Tafenoquine Stories: Dave & Alison – A Tragic Update

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David John Whitfield

16 June 1972 – 27 February 2024

Courtesy: Alison Whitfield

Alison Whitfield has sent me numerous messages over the last four and a half years, but last weekend was the first time I found myself just staring at the words trying to comprehend exactly it was that I was reading. It didn’t make any sense to me, it just couldn’t be. She told me that Dave had lost his battle, and even though I knew what that meant, I didn’t want to believe it. She would later tell me that she thought that she would always be there to stop him as she had been so many times before. In thinking about it, I suppose I had always taken that for granted myself. It would only serve to prove that you can’t take anything for granted when it comes to the living nightmare that is tafenoquine and everything it brings with it.

Tafenoquine Stories: Dave & Alison

Car found upside down in a river after crashing off Running Creek bridge in Queensland’s southwest

https://7news.com.au/news/car-found-upside-down-in-a-river-after-crashing-off-running-creek-bridge-in-queenslands-southwest-c-13747415

Veteran Dave Whitfield tragically takes his own life after pleading for help

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/veteran-dave-whitfield-tragically-takes-his-own-life-after-pleading-for-help/news-story/7ac06cb05298763495542f556840b54e

I was granted access to his medical records from his last visit to the hospital before he died, and this is what I have been able to put together.

Sometime on the evening of Monday the 26th, Dave had driven himself to the Emergency Department at the Casino and District Memorial Hospital in Casino, NSW, about a three-hour drive from home in Brisbane, presenting “very agitated and elevated.” According to the report, he was a veteran, suffered from PTSD and chronic pain and “blames an army mefloquine trial for much of his health and mental problems.” It also notes that he takes olanzapine (Zyprexa), which is an atypical antipsychotic, as needed for agitation, in addition to 30mg of MScontin and diazepam (Valium) regularly. He had also apparently run out of these prescriptions two days before this visit.

He stated that he had become agitated after losing his phone at the train station in Casino following a concert, having a complete meltdown after going home and then coming back to Casino to look for the phone without success. In fact, the concert was in Port MacQuarrie, about a four-hour drive south of Casino, and he hadn’t lost the phone but rather had destroyed it. He subsequently got a new phone but left it at his mother’s house before driving to Casino.

He made no mention of the fact that their beloved little companion, Ivy, had been put down four days prior. Alison used to breed the Pomeranian-Cavalier King Charles Spaniel cross and Ivy was born not breathing. She was able to resuscitate the puppy, and Ivy went on to thrive, even though things weren’t looking good for her at the beginning. Alison told me that she felt that losing Ivy precipitated Dave’s most recent difficulties, in addition to a dispute with the DVA over a claim that should have been settled last year.

These portraits were painted by the award-winning Australian traditional realist, Joe Zapp. Courtesy: Alison Whitfield
Courtesy: Alison Whitfield

Having asked for something to calm him down and help him sleep, the doctor ordered droperidol (Inapsine). Again they didn’t indicate the dosage or the route of administration in the record though it was likely an intramuscular injection. Primarily used to treat nausea and vomiting it is also used as a sedative and antipsychotic, and is in the same family as haloperidol which is commonly used to sedate patients who are in psychosis.

In the morning he was reported to be much calmer and denied any suicidality, stating that he had come to the ED to be sedated. Before being discharged he was given 10mg of Targin, which is a 2:1 formulation of oxycodone and naloxone, as well as 5mg of diazepam (Valium). Common side effects of both drugs include drowsiness.

(B) Targin®, a 2:1 combination of opioid agonist antagonist has been shown to be effective for ameliorating opioid induced constipation via the binding of naloxone to the μ‐opioid receptors in the GI tract and dislodging the oxycodone from the receptor. As a result, the adverse effects opioids on the GI tract are reversed, while the analgesic effects of oxycodone remain intact due to naloxone’s low bioavailability and first pass metabolism by the liver.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10014000/#:~:text=(B)%20Targin%C2%AE%2C%20a,the%20oxycodone%20from%20the%20receptor.

The discharge report was signed off at 7:31am, with no record that he had been seen by anyone from the mental health service. According to the police who notified Alison of Dave’s death, the first reports of the accident came in at 8:50, less than 90 minutes later. This is roughly the same amount of time it would take to drive between Casino Memorial Hospital and the location where the accident took place.

An unethical trial, producing fraudulent results.

