Whether you are a hockey star, a football star a baseball star or even a lowly politician, comparisons are inevitable, aren’t they?.How many of my friends have told me, no way could Gordie Howe play in this era. I also say no way Wayne Gretzky could have played in the Original Six era..I think he would have got his ticket punched in Game One..But hey, I’m a Red Wings fan and always will be..Getting back to comparison, I recently came across this remarkable story from Cambodia, about Magawa the famous mine-clearing rat..Up to 6 million landmines were laid in the southeast Asian country during its three-decade civil war which ended in 1998, causing tens of thousands of casualties, The Independent reported..I was impressed with this fellow’s heroism and the thought occurred to me, how would he compare with our current Prime Minister, the Honourable Justin Trudeau..I’m not saying, of course, that Justin is a rat — of course not. I’m just wondering who truly is the better man or well, the better whatever. You know what I mean..Look at it as a kind of Tale of The Tape that they used to do in the sports sections in the old days, anytime there was big heavyweight boxing match on tap..It should also be noted Magawa, who recently retired, didn’t get to enjoy much of his final days, passing away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 8..So here goes … may the best … thing(?) win!!.1. Trudeau won a second term in the PMO, albeit with a minority Liberal government. Magawa had no interest in politics of any kind nor brandished any political stripe, in fact he preferred cheese and any kind would do. .2. Magawa, who was bred in Tanzania, had to undergo a year of strict military training before uncovering bombs in Cambodia. Trudeau never did any military service..3. Weighing 1.2 kg and 70 cm long, Magawa (an African giant pouch rat) was able to search a field the size of a tennis court in just 20 minutes, something that would usually take a person with a top of the line metal detector up to four days. While that is far larger than many other rat species, Magawa was still small enough and light enough that he did not trigger mines if he walked over them. Trudeau has no special skills..4. Trudeau is known for his nice hair and teeth. Magawa, as well, prided himself on his cleanliness, and generally speaking, was a handsome rat..5. Magawa was awarded with a gold medal by the UK veterinary charity PDSA (sometimes described as the George Cross for animals) for “life-saving devotion to duty, in the location and clearance of deadly landmines in Cambodia” — the first rat to receive the honour. You might say, he broke the “rat glass ceiling” for rodents. Trudeau, of course, has no such honours for bravery. In fact, when protesters threw tiny pebbles at him and his RCMP guard during the election campaign, they ran away like scared little girls..6. Trudeau has faced the ethics commissioner three times, getting grilled over each breach. Magawa has a squeaky clean record and never was called on the carpet for rat transgressions of any kind. Apparently, he was a straight shooter. And those who knew him said he was the same rat after work, never bragging about his heroic exploits..7. Trudeau has said kind things about leaders such as China’s Xi Jinping and Cuba’s Fidel Castro, which has irked some folks. Magawa has never said a mean squeak about anyone including politicos. In fact, he’s never said a word. Period. It’s not his style..8. Justin has rich friends. Rich, rich friends. The Aga Khan, for instance, who is super wealthy and owns his own personal island in the Caribbean. Magawa has no such friends. In fact, other than his handlers, he has led a humble life and shunned the celebrity spotlight, as well as interviews..9. Magawa risked his life every day on the job, sniffing out more than 100 landmines and explosives in Cambodia over an illustrious five-year career, clearing the equivalent of more than 141,000 sq m of land – roughly 20 football pitches. Justin, who never really had to work in his life and probably doesn’t know what it takes to earn a buck in today’s world, has no such accolade of gallantry nor is it on the horizon. The biggest danger he has faced is the threat of a possible rogue wave while surfing off Tofino..10. Magawa has left a stellar life-saving legacy, clearing the way for other landmine rats to follow in his paw steps at the Cambodian Mine Action Centre. Meanwhile, Trudeau’s overspending has driven the federal debt to 1,201,044,764,748.73 (as of today), leaving a devastating legacy of taxation on future generations of Canadians..In closing, let’s summarize..According to Magawa’s handler, Malen, with the Belgian charity APOPO: “He is small but he has helped save many lives, allowing us to return much-needed safe land back to our people as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. .“Magawa’s performance has been unbeaten,” she added, “and I have been proud to work side by side with him.” .Trudeau, on the other hand … well. According to esteemed political pundit, Rex Murphy..Justin’s reign, is: “A mess. It’s a shambles. It’s an embarrassment. It is the worst ever by any reasonable measurement.”.So, there you go. The Western Standard, which spares no expense, fed these independent results into a giant quantum supercomputer, hidden on the Canadian prairies where the Mounties can’t find it. (Kind of like a still.).Anyway, after hours of computer analysis, it came up with this result: Magawa wins a decision on points..Completely fair and we had no say in the results, just so you know..RIP Magawa, we will miss you pal..To quote APOPO: “A hero is laid to rest.”.Dave Makichuk is a Western Standard contributor. .,He has worked in the media for decades, including as an editor for the Calgary Herald. He is also the Calgary correspondent for ChinaFactor.news,.makichukd@gmail.com
