What the ... conundrum?!?!?

 The whole shitstorm that came out of Donald taking the Presidency ... what 2 months ago? it feels like a lot longer ... happened while I was reading a lot about the fall of the Roman Republic. I am kind of torn on whether what is happening now is the fall of the Roman republic or the rise of the Nazis. There are parallels to both.

The fall of the Roman republic happened over time. Decades. It saw a split between the average citizen and the ruling class. A kind of civil war happened and it still left things unstable. You had dictators, Sulla, have a reign of terror, that ended with Julius Caesar becoming the dictator. Then the upper class decided they couldn't have that ... and the fall was solidified. (I know this is simplistic but I don't want to drone on too much)

I can see where what is happening today can be tied to things from decades ago. A lot of the people that have contributed to what is happening now cut their teeth with Ronald Reagan. The Bush 2 presidency saw them become more of an influence, and a bigger rift develop between the "ruling class" and the common person. The rise of the Tea Party has led directly to MAGA.

Then you have the rise of the Nazis. It happened pretty fast. Fascism and racism were an integral part of their rise. You can see a lot of Nazism in the MAGA movement today. From the sheep blindly bleating, to those willing to toss out the US constitution and everything else so they keep power.

I think it is a lot of both things that I see. The Fall of the Republic and how far America has fallen over the years, and especially in the last 2 months. Then the rise of fascism and how quickly it has happened. We definitely live in interesting times. Sadly that isn't always a good thing.

What the .... unstable genius?!?!?!?

 Ok, I give up. Just when you think Donald can't get any stupider he finds a way to shock you. The Orange Menace actually said that the Nazi's showed kindness to the Jews, and other prisoners. He actually suggested that the Nazis were known for their generosity. What the fuck? 

This is the delusional piece of shit that runs America now. Is he a narcissist? A sociopath? Both? definitely a delusional asshole. The USA is fucked.

I will never assume that Donald can't get more delusional or say stupider things. Not to even mention the morons at FOX and the Republican party that make excuses for him. 

What the ... calculation?!?!?

 A friend sent me an article about Trump's tariff formula. It makes even less sense than him putting a tariff on islands only occupied by penguins, or Diego Garcia which is only occupied by British and US soldiers.

CBC's Andrew Chang explained it best in a video. 

The USA is being run by morons. 

What the ... conflict of interest?!?!?!?

 So the Toronto Sun posted a video on their YouTube Channel titled "Watch: Conservatives call out Carney's hidden assets". 

The Toronto Sun ... which may not be owned by the new Soviet Union but  is owned by the MAGA propagandists in the USA and is promoting their BS. PP seems to be just Maple Maga, with MAGA media supporting him.

What the ... delusion?!?!?!?

Sweet Home Alberta, Howard Lutnick is either willfully ignorant or fucking delusional. In Donald's cabinet meeting Lutnick was stroking Donald's ... ego ... in a delusional spiel. He went on about how the USA will be respected after April 2nd, Liberation Day.  The US economy will be saved by the tariffs, the US will be draped in glory, and everyone will respect them. All thanks to The Dear Leader, Herr Donald.  Talk about delusions of glory.

The USA is no longer the leader of the Free World.

The USA is no longer respected in the world. 

The USA is no longer trusted in the world.

The Cheeto in Chief has made sure of that.

Strangely enough, it gives me no pleasure to say any of that. Regardless of differences, the USA was a good ally to Canada. Now it is a threat to Canada. Expect Canadians to act accordingly. Oh, and by the way, for the fools who fail to see this, it isn't just about the tariffs. Threatening to annex a country tends to piss people off. Threatening it to several countries and you start pissing a LOT of countries off.

Elbows up!

 

What the ... blast from my past?!?!?!?

 When I was in middle school a new "cartoon" came on called Starblazers". It was so unique to me ...and awesome. I didn't know it was a remixed, and cut down, anime from Japan. Much like Battle of the Planets. It was awesome. :) So was the 2nd series. 

I just logged on to YouTube and found a link to a new  "live" version of it dubbed into English. Holy shit it brought back memories and feelings. :)

Good times. Good times.

Where do we go from here?

I love the song from Alan Parson's Project. The gyst of it fits today with Canada and the USA. After the shit storm Donald has started, where do we go? Where does it end?

The USA could realize Donald is a POS and threat to their existence and dump him tomorrow but the damage is done. Whether you voted for him, didn't, or are among the huge number that didn't vote, he IS your President and his actions reflect on you. It will be a LONG time before Canadians ever trust the US again. I am not saying it won't happen but to me it looks like it will be several generations and not just in 4 years IF the USA pulls it's head out of it ass and changes things. 