The drug trial that Dave told the doctors about was actually for tafenoquine (Arakoda), another type of anti-malarial that was shown in the results of small animal testing to be even more neurotoxic than mefloquine (Lariam). He was one of some 3,000 Australian troops who were deployed to Bougainville and East Timor on a peacekeeping mission, who would also be coerced into participating in a drug trial that lacked any sort of informed consent, thus rendering the trial unethical.

In addition to this none of the adverse psychological events experienced by any of the subjects who were given tafenoquine were reported in the study provided to the FDA, resulting in its approval and constituting a fraud by omission.

https://onecalgaryvoter.com/2019/08/11/an-advocate-equalizer-international-exclusive-australian-defense-forces-brass-engineer-cover-up-of-a-drug-trial-that-tested-a-controversial-anti-malarial/

Two weeks beforehand he and Alison had pleaded for help from the Royal Commission into Veteran Suicide, with Dave fronting the Brisbane hearing after meeting with the commissioners, hopeful that he would finally get the help he had been asking for for 20 years. Unsurprisingly, this would get him nowhere closer to getting what he desperately needed. They had even managed to get a sit-down at her kitchen table with Minister for Veterans Affairs Matt Keogh, who appeared to be listening intently to their plight. By this point, Alison had spent three months exhausting every avenue to get him extended inpatient treatment in a hospital, all to no avail and now the promises of help that they were getting were turning out to be nothing but more bullshit.

Earlier this week she received a condolence call from Peggy Brown, who sits as one of the Royal Commissioners that are tasked to “..listen, investigate and recommend actions or changes to address systemic issues contributing to suicide and suicidal behaviours by serving and ex-serving Defence members. What the Commissioners can and are required to investigate is set out in the terms of reference.” Alison’s reply was to tell the Commissioner that she held her and the other Commissioners partly responsible for Dave’s death. I can’t say that I disagree with her, as I have had issues with the Commission from the beginning. I will delve into more details at a later date, but I will say that these issues are related to both the make-up and the Terms of Reference of the Commission.

As for Minister Keogh, Alison says that she hasn’t received a call from him, despite the fact that he sat in her kitchen and saw how bad of a state Dave was in, and stated that it only showed what kind of a “weak prick” he is. She also assigns him some blame for her husband’s far too early passing.

Courtesy: Alison Whitfield
Courtesy: Alison Whitfield

Right now Alison has a lot of questions that need answering, as do I, and once I have taken the time to grieve this loss I will begin looking for those answers. Several emails are going to be written, as I assure her that she isn’t alone in this daunting battle against the government. As in the case against David McBride, this is yet another example of how the Diggers pay the price while senior ADF commanders and politicians can act however they want without consequence. To them, I say that their time is coming.

Funeral

Dave’s funeral service will be held at the Hemmant Crematorium on Thursday, March 14th, 2024 at 2PM (AEDT) 0400 Zulu. The address is 500 Hemmant Tingalpa Road, Hemmant, QLD, 4147. Telephone 07 3403 8888.

It is being live-streamed and can be seen by clicking the link below and entering PIN 5292.

https://streaming.naoca.com.au/e/abf548b6-1501-4a0b-a9f2-fd37a58f016f

Godspeed soldier, your duty is done. Rest easy brother, now that you have at last found peace.

Seven Days in Ottawa – Day 1

For Wolf.

Lt. Wolf Wm Solkin was a Canadian hero and a personal one to myself and many others. As a young man, he volunteered to fight tyranny in Europe, and when he came home he would continue fighting. He would battle against all levels of government until he died, tenaciously fighting for and on behalf of veterans. I saw him as the Dean of Canadian Veteran’s Advocacy and, after he left us shortly before his 98th birthday three years ago, even though he wasn’t a Catholic, I would think of him as its Patron Saint.

We miss you, Wolf.

This is for you.

Courtesy: Facebook
Courtesy: Facebook
Courtesy: Facebook

Saturday, 12 February.

Off to Ottawa.

Weather observations – Calgary 12 February 2022

https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/canada/calgary/historic?month=2&year=2022

It was a mild 1 degree Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) at 7AM when I arrived at the airport, and a Chinook arch was visible as the sun rose and I waited in the lounge to board the 9AM flight to Ottawa. Usually, I like to be among the first in line, but I wasn’t looking forward to being on this plane for any longer than was absolutely necessary. Although restrictions were starting to be lifted in Alberta, wearing a mask was still mandatory aboard all aircraft and I was about to be on one for roughly five and a half hours.

