TRAGEDY AND HOPE IN NORTH AMERICA

From Eric D. Butler currently observing events from the North American continent
Canada and the U.S.A. have one thing in common: both are manifesting the worst features of a sick civilisation, while at the same time, and because of the very intensity of the sickness, are producing a constructive reaction which offers hope and encouragement for the future. Solzhenitsyn has recently said that he is encouraged by America's youth.

An American Doctor of Divinity, attending a recent seminar of mine in Canada, observed that a growing number of younger Congressmen, from both the Democrats and Republicans, were now openly resisting the general direction in which America was moving, both in national and international affairs. A feature of the big upsurge in support for the Canadian League of Rights is the number of younger Canadians to be seen at meetings and seminars. The younger marrieds are concerned about the future of their children in a society where every traditional value is under open attack. The latest example of this is the use of taxpayers' money to make a film promoting the case for incest. "Summer's Children" was produced by the Canadian Film Development Corporation, a Crown Corporation, for $190,000.

As the Canadian elections get under way, with the unbelievable ineptitude of Conservative leader Clark making it possible that the Trudeau Government will survive as a minority Government, many more are concerned about the possible impact of Mrs. Margaret Trudeau's personal revelations than about basic election issues. At the time of writing Mrs. Trudeau's book has not started to be serialised in the press. But there have been "leaked" stories of what is to come.

The responsible Canadian elector will be much more interested in any light Margaret Trudeau can throw upon Prime Minister Trudeau's past political associations than the fact that she was Trudeau's mistress for eighteen months before marrying him. There is also the probability that unless some of the personal revelations about Trudeau cause revulsion, the Prime Minister will gain a large sympathy vote as he is seen trying to look after children deserted by an irresponsible mother. In the face of the major problems threatening Canada, high inflation being one, it is a reflection upon the sickness of a society than an election may well be decided by how many extra votes a Prime Minister can obtain by skillfully exploiting his domestic problems!
The major realistic note in the campaign is being struck by The Canadian League of Rights, which is fostering the concept of groups of electors associating to demand firm commitments from all candidates on basic issues.

Irrespective of who wins the Canadian Federal elections, Canada, like the United States, is faced with more major convulsions in the immediate future. Last year, while in Canada I reported on the mounting friction resulting not only from the Quebec situation and the attempt to impose bilingualism throughout Canada, but from the influx of West Indians, Indians (known as East Indians here) and Pakistanis. The situation has progressively deteriorated. Deep bitterness is developing in many areas.

Apart from its historic Negro problem, carefully exploited by revolutionaries, Americans are now faced with a mass migration of Mexicans from the South, many arriving illegally, reminding one of the theme of "The Camp of the Saints". The large number of Spanish speaking Mexicans is resulting in the same type of demand seen in Australia for special schools for non-English speaking people.

The fragmentation of Canada on the language issue has been highlighted by the case of an Ontario public school principal who has been convicted in a provincial court of refusing without lawful excuse to complete his 1976 census form. This form required that many Canadians divide themselves into, by mother tongue, "English", "French", or "Other". In 1981 requirements will be extended to all citizens and those who refuse to cooperate have been declared to be acting illegally. The Ontario public school principal wants the right to call himself and his children Canadians.
I have not the slightest doubt that the type of program being used to divide the Canadians will be used in Australia unless the Grassbys are put firmly in their place before it is too late.

The "energy crisis" continues to be a major issue in both the USA and Canada. But the hard facts are that both countries between them have sufficient potential energy reserves to last for hundreds of years - even if the present wasteful production system is maintained. In spite of heavy taxation, petrol in Canada is selling currently at approximately 60 cents a gallon (yes, metrics are having a hard time in both U.S.A. and Canada!) There is little doubt that the "energy crisis" is being deliberately exploited in order to extend the New International Economic Order programme of bringing all energy resources under global control. Canadians and Americans are starting to "see through" this as the facts are forced into public discussion.

SIGNIFICANT ANTI-BUREAUCRACY REVOLT

Eric Butler further reports on the North American scene
During a frank discussion on the military bureaucracy with an army commander during the Second World War, I expressed the view that perhaps our best hope for defeating the Nazis was that their bureaucracy was bigger than ours! One of the best ways to try to avoid unpleasant army duties was to be seen walking somewhere with a sheaf of papers in one's hand. You were obviously on important business. I recalled this as I listened on radio to the former President of an American Tank Company recount the hilarious story of how, although his company only existed on paper, and never made a single tank, it was treated by the American military bureaucracy as a major part of the American tank manufacturing industry.
It was sent classified military information, invited to tender for tank projects, and the President frequently was requested to go on world trips, all expenses paid. Letters of thanks were sent by Vietnam commanders. There was even a letter of thanks from former American Secretary of Defence, Mr. Robert MacNamara, now Chairman of the World Bank, congratulating the company on its contribution to the defence of the United States. At last the President felt the time had come to "ring the bell". He obviously is a man with a great sense of humour, and honourable. Never once did he avail himself of one cent of the American taxpayers' money in free trips or in any other way. Asked to explain how such an incredible farce could have continued over so many years, he expressed the view it was but one more example of what can happen with a centralised bureaucracy.

Canadians, increasingly incensed by the attempt to impose the metric madness on them, have now discovered that forced metrication is turning out to be one of the biggest bluffs in Canadian history. The Canadian "Hansard" for February 1 reveals that no metrication bill has ever been passed by the Canadian Parliament. A resolution was carried to set up a commission, but no legislation has ever been passed. The bureaucracy has gone ahead making its own regulations and threatening Canadians with all types of dire consequences if they do not comply. Well, Canadians are not submitting quite as meekly as Australians, while Americans are resisting so strongly that there is a growing demand in Canada that a halt should be called to forced metrication until the American situation has been clarified. Although the U.S. Congress passed a "metric conversion act" in 1975, it is still debatable whether the act made it Government policy to encourage metric use.

While the Australian bureaucrats are repeating the story about the "rest of the world going metric", metrics have made such little impact in the United States that the American metric bureaucrats recently called in the media to publicise a victory. The Calveras County Fair in California has agreed to measure its annual frog-jumping contest in centimeters! In the meantime all Canadian exports - meat, timber, etc, to the United States are supplied in the traditional imperial measurements. Celsius measurements are rarely if ever, heard on American radio and T.V. stations while in Canada there is increasing use of both Celsius and Fahrenheit. Canadians claim that their climate is bad enough without having the temperature expressed in minus quantities eight months of the year by using Celsius!

But even in the face of a rising inflation rate, the Canadian metric bureaucrats have proclaimed their determination to impose greater financial costs upon the Canadian timber industry by forcing it to produce in two separate sizes so that every third sheet of plywood is in metric measurement for the Canadian market. The other two sheets, for the American market will continue to be in the traditional four-by-eight feet. One Canadian paper comments "It is unfortunate that no political party in the current election campaign, wants to give the people a say in metric conversion. If they did, perhaps Canada would relegate conversion to its frog jumping contests."
But while the parties have not raised the compulsory metric issue, the Canadian League of Rights has, with the result that right across Canada candidates are being challenged to commit themselves to ending the metric madness before it produces more confusion, friction and unnecessary increased economic costs. And, of course, more bureaucratic dictatorship.

It may be argued that the metric issue is not a major one. But if Americans and Canadians can demonstrate that at least the metric bureaucrats can be defeated, with Australians and others being inspired by example to challenge their bureaucrats, then electors will see that they can move on to assaulting other bureaucracies and their policies.