Canada-Ukraine spy scandal smells extra fishy

I've been following the story of the Canadian Armed Forces "intelligence officer" who has been accused of espionage for passing Canadian secrets to a foreign entity. The Globe & Mail has its senior troika of truth tellers on the file, Chase, Fife, and Senior Internet Correspondent Mark Mackinnon. This team has been working overtime spinning anti-Russian propaganda for the past four years, and are spinning this particular security breach as a nothingburger. Turns out the foreign entity in question is Ukraine. As every patriotic Canadian well knows, thanks to being reminded daily by CBC and the Globe, Canada is Ukraine's absolute bestie in the global playground. Nobody, but nobody, has made more (empty) promises to Ukraine than we have. No one has vowed more often or more loudly to "stand with Ukraine" until victory. Needless to say, Ottawa is crawling with Ukraine firsters who don't consider sharing state secrets with Ukraine to be treason. That's why this episode is downplayed. Today's update seems nothing more than a gratuitous smear of journalist David Pugliese by recycling Ukrainian claims that he could be a Russian agent. For my money, Pugliese is by far the best informed and most professional journo covering Canada's military affairs in the mainstream. His forthrightness has often marked him for retaliation, especially when Big Steve's Alliance Church Mafia was running the joint. My read of the Ukraine war is that since the failed counter-offensive of 2023, things have only gone from disaster to worse disaster for Ukraine. We've been treated to the non-stop refrain; "A few more billions and a few more months and Putin will be vanquished." The EU has just found 90billion euros under the sofa cushions that will supposedly do the trick. It won't. At most, it will delay Ukraine's collapse for a few months. Then what?

Could it happen in Canada?

That's a question you've seen splashed across Canadian media since the murder of fifteen people in Australia on Saturday. I'll answer that for you. Not only could it, but thanks to decades of foolish policies, it's practically guaranteed to happen. Consider these four examples. 1) Somalia. Thirty years ago several Canadian Forces soldiers were found guilty of torturing a Somali teen to death. Since then, we have invited tens of thousands of Somalis to Canada. Some have long memories. Not all of them love Canada. 2) Syria. The same week that a Canadian from Edmonton was handed a stiff prison term for trying to join ISIS, a former ISIS commander was handed the Presidency of Syria by the very same coalition of stinking hypocrytes who pretended for the last fifteen years to be fighting ISIS. In the course of our secret support for ISIS, we brought tens of thousands of Syrians to Canada. We've got over 100,000 now. Not all of them feel gratitude in their hearts for Canada's role in destroying their country. Not all of them are happy to see the Israeli flag flying in southern Syria. 3) Libya. Canada's political leadership was thrilled to play a role in the destruction of the most succesful country in Africa. The most politically and economically stable, Canada proudly led the bombing campaign that destroyed civil society and the place is now an anarchic shithole, thanks in part to Canada. Arabs and Muslims generally remember. 4) Afghanistan. We were happy enough to send Canadian Forces into harm's way. General Rick Hillier promised we'd put the murdering Taliban scumbags to the run, so Afghan women could vote and go to school, and children could fly kites! We know how that ended. We left thousands of collaborators at risk when we skedaddled, and we've been doing our best to welch on our promises to them, to say nothing of our moral obligations, ever since. What are the odds that among the 100,000+ Afghans now in Canada, at least a handful could hold grudges? I rest my case. It goes without saying that the murder of innocents must, without exception, be condemned, in Gaza as at Bondi. In the meantime, we need to change policies that cause people to hate us.

Retirement? I'd advise against it

I'm writing this as someone retired for five years, retired with a luxury most retirees don't have; a pension that affords a reasonably comfortable retirement. It therefore seems near-blasphemous to declare against retirement. But here's the thing. Once you're retired, you gain an appreciation for all the good stuff you got from working, far beyond the paycheque that paid your bills. As regular readers will know, the Farm Manager keeps her day job at the school board. She spent three hours this evening telling me about her day at work. As an Ed Assistant in a good-sized high school, her day involved multiple dozens of interactions with staff, students, and admin. It's really hard to hold up my end of this conversation, because spending eight hours on the computer ain't quite the same! Work forces a degree of collegiality on social misfits that you won't find in the virtual world, and that seems to be where everything is heading. When those nerds retire, where will the next generation find its North Star? So, even if you're fortunate enough to afford retirement, remember all the daily interactions on the shop floor, or the sales floor, or in the staff lounge. They are the routine interactions that together weave the social fabric. Make sure you have a plan before you walk away from that.