My vaccine status and position on the issues.

Vaccine status.

Obviously, since I was able to board an aircraft at that time, I had to have at the very least received the first two COVID-19 inoculations to get my “vaccine passport” which would allow me to do so. It was only after a great deal of consideration that I decided to get those injections, and I would be making as informed a choice as one could hope to expect at the time. I was well aware of the potential risks that would or possibly could come with this vaccine, but then, I also knew that I was facing a certain degree of risk every time I was prescribed a drug that was new to me.

I know that there are people out there who would call me a sheep for having decided to get the vaccine. To them, I would say that it is because of that kind of rigid black-and-white thinking that we now find ourselves in the predicament we currently find ourselves in, not just as a country but across the globe.

Believe me when I say that I had spent a considerable amount of time learning just exactly how little one can place one’s trust in either government or the pharmaceutical industrial complex. I’m not given to swallow everything that I am fed, particularly when it comes to those two entities. Having weighed the pros and cons, I decided that I would get the first two shots should I ever need to do some business travelling. Turns out that I was right on that point.

Clinical Drug Trials: Part One, Phases And Compliance

Pandemic response and aftermath.

I could write another series about my thoughts on the response to the pandemic and its subsequent aftermath, but, for the sake of brevity, I will attempt to summarize my position as succinctly as possible while not appearing to be glib about it.

https://nationalpost.com/news/students-around-the-world-suffered-huge-learning-setbacks-during-the-pandemic-study-finds

Time has gone on to prove that, in Canada and the United States at least, the socio-economic fallout will be felt for years to come as a result of how this was (mis)handled by our elected officials. While it didn’t turn out to be the catalyst for governments to start locking people up in camps as some had feared, it was the cause of deep divisions in a society that was already rife with division. We were weakened even further, much to the delight of our enemies, among them the People’s Republic of China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, not to mention non-state actors like religious fundamentalist groups and other terrorist organizations (Hamas, Hezbollah, etc,).

English historian Dr. David Starkey provides an interesting take on inflation, comparing what happened in the post-war era economies following the two World Wars to what occurred in the wake of what he calls the “Covid phoney war”.

The Freedom Convoy.

Leadership/organization.

There seemed to be several people whose names were being mentioned in the media as being associated with the Freedom Convoy in some capacity, typically as an “organizer”. Of these, however, three would stand out more than the others.

Tamara Lich & Chris Barber.

Convoy protest organizers Tamara Lich (left) and Chris Barber stand co-accused of mischief, obstructing police, counselling others to commit mischief and intimidation for their roles in the 2022 convoy protest. PHOTO BY TONY CALDWELL/POSTMEDIA, JUSTIN TANG/THE CANADIAN PRESS

At the time I wasn’t familiar with either Tamara Lich or Chris Barber, so I had no basis on which to form an opinion of them other than that they were both passionate about how they felt and were willing to act on their principles. As for the GoFundMe effort, I didn’t contribute to it because it wasn’t clear who would be administering it, how the funds were to be spent, etc.. It wasn’t so much a matter of thinking the funds would be stolen as it was a seeming lack of organization on their part. Saying this, trying to organize something like this would be a monumental task taking at the very least several weeks of planning by numerous people, all of whom are singing off the same sheet as it were.

My only real concern was that it might not get much support east of Manitoba given Lich’s separatist affiliations, although she did resign from her position in the Maverick party in early February of 2022 to dedicate all of her attention to the protest.

Tamara Lich and Chris Barber both face four charges, with Lich spending 48 days in custody before being granted bail, while Barber was released the day after his arrest.

Pat King.

Courtesy: Facebook

Pat King however was a name that I was familiar with, as I knew of him through various Facebook pages and groups that I belonged to. After seeing some of his posts and talking with several people, I concluded that he was an opportunist who had previously misrepresented himself to the veteran community. I’ve heard from more than a few veterans who referred to him as a grifter. Quite frankly I would trust the man about as far as I could throw him, and I felt that his presence could only prove detrimental to the cause.

He is facing 16 charges and spent 150 days in custody before being granted bail.

The capriciousness of Canadian criminal justice.

Despite how I may feel about Kimg personally I do not think that he deserved to spend five months in jail before being granted bail, and in both his and Tamara Lich’s case, the amount of time spent in custody seems disproportionate to the crimes being charged, especially when because people charged with far more serious crimes have seen much less time behind bars awaiting trial.

