it.

Stop the brain drain in Haiti where professionals and educated alike are leaving the nation. Thousands of Haitians leave their homeland to enter the horrors of forced migration. Canada can end all of this, increase our immigration potential needs and strengthen democratic institutions throughout the Americas.

Is there a future for New Colonialism, a process that can be life giving, lifting up nations and their populations in need?

BY STEVEN KASZAB

Gangsterism has existed for some time, but with different names and labels. They have been known as: hordes, tribes, gangs, tongs, triads, secret societies etc.  It is the gathering of a group of individuals for a singular purpose; to survive and hopefully prosper, often by criminal means.

On this planet there are tens of thousands of criminal gangs, many of which have realized that it is better to work with “Big Brother -The Man” than against existing power elites. You know, “If you can’t beat them, join them.”  There is so much that can be done working with those who manage society and existing political structures:

• Protection from Police and Justice departments
• Acquiring intelligence that will protect the group, offered by those who employ them
• Making revenue seemingly in a legal manner
• Elite structure will often not bring about legislation that would damage or threaten the group
• Police agencies often work with, or ignore gangs activities

Brazil
The administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro employed members of The First Capital Command (PCC) to attack, disrupt and threaten their socialist counterpart. While the PCC and Red Command carried out all forms of criminal activities, the preservation of Bolsonaro’s Administration remained central in their efforts.

Mexico
The criminal world was once ruled by a handful of organizations, evolving into a situation where over 200 gangs rule Mexico’s underworld. Many of these “cartels” influence, bribe and work with various city, state or federal governmental agencies and individuals in the pursuit of funds and power.

Italy
The Camorra existed in Italy before Italy existed as a united nation. With around 10,000 members, it still runs many aspects of Italy’s criminal world. The control of public officials in Italy has become an art form for the Camorra. Camorra members have been known to work for and with corrupt political officials in the past.

Even the Dictator Mussolini feared this organization’s reach. Between 2013-2018 Italy saw 2,339 violent attacks upon politicians. Threatening, and attacking a politician can manipulate legislative policy, create an environment of fear and intimidation, while infiltrating the political parties of the elite and police force ensure the gathering of intelligence needed by the crime organization.

It is estimated that over 34% of Italian politicians are either soft or directly controlled by these gangs. Corruption is so rampant that the legislative body responsible for investigating public corruption has grown two fold in the last five years.

America and Canada
Various International organizations do business in North America. The International Wing of The Hell’s Angels continues to grow their various crime operations, all the while: bribing, manipulating public officials and the police. Worldwide membership stands at 35,000. This organization also has connections with illegal militia groups throughout America, raising funds through criminal pursuits: drugs, weapons, human trafficking, prostitution and money laundering. Various other biker gangs continue to grow regionally.

India
D Company centres its activities with heroin and opium trafficking, kidnappings, fraud, extortion and political assassination for hire. This organization ruled by Dawood Ibrahim has direct ties to Al Qaeda in Pakistan and India. Direct ties to Muslim Political Parties remain strong, as the group acts as a strong arm of these movements.

El Salvador and the world
MS-13 is and will remain the world’s most frightening organized crime syndicate, known for its vicious violent nature. Did you know MS-13 is El Salvador’s largest employer?

MS-13 has a modus operandi…

MS-13 will never accept being secondary. Total control of the marketplace, police and public officials will be their prime effort.

Japan
The Yakuza’s membership is 39,000. This organization encompasses a huge sector of illegal and legal operations making it difficult for the justice department to fight its operations. In the past entire regional administrations have fallen to these investigations, showing just how powerful the Yakuza’s reach is.

The wealthier a criminal organization (Gang) becomes, the closer it becomes to the power elites of its time. After all, such gangs accumulate massive wealth, and in the process of making this money legal (washed clean), many politicians and their bureaucracy come in contact with the criminal element.

Buying public land, establishing businesses are all tags that lure public officials to these gangs without knowing who they really are.

Illicit services like: prostitution, narcotics, slavery (trafficking) gambling will continue to create a working field for gangsterism, no matter the nation, race, sex or politics involved.

BY STEVEN KASZAB

The entire world is drowning not in water, but in massive unpayable debt. This situation existed before the pandemic, but the pandemic gave our governments the needed tools to carry on into blinding debt. Blinding because politicians, public and private managers and most of us don’t talk about our portion of the private and public debt that hangs over us like the sword of Damocles. Our eyes are wide shut, and our ears covered by the headphones we paid $350.00 for with our credit cards. Like the three monkeys of old, not hearing, seeing or speaking about DEBT.

Nations whose populations live in poverty, and 2^nd-3^rd nation status nations trying to build their economies so they can live the Kardashian lives, like the “national Jones” of the west and east alike. National politics disallow politicians from considering their budgets and debt levels. It’s all about staying in power, so spending must continue so that their allies, supporters in the middle-upper classes, continue to support them.

Our personal lives present people with two things in their hands: electronic devices and credit cards. Since one’s feelings have become so important during these difficult days, denying oneself is often never an issue, unless credit limits have been reached. Credit denial, and interest rate increases follow. We use credit cards to pay for gas, so we can go to work, providing an income that will dwindle as one’s bills are partially paid for, never paying all. Things will be better next month, you tell yourself.

Our need for personal emotional uplifting allows us to continue to pay less cash, more credit. Not that many people save their income. Society’s future is based upon a false economy where most things are paid for with borrowed money. What will happen when the credit roller coaster stops abruptly? Perhaps recession and possible national or international depression?

When will governments return to balanced budgets? Can private citizens receive a high school economics lesson regarding personal budgets, and how to save for a rainy day?

Power in relation to finance is a full scope issue. So long as we have the power to choose for others, or ourselves regarding finances both governments and private individuals are in peril, especially if both public and private sectors show no accountability or transparency regarding what, why and how much is spent on our behalf.