How cold is cold?

How cold is cold? I got to thinking about this today, because we just hit our record low for the season. It was minus 20C this morning, and that's frigid cold. Once you get real cold like that, the snow glistens like diamonds in the moonlight. Problem is, just around when all that wonderful shit happens, the same cold that makes your snow glisten also busts the bead on your tires. So there you are, thirty below and flats all round. Canadians who live in the really cold zones are well acquainted with these realities. Nobody in the prairies imagines minus 20 to be a "cold spell." It's more like a heat wave! I took a trip out there fifty years ago with my old pal Terry, my Chev Impala towing a trailer with his Harley stowed aboard. Somewhere in northern Manitoba, or maybe it was the next province over, the Impala lost a wheel bearing. On the Trans Canada Highway. At 3 A.M... when it's minus 40 Celsius outside. That was my introduction to extreme cold. We had to do some diagnostic work outside the warm cocoon of the Impala. After 90 seconds I was shaking so violently I couldn't turn a wrench. Terry didn't last much longer. I bring this up only because I'm warm and cosy in front of my propane fireplace. I have the good fortune of a pension that pays my bills. Cold is a helluva lot colder for the folks living in tents down by the river.

Trump's new National Security Strategy concedes victory to Russia and China

Haven't seen a lot of commentary in Canadian media on what is a truly remarkable document. I read it as a death knell for NATO. The "Laurentian Elite," aka the American Empire Loyalists who occupy the heights of Canadian media and academia, must be soiling their adult diapers. The Yanks look to be handing off Ukraine to their European allies. That's unfair to the allies, because their enthusiasm for the war was only possible because Uncle Sam was promising "whatever it takes for as long as it takes." That was four years ago, when that claim was yet fresh and plausible. Four years and a million or so dead Ukrainians later, that claim has been decisively debunked. The combined NATO didn't have what it would have taken. What the NSS makes plain is that America no longer aspires to World Hegemon. That's the good news. The bad news is they're doubling down on the Monroe Doctrine. That means whipping the western hemisphere into shape. I think this will backfire. Trump's bullying of Latin America will unite the continent in solidarity against the US. This is already visible in comments coming from Colombia with respect to the "narco-terrorist" confection. Petro, largely seen as a Yanqui stooge, is standing with Maduro. What should Canada's approach to these new realities be? When you look at a map you see we're situated between Russia and the USA. Any de-escalation between them can only be a positive for us.

Canada promises to flush another $200 millions down the Kyiv commode

Why? If the $22 billion (roughly $500 million every month) we've already sent hasn't moved the needle in Ukraine's favour, why would anyone think another $200 million would do the trick? But such are the delusions of the "coalition of the willing." It's the same flawed logic that demands a 20th round of sanctions because the previous 19 have hurt Europe more than Russia. This latest tranche of boodle willl be sent to Washington, there to be bundled with tribute from other vassals and distributed to American military contractors as Donald Trump sees fit. Yup, we're sending Canadian tax dollars to enrich Boeing and Lockheed! For 200 million I hope PM Carney at least gets a pat on the back and an "attaboy" from the big dog. Speaking of which, what's the Orange Ogre up to in Venezuela? Pack your bags, Maduro! The Free World is about to gift your longsuffering people Human Rights and Democracy! Too bad about those innocent fishermen... to be honest, when I see three or four V-10 Merc Verados hanging off the transom of a thirty footer, I'm pretty sure those aren't fishermen. Which doesn't change the fact that killing them "extrajudicially" is considered a crime against humanity, or at least it would be if anyone other than Uncle Sam did it. I would guess it's beyond Trump and his minions to appreciate the irony of pardoning a man convicted of facilitating the import of 400 tons of coccaine into America while they're busy vaporizing small-time drug runners.