As of the time of this writing, Lich and Barber’s trial remains adjourned, while King’s trial is slated to begin in May of this year.

Western Separation.

At one time I was among those in Alberta who believed that the West would be better off breaking away from Confederation and doing our own thing, it was a belief that I had held onto from the time I was old enough to vote. After all, I grew up during the reign of the first Trudeau and the economic ruin he inflicted on my home province with the National Energy Program, so I was all about breaking away from Ottawa and committing to the fight.

Grounds For Separation
Grounds For Separation, Part 2

Things started to change for me about five years ago, however. For one thing, when I decided to become an advocate for veterans, it was to be for all veterans no matter where they lived or were from, east or west. I had also grown tired of the Western Separatist movement being nothing but talk, all sizzle and no steak. No charismatic leader has yet emerged with a comprehensive plan that will detail how they would address every aspect of separation that would need to be addressed, and I would expect such a plan to be at least several hundred pages long, not laid out in bullet form on two or three. Until such time comes, I find that it would be just a waste of time for me to even think about it, I have better things to be doing.

Wheels down.

Weather observations – Ottawa 12 February 2022

https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/canada/ottawa/historic?month=2&year=2022

3 PM EST – Temperature -13C/9F (Wind Chill -25C/-13F)

The mask was gone the moment I was off the aircraft and on the jetway, making a beeline for the main entrance so that I could have a cigarette and catch up with events online. As soon as I stepped outside I was hit with an arctic blast, as temperatures in Ottawa began to plummet and the wind started to gust steadily while I was en route. I knew that this bitter cold would greet me on my arrival, but it didn’t prepare me for the frigid shock. I lit a cigarette and discovered that while I was in the air the fence that had been put up around the National War Memorial had been taken down by a group of veterans, in a move decried by the evidently clueless Minister of Veteran’s Affairs, Larry MacAulay.

Somehow MacAulay failed to understand was, to veterans, that damn fence was just as much a desecration of the memorial as the acts committed by the ignorant protester. To suggest that veterans would intentionally disrespect the War Memorial was completely asinine and foolish on his part. In fact, after removing the barricade, there was an almost constant presence of veterans standing watch at the monument to ensure that no further acts of desecration would be committed by anyone. They wouldn’t abide the behaviour of knucklehead fools, no matter who they were, protestor or otherwise. I would spend several hours there myself that week, at times going in the middle of the night when things were quiet to keep vigil over the unknown soldier entombed there. I resolved that if and when the situation escalated, it would be where I made my last stand.

I finished smoking that cigarette in a hurry, eager to return to the terminal’s warmth and headed to wait for my baggage to land on the carousel. A short time later I was in a cab headed downtown, listening to the local news as it played on the car’s radio.

Forward Operating Base (FOB) Ottawa.

Also known as the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Downtown on King Edward Avenue and conveniently located 2 kilometres, about a ten-minute walk, from the National War Memorial, it would be my base of operations for the week. As the cab pulled into the carport, I could see a group of people with Canadian flags going into the hotel and was happy to see that there would be other people of like mind staying in the hotel. I checked in and went to wait for an elevator to take me upstairs, and was joined by an attractive young woman who had also just checked in. As we got on the lift she asked if I was in town with the convoy, and I told her that I wasn’t “with” them but that was why I was there. I told her that I was a writer and freelance investigative journalist and had just flown in from Calgary. I in turn found out that she had just arrived from Vancouver and was a lawyer considering a run in local politics. As I was about to exit onto my floor she gave me her business card and I immediately recognized her last name as being Ethiopian. I thanked her and said that I would likely be seeing her around.

Dinner out – Chez Lucien.

After getting settled in at the hotel I wanted to get something to eat, and I wasn’t about to have fast food on my first night in Ottawa, so I searched online for a place within a few blocks since I really didn’t feel like walking a long way in the frigid weather. Chez Lucien was only a couple of blocks to the west and looked like a good place to relax and have a couple of beers and a bite to eat after a long day.

I sat at the bar, the place having a very cozy environment that would be good for a date night or an evening out with some friends. I got a pint of beer from the friendly bartender and then asked her for an order of Mussels and Fries ($14), which came before I had the chance to finish half my pint of beer. I decided to empty the glass and order another pint to enjoy with my dinner, which consisted of a good number of mussels with a delicious dipping sauce and a decent amount of fries that automatically came with a side of mayo for dipping.

