Ramping Up The Rhetoric

   The "tit for tat" between Canada and Russia over the situation in Ukraine continues to simmer along, with the occasional bubble of trouble billowing to the surface.
   Canada banned several Russian officials after that country's excursion into the Crimean peninsula, and today Russia fired right back, banning 13 lawmakers and officials, including Speaker of the House of Commons Andrew Scheer

   Mr Scheer just happens to be the M.P for the Regina-Qu'Appelle riding, which also happens to include towns like Balcarres and Abernethy. I've known Andrew for years, in fact since he was first elected in 2004. He was even a guest of mine on more than one occasion when I hosted a radio talk-show in Regina, but that was before he was named Speaker.
   There are other names on the "list of 13", including Conservative Ted Opitz, Liberal Irwin Cotlerand the NDP's Paul Dewar. Not surprisingly, national president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Paul Grod is also on the list.
   Will this escalate? Who knows. I know I'll be watching the developments.

TTFN