Whether you are a hockey star, a football star a baseball star or even a lowly politician, comparisons are inevitable, aren’t they?.How many of my friends have told me, no way could Gordie Howe play in this era. I also say no way Wayne Gretzky could have played in the Original Six era..I think he would have got his ticket punched in Game One..But hey, I’m a Red Wings fan and always will be..Getting back to comparison, I recently came across this remarkable story from Cambodia, about Magawa the famous mine-clearing rat..Up to 6 million landmines were laid in the southeast Asian country during its three-decade civil war which ended in 1998, causing tens of thousands of casualties, The Independent reported..I was impressed with this fellow’s heroism and the thought occurred to me, how would he compare with our current Prime Minister, the Honourable Justin Trudeau..I’m not saying, of course, that Justin is a rat — of course not. I’m just wondering who truly is the better man or well, the better whatever. You know what I mean..Look at it as a kind of Tale of The Tape that they used to do in the sports sections in the old days, anytime there was big heavyweight boxing match on tap..It should also be noted Magawa, who recently retired, didn’t get to enjoy much of his final days, passing away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 8..So here goes … may the best … thing(?) win!!.1. Trudeau won a second term in the PMO, albeit with a minority Liberal government. Magawa had no interest in politics of any kind nor brandished any political stripe, in fact he preferred cheese and any kind would do. .2. Magawa, who was bred in Tanzania, had to undergo a year of strict military training before uncovering bombs in Cambodia. Trudeau never did any military service..3. Weighing 1.2 kg and 70 cm long, Magawa (an African giant pouch rat) was able to search a field the size of a tennis court in just 20 minutes, something that would usually take a person with a top of the line metal detector up to four days. While that is far larger than many other rat species, Magawa was still small enough and light enough that he did not trigger mines if he walked over them. Trudeau has no special skills..4. Trudeau is known for his nice hair and teeth. Magawa, as well, prided himself on his cleanliness, and generally speaking, was a handsome rat..5. Magawa was awarded with a gold medal by the UK veterinary charity PDSA (sometimes described as the George Cross for animals) for “life-saving devotion to duty, in the location and clearance of deadly landmines in Cambodia” — the first rat to receive the honour. You might say, he broke the “rat glass ceiling” for rodents. Trudeau, of course, has no such honours for bravery. In fact, when protesters threw tiny pebbles at him and his RCMP guard during the election campaign, they ran away like scared little girls..6. Trudeau has faced the ethics commissioner three times, getting grilled over each breach. Magawa has a squeaky clean record and never was called on the carpet for rat transgressions of any kind. Apparently, he was a straight shooter. And those who knew him said he was the same rat after work, never bragging about his heroic exploits..7. Trudeau has said kind things about leaders such as China’s Xi Jinping and Cuba’s Fidel Castro, which has irked some folks. Magawa has never said a mean squeak about anyone including politicos. In fact, he’s never said a word. Period. It’s not his style..8. Justin has rich friends. Rich, rich friends. The Aga Khan, for instance, who is super wealthy and owns his own personal island in the Caribbean. Magawa has no such friends. In fact, other than his handlers, he has led a humble life and shunned the celebrity spotlight, as well as interviews..9. Magawa risked his life every day on the job, sniffing out more than 100 landmines and explosives in Cambodia over an illustrious five-year career, clearing the equivalent of more than 141,000 sq m of land – roughly 20 football pitches. Justin, who never really had to work in his life and probably doesn’t know what it takes to earn a buck in today’s world, has no such accolade of gallantry nor is it on the horizon. The biggest danger he has faced is the threat of a possible rogue wave while surfing off Tofino..10. Magawa has left a stellar life-saving legacy, clearing the way for other landmine rats to follow in his paw steps at the Cambodian Mine Action Centre. Meanwhile, Trudeau’s overspending has driven the federal debt to 1,201,044,764,748.73 (as of today), leaving a devastating legacy of taxation on future generations of Canadians..In closing, let’s summarize..According to Magawa’s handler, Malen, with the Belgian charity APOPO: “He is small but he has helped save many lives, allowing us to return much-needed safe land back to our people as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. .“Magawa’s performance has been unbeaten,” she added, “and I have been proud to work side by side with him.” .Trudeau, on the other hand … well. According to esteemed political pundit, Rex Murphy..Justin’s reign, is: “A mess. It’s a shambles. It’s an embarrassment. It is the worst ever by any reasonable measurement.”.So, there you go. The Western Standard, which spares no expense, fed these independent results into a giant quantum supercomputer, hidden on the Canadian prairies where the Mounties can’t find it. (Kind of like a still.).Anyway, after hours of computer analysis, it came up with this result: Magawa wins a decision on points..Completely fair and we had no say in the results, just so you know..RIP Magawa, we will miss you pal..To quote APOPO: “A hero is laid to rest.”.Dave Makichuk is a Western Standard contributor. .,He has worked in the media for decades, including as an editor for the Calgary Herald. He is also the Calgary correspondent for ChinaFactor.news,.makichukd@gmail.com