I was happy to see that they recently celebrated their 20th anniversary and hope that they have many more years of success. If I ever make it back to Ottawa again, I’m definitely hitting up Chez Lucien.

Photo taken in Feb. 2022
Photo taken Feb. 2022
Photo taken Feb. 2022

Back to the hotel.

It was back to my room after dinner to get some rest after a long day. The weather forecast called for continuing cold temperatures, but I kept hoping for a miracle.

If you like and appreciate this or any of my other stories, please hit like and subscribe. Your financial support would also be greatly appreciated, no matter the amount. You can donate using PayPal or by e-transfer to loftner1969@gmail.com.

A Simple Treatment For Anxiety That Works Fast, With NO Drugs, and at Little To No Cost.

Well established within the diving community for some time.

As I wrote about a little while ago, I spent some time in the hospital recently for treatment of depression and anxiety. While I was a patient in the Crisis Stabilization Unit at the Rockyview General Hospital in Calgary, Alberta, I was able to participate in some group therapy sessions, which usually involve some aspect of either Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). I was there for a group where we learned about a technique to treat anxiety that had recently been gaining favour within the circles of mental health treatment.

ICE therapy.

I also referred to it as DIVE therapy, because it involves a natural physiological response that exists in all mammals known as the “dive reflex”. As with other mammals, we need to breathe air to live, and so whenever we dive into the water the brain triggers the dive reflex, which in turn acts to conserve as much oxygen while we are below the surface. It causes both respiration and heart rate to slow down having an almost instantaneous calming effect, and has been something that has been known among divers for quite some time.

How to make your brain think that you are diving.

To replicate this, all you need is something cold like some ice cubes in a ziplock bag or a cold pack that’s been in the freezer. First, find a place to make yourself comfortable and take a minute or two to regulate your breathing, taking deep breaths in and slowly exhaling. Then take a deep breath and hold it, while holding the bag of ice over your eyes and lowering your head. Hold your breath for 20-30 seconds, then take the bag away from your eyes and exhale.

I did this a couple of days after learning about it after experiencing an episode of major anxiety on the unit which left me near raging and physically shaking. I asked for a bag of ice and did the above twice as well as doing it once while holding the ice on the back of my neck.

To my utter amazement, I had actually stopped shaking and I found myself to be a great deal calmer. It blew my mind. So much so, that I wanted to share this so that others might find some benefit from it because I know that there are a LOT of people suffering out there who could use this. Especially those who are either trying to avoid using anti-anxiety medications like Ativan or stop using them altogether.

Not for everyone.

There are some people for whom this might not work, such as people who have suffered brain injuries. In addition, people with bradycardia (slow heart rate) or hypotension (low blood pressure) need to be aware that doing this could possibly result in the loss of consciousness, so caution would be strongly advised.

I hope this helps.

If it does help you, please spread the word around so that more people will know about this.

Australian Whistleblower David McBride Writes Compelling Autobiographical Read.

“The Nature of Honour” is now available in paperback or audiobook.

Four and a half years ago I started writing about Australian whistleblower and former ADF legal officer David McBride, who has been facing serious charges that could potentially result in a lengthy prison sentence.

I Published An Article About The Arrest Of An Australian Journalist and Later Pulled It
Brereton Inquiry Findings Exonerate Aussie Whistleblower David McBride

In his autobiography, The Nature of Honour, published in November 2023 by Penguin, McBride opens up about his life. The son of Dr. William McBride, the Sydney obstetrician who would be the first to raise the alarm over thalidomide in the 1960s, he studied law at Oxford before joining the British Army and serving in Northern Ireland.

He went back to civilian life, eventually returning to Sydney and did a brief stint practicing law with a major firm before deciding to join the Australian Defence Force as a legal officer. He was deployed to Afghanistan twice, and subsequently given a medical release in 2017 due to PTSD. In 2019 he was charged after releasing a trove of classified documents to the Australian media, documents which implicate senior ADF commanders and high-ranking government officials in several serious crimes and cover-ups.

Available on Audible.

As an Audible Premium Plus member for a monthly fee of only $ 14.95 CAD+GST, I receive one credit every month to use on any title from their extensive premium selection, which I used to get The Nature of Honour.

A must-read/listen for anyone who believes in democracy.

What justice is there when a soldier receives the highest possible decoration for committing murder, while a legal Sword of Damacles hangs over the head of the man who did the right thing and performed his duty honourably.

