Trump and the ever-gushing firehose of horseshit

It’s comforting to imagine the dismay and disarray that has befallen our “Laurentian elite” since January 20 is part of an awakening to just how destructive to Canadian interests US domination of our economy and society has become. Alas, this elite has been all too comfortable with our vassalage, which has been undeniably obvious at least since John Diefenbaker killed the Avro Arrow in 1959. I don’t believe their sudden obsession with Canada’s sovereignty is anything other than nostalgia for the gentler pre-Trumpian days, when Uncle Sam picked our pockets clean while whispering sweet nothings into our ears. Trump, on the other hand, claims we’ve been sponging off the American Empire all along and demands we make it up to them. It’s a vulgar despoilation of the fantasy that we’ve always been besties. Recall it was merely three months ago that our pretty but undeniably stupid Foreign Minister announced the Canadian Arctic was henceforth to be known as the North American Arctic, and that we Canadians were in actuality members of something I’d never heard of; the “North American Homeland!” My view has consistently been that Trump’s political persona is an integral part of America’s Democracy Theatre. Insofar as there ever was a functioning democracy in the US, it has long ago ceased to be such. The billionaires who control the joint can’t just come out and admit that, hence the ever-gushing firehose of horseshit about values, human rights, democracy, and so forth. There’s an excellent essay on view at Naked Capitalism which is well worth a read. The writer argues that the perceived chaos in Trump’s Washington is nothing more or less than the rebranding of the American Empire to better reflect the interests of its owners. I’m inclined to agree.

War vibes

When FM Joly introduced Canada’s new and improved Arctic Foreign Policy, her preamble provided the rationale. Russian aggression. That’s right! Make no mistake; Putin is bent on world domination. He’s not going to stop at Ukraine. No! After Ukraine, all of Europe is in his cross-hairs. Once his army has made it to the English Channel, his greedy imperialist gaze will turn north, to what used to be the Canadian Arctic, now the North American Arctic, or just the “American Arctic” for short. That’s why we have to be ready. Let’s unpack this. In three years, Russia’s invasion has captured about 20% of Ukraine. Simple arithmetic says it’ll be another 12 years to make it to the Polish border. We’re in 2036 now. Then, the 84 year old Putin, assuming he’s still in the big chair, will have to fight his way through Poland and Germany. No offence to the Ukrainians, but I figure if it took Putin 15 years to subdue Ukraine, Poland and Germany will take at least 30 years each. Then he’s gonna set his sites on Canada’s… I mean America’s Arctic. That brings us to 2096. Putin is 144 years old. I figure by then our new fleet of warships, first announced in 2008, will be mostly if not fully operational. So bring it on, Putin! We’re not afraid of you!

Random insights from the stoop

Did you see where our FM Joly made a surprise kissy-face visit to China? All of a sudden we’re trying to forge better relations? Looks to me like the commies aren’t content to meddle in our politics at the local constituency level; no, they’re trying to manipulate the upper echelon of the Liberal Party! How does that jibe with the gird-your-loins-for-war-with-China mantra that’s been coming out of Official Ottawa for about the last ten years? It doesn’t! That’s just one of the many puzzles I try to puzzle out as I while away the hours on the stoop. It was a good day for watching the buzzards soar. Just the right combination of sunshine and breeze that these amazing creatures could literally soar for hours without flapping their wings. The Zen of buzzard watching. Last night I watched the closing ceremonies of the RNC convention in Milwaukee. That’s when they bring out the heavy hitters. Kid Rock. Dana White. Hulk Hogan. The Orange Ogre himself for the grand finale. The entire spectacle proved yet again my theory that the more remote actual democracy becomes, the greater the importance of Democracy Theatre! And next week will provide a bonanza of food for thought; the Greatest Leader since Moses will arrive in Washington to address the US congress, where he will be treated to multiple standing ovations. That’s hilarious, considering everybody from the far right to the far left hates his guts in Israel. Democracy is a bitch! But I digress… back to the stoop. Once in awhile there’s some traffic passing by. Sometimes it’s a $750,000 John Deere towing another half-million combo of seed-drill and chemical tanks. The big cash-croppers like to bathe their crops in chemicals from seeding to harvest. What freaks me out is how often the kid piloting that train is looking at his cellphone. Other times it just the local youngsters, driving solo to their jobs at the stone quarries in their V8 pickup trucks. You’d think they’d at least car pool. Here’s another mystery. Why do some people who ride Harleys insist on having loud stereos? I’ve always loved the Harley sound. It’s music in its own right. Tonight a guy comes roaring along with CCR blasting so loud coming around the bend I heard John Fogarty before I heard the bike! That’s just not right! Some things just shouldn’t go together. I like getting mellow with a doobie and a beer. I like scenic drives in the countryside. But putting them together wrecks both experiences… and possibly wrecks your car too. So, keep life simple, is my advice. Count your blessings, not your grievances.