Seven Days in Ottawa – Prologue

In February of 2022, I went to Ottawa because, like many other Canadians, I felt I needed to be there.

This is the story.

In May of 2021, I began working on a project that would take all my time and attention for eight solid months until it ended rather abruptly in early January 2022.

One Year Later – Part Three

I spent most of the first three weeks of 2022 trying to ignore the outside world as much as possible, limiting my activities to eating, sleeping, watching YouTube, and playing many mindless games on my phone. It helped some, but I was still harbouring a lot of resentment towards our government and all of the others who failed our former allies in Afghanistan. After a while, I just had to admit that it is something that will never fade and that I would have to find a way to live with it.

Around the third week of January, the word of another convoy to Ottawa started appearing in the mainstream corporate media and through other reliable sources online. Initially, I didn’t pay much attention to it, seeing it as just another protest convoy heading to Ottawa that wouldn’t accomplish anything at the end of the day. That point of view started to change towards the end of January as it became clear that this was definitely not just another convoy. In fact, I had even begun to entertain the notion of going there myself.

Then, following an incident at the National War Memorial on February 2nd, which saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier desecrated, a fence was erected around it. It was at this point that I decided that I was absolutely going to go to Ottawa. I started crunching some numbers and working out several plans and contingencies, given that I would be working within the limits and constraints of a budget. It would also mean getting the timing right, since if I were to go too early, I could run out of time before things started happening. I had the feeling that a significant moment in the history of this country was going to happen, and I wanted to be there to witness and be a part of it and to record it for posterity. On the evening of Thursday the 10th, everything had fallen into place and I would be leaving in 36 hours on a direct flight out of Calgary. My window of opportunity would last a little over two weeks, I had booked the return flight home for the 28th.

My priority would be to lend support to the veterans who had been at the War Memorial. Although I would also be lending my support to those in the Freedom Convoy, my reason for going to Ottawa wasn’t to protest against the vaccine mandates, though it would be the straw that broke the camel’s back. I would be there to protest every damn thing this government had ever done. From abandoning our former allies in Afghanistan to being an utter foreign policy disaster and complete embarrassment on the world stage, to continually acting to subvert the democratic rights of Canadians, not to mention breaking the law seemingly at will as and when it suits them to do so, etcetera. Everything! Saying this, my objective was to act to affect regime change legally and democratically. Although there are times and circumstances in which the use of violence is warranted, however, these are an extremely narrow set and must have both legal and moral justification, of which there was none to be found in this instance.

That doesn’t mean that the people do not have the right to assemble and demonstrate against the government. In a democracy, the people have every right to assemble and demonstrate against the government. It’s what is supposed to happen. Throughout history, the banning and suppression of such demonstrations have been the hallmarks of crooks and dictators, and so democratically elected governments must necessarily be held to account by the people. Otherwise, those elected governments will continue to act as though they can act without accountability.

A message to the people of Ottawa.

This was my second trip to the nation’s capital, and both times it was to participate in a protest against the government. My first trip to Ottawa was for the Veteran’s Mefloquine Rally on Parliament Hill in September 2019, during which temperatures were in the high 20’s to low 30’s Celsius. I would like to make another trip there someday, only as a tourist next time, not as part of a protest. Ottawa isn’t only home to many of Canada’s historic places and our seat of government, but it is also known for its many pubs and restaurants that are worthy of a visit, and I was able to take in a couple of them while I was there.

I have no quarrel with you.

I can understand the anger and frustration felt by many of you, especially those living and working in proximity to Parliament Hill. However, I believe that sometimes events such as this will come with the territory whenever anyone lives in a national capital, no matter what country you live in. I would suggest that anger and frustration also be directed towards the Trudeau regime, as it was their actions that were responsible for pissing Canadians off to the point that they decided to say “enough”, bringing them out in numbers never seen before in this country.

A moment in history.

For a week in 2022, I joined hundreds of thousands of other Canadians who had made their way to the nation’s capital in unprecedented numbers, and it was an adventure that will remain forever in my memory. I had the chance to meet and talk to some of those people and to see some of the places made (in)famous in Canadian political lore. I stood in solidarity with veterans as they kept watch over the National War Memorial and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I would also come face-to-face with the Sûreté du Québec’s Tactical Intervention Squad, helping to hold the line against them as they began to move in on protesters. By the end of that week, I had walked more than 80 km (50 miles), more than I had walked in the previous 6 months combined.

Between now and February 18th, I will recount the story of my adventure in words and with the images and video I captured during this once-in-a-lifetime moment in Canadian history. Join me as I share with you my firsthand account, and provide you with my take on the events of those seven days in Ottawa.

If you like and appreciate this post or any of my other work, please hit like and subscribe. Your financial support would also be greatly appreciated, no matter the amount. You can donate using PayPal or by e-transfer to loftner1969@gmail.com.

Back on the Radar.

Taking some time to address my mental health.

For anyone thinking that I had dropped off the face of the Earth last fall, let me assure you that I haven’t. Back in late October, I spent a week in the Rockyview General Hospital here in Calgary, being admitted to the Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) for treatment of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress. While there I was referred to their 4-week Mental Health Day Hospital Program which I completed earlier this month and I am happy to say that I am a great deal better for the experience.

I’m also happy to say that I have started writing again and that I am working on putting together a series of stories about it, from the 59 hours I spent in emergency, to the help that the amazing staff on the CSU was able to provide me, and finally about the day hospital program.

My gratitude and appreciation also go out to the staff of the Rockyview General Hospital, in particular, those in the ER, as well as those incredible teams working in the CSU and the Mental Health Day Hospital Program, and the rest of the Department of Psychiatry in particular Dr. Pamela Weatherbee and Dr. Roy Turner.

But first……

I’ll be posting a nine-part series called “Seven Days in Ottawa”, in which I will tell of being in the nation’s capital during those historic days in February of 2022. Watch for the stories as they come out between now and February 18th.

Reaching out for help.

If you live in Canada and find yourself in the midst of a mental health crisis or are feeling like hurting yourself, please go to the nearest emergency room or call 988 right away.

Law & Order: Kabul

With apologies to Dick Wolf.

I submitted this story to a few media outlets for consideration as a guest essay and much to my disappointment, but not my surprise, I received no response and the reason can be summed up in four words: nobody gives a shit. I probably would have been more surprised if I had actually received a response quite frankly, so I will just publish this myself like I figured would happen anyway.

I was recently contacted by a friend of mine in Kabul, whom I will refer to as Abdullah. I first met him two years ago when he reached out to me looking for help getting out of the country, but by then it was already too late, the last flight out was already gone, and the Taliban had taken control of the airport. He is a member of one of the many groups that the Taliban were hunting down and continue hunting to this very day, so his life was at imminent risk. That risk may have diminished slightly since then, but it nonetheless remains, and so he must do everything he can to keep a low profile and off the Taliban’s radar.

Unfortunately, Abdullah would one day find himself in the totally wrong place at the completely wrong time, and as a result, he found himself being placed under arrest for suspicion of armed robbery. His story made me remember that even in dictatorships, there are still those crimes that aren’t in breach of humanitarian laws. Murders, rapes, robberies, and assaults will continue to happen no matter what regime is in power. The things that motivate these crimes are the same whether in a democratic system or under the repressive thumb of totalitarianism. We tend to forget this however when we hear of the many atrocities being committed by such regimes, as though the only people who are being sought are the opponents of those regimes, who are typically made political prisoners or are summarily dispatched.

For instance, most people have heard of the Gehaime Stat Polizei, better known as the Gestapo, who were the Nazi’s feared secret police while they were in power. The Gestapo didn’t investigate things like murder or robbery though, this job was left to the Kriminalpolizei or the Kripo as they were colloquially known. These were the law enforcement officers, whose background and training were such that they were at least professionals.

The same cannot be said in present-day Afghanistan, which should be no surprise to anybody. Every day law enforcement is now done by members of the Taliban, and as they have demonstrated many times in the past, they will take on any task no matter how little knowledge or experience they have. This has of course proven detrimental to them at times, usually resulting in seemingly unanticipated and fatal results for those involved, yet they continue to plow along without regard for processes or consequences. These things only go to further demonstrate what appears to be a complete and substantial lack of intellectual capacity among the Talibs. These are not the hallmarks of a competent criminal investigator.

Afghan Taliban’s Deputy Head of Interior Ministry Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali speaks at a news conference about the new Afghan police uniform, in Kabul, Afghanistan, June 8, 2022. REUTERS/Ali Khara

Instead, the men in the black turbans rely on what they know best to solve such criminal activity, and that is through simple brutality. Abdullah was making a delivery nearby to a location where a gang of armed robbers was about to be set upon by members of the Taliban. He would go on to tell me “Sir there (sic) local criminology is not too much active but their intelligence are very active” and that they didn’t appear to be any ranks saying that “all of them are bosses. Nobody reports to or receives orders from anyone.”

Once he was taken into custody, his jailers began their “investigation” by beating the living crap out of Abdullah. He sent me a photo of his badly bruised and swollen face, the broken nose being more obvious than the fractured orbit he also received. The beatings continued until the next day when they decided to introduce repeated electric shocks. He says they attached something to his arm and that he was subsequently “shocked very bad from my head to my toes and burning my body.” He went on to tell me that those shocks took away the other pains that he was feeling in his body.

A Taliban police officer breaks a paving stone on a colleague in a show of strength in Kandahar CREDIT: Shutterstock

For 70 hours he had to endure this as well as the fear of possibly being exposed as a wanted person through his biometrics. Fortunately, this didn’t happen, and it was his boss vouching for him and providing video evidence of his employment that finally got him released. He was bruised and battered, and covered with electrical burns, but he was alive, though definitely in need of some medical intervention which I can only pray he manages to find. I can only surmise that Abdullah isn’t alone and that there are countless others who have suffered the same fate as him, or worse.

Two years ago, I promised him that I would do everything that I could to get him the hell out of there, and I remain committed to that promise. I also promised him and a few others who are still trapped in Afghanistan that I would not forget about them and that I would tell their stories to the world, and I will continue to do so until they no longer live in fear for their lives.

This was one of those stories.

Dedicated to those around the world who vowed to keep their promise and didn’t forget those who were left behind in Afghanistan. You’re all heroes each and every one.

An Update On the Fundraiser for Kelley & Jeannette McLeod

GoFundMe effort pays for roof repairs.

Calling Canadian Forces Veterans for Assistance…

Last month I wrote about a fundraiser that was put together to help Canadian Forces veteran Kelley McLeod and his wife Jeannette after they were faced with thousands of dollars in unforeseen renovation expenses and left unable to live in their home.

This particular fundraiser has ended, the proceeds of which went towards covering half of the cost of a new roof, and so they got half of the roof done which was able to address the leakage issue.

The interior remains stripped down to the studs however and there is still a considerable amount of work left to be done before the house is back to being in a condition for it to be occupied. They have received estimates to complete the work and the final cost for them will be in the range of around $50,000.

How this happened.

Kelley and Jeannette bought their house in Napanee, Ontario last year. They purchased the house “as is” knowing they would have to put on a new roof the following year. They were also planning on doing some renovations around the house that would make life a little bit easier for Kelley given his physical infirmities.

A few months ago Jeannette read an article online in which she found out that there could be asbestos in plaster, and as they were planning on doing work to the ceilings they thought it best to have a test done for asbestos. Unfortunately, the tests showed the presence of asbestos, and they were then told that it was also more than likely that there would be asbestos in the drywall compound that was used on the walls.

They were told that pretty much the only course of action available to them was to remediate the asbestos by having all the walls and ceilings removed down to the studs, which cost them several thousand dollars.

At that point, it was discovered that the electrical panel and the wiring were no longer up to code and wouldn’t pass an inspection, making it necessary for them to have it replaced at a considerable cost ($25,000).

Incidentally, although they didn’t get a house inspection prior to buying it, multiple contractors have told them that a standard inspection would not have found any of the issues currently plaguing them.

They needed to take out a loan in order to pay for the asbestos remediation, and they are now at their maximum Total Debt Servicing Ratio (TDSR) meaning that they couldn’t borrow bus fare now if they needed it.

A heartbreaking loss.

As if things weren’t bad enough, Kelley’s best friend and source of comfort, Sadie, passed last week only days after they discovered she had an autoimmune disease that affected her blood cells. Now bereft and heartbroken, Kelley and Jeannette are really struggling right now.

Working on a plan.

Right now there are some efforts being made on multiple fronts in an effort to see Kelley and Jeannette through this and to ensure they have a place to live again as soon as possible. Once there is a clearer picture as to where things are at, fundraising activities will resume if they are necessary.

At the moment they are in need of some privacy so that they can deal with what has been an exceptionally stressful time for them, brought about by a cascading series of events beyond their control, and wish to thank those who have expressed their support during this difficult period.

They would also like to extend their thanks to VETS Canada and the Kingston Legion for all their help.

I will be posting updates as they become available.