Regardless of what happens, it is time for Canada to disentangle itself as much as it can economically from the USA. Economically and militarily. It is time to cut our losses and move on to new markets. It is time to start moving on when it comes to military hardware and either find new sources or homegrown ones. A mix of the two is more likely. For example getting the Grippen and building it at home. There are European and South Korean options for hardware that are as good as or better than what the USA has to offer.

The crisis may pass, or get worse, but the lesson should never be forgotten. All it takes is one fascist being elected and the US goes from friend to enemy. We believed in them for too long. Mind you we also didn't believe in ourselves enough. Which is kind of sad when you think of it. I have family there. Sadly, some are die hard MAGATs. It is time to move on as best we can.

What the ... willfulness?!?!?

I recently decided to prune my friend list on Facebook and dumped a couple of "friends" I worked with. As with Rogan, I think covid broke them. They became far right conspiracy theorists. I would usually just scroll past their stupider posts. The final straw was basically a rage bait post about the Trudeau Government sending aid to Ukraine.

 After Donald tried to humiliate Zelensky in the oval office, Trudeau pledged more support to Ukraine. Part of that support was $5 Billion taken from Soviet, oops I mean Russian funds that were seized. One of my friends seized on that $5 BN figure and mixed with with their hatred for anything Trudeau says or does, and made a post about how Trudeau was giving Ukraine $5 BN of OUR money. As usual I just scrolled past it.

Then I saw another friend, a more rational one, who questioned the source of the money. She was told to do her research and was subjected to the usual attacks that the crazies do. So, she did look it up, found out the real source of the $5 BN and posted that. She was then subjected to more attacks, even personal ones, by the Batshit Brigade. Her friend then unfriended her, blocked her, and removed her posts. That was it for me.

I don't care if we have different views. I am not a Trudeau fan myself. God knows he has done enough things to make people dislike him. The Batshit Brigade however isn't just ignorant of facts. They are willfully ignorant. As long as it supports their narrative they don't care if they distort things or tell out right lies. God forbid you point it out to them. You are then "the enemy". They sound like Donald.

Those living in fantasy lands do not like it when you prove their reality is wrong. It seems simple to just say "I think covid broke them" but it feels like that is what happened. As with the decline of Joe Rogan since covid hit, I have seen it with these "friends". Before covid they might have had a slight conspiratorial bend but they were mainly living in reality. During and after covid they started drinking the anti-vaxxer kool aid and then dove deep into the batshit.

In the end, I don't need their negativity or stupidity in my life. There comes a time when you can't just scroll past the BS. If you want to ignore reality go for it. Just know that it moves you from being a person expressing their views to a liar, willfully spreading lies. You have joined the Batshit Brigade. I actually feel sorry for my former friends. It is a sad way to live as their bitterness and anger at ... perceived slights? real slights? conspiracy theory of the day? ... moves them to live outside of reality. 

What the ... Rogan?!?!?

 I have to start off by saying I was a huge Joe Rogan fan. Through his podcast I was introduced to a lot of people I would never have heard of, as well as movies, music, and books. He would have people on from all spectrums and would CALL THEM out when they spouted nonsense. The way he would fact check himself and if wrong admit it and apologize impressed me. However, that has gone the way of the Dodo since covid.

I think covid broke Rogan. You could see it happening when he had to defend himself from attacks from the media. I automatically think of the story CNN did on him and wrongly stated he was taking horse medicine. The video they used of him looked altered, whether it was or not you can see ta definite difference in the colour of the video Rogan did and the one CNN showed. The  video CNN showed was darker, and made Rogan look ill. I believe that it was these battles that started Rogan's decline into becoming a right wing propagandist. It was a sad decline to watch.

I used to watch Rogan's podcasts weekly, looking forward to a lot of the guests he brought in. The way he would call out the BS, while still encouraging discussion. He would fact check things at the moment and use that. Now, well just look at the Trump interview. How many lies did Trump spout and all Rogan did was coddle The Donald's ball sack and agree with him. Sadly, that is the way Rogan does his podcast now. 

I would love to see the Rogan of old return but I am not going to hold my breath. I miss the old Rogan and what he brought to the world,

What the .... Donald?!?!?

 While I expected the new Trump administration to be a shit show I didn't expect it to show it's ass this quick. In a month and a bit he has managed to betray their neighbour and long time ally, Canada. That doesn't even get into what he has said and done to piss off Mexico, Europe, and Panama.

I could rehash what has been said and done but it has been reported and done in depth already. I am looking at the Canadian aspect of it.

I am proud to say Canada is fighting back. The people of Canada have never been as united as they are now. Even Quebecois have said they are proud Canadians. We are prepared to take some pain. We are behind our Government. Hell, I am even impressed with Trudeau. He still has to go but damn Crisis Trudeau reminds me of his father. Elbows Up!

It is time to start untangling ourselves from the US economically and militarily. With a fascist like Donald in power we can't trust the US government. 

Donald has violated the Free Trade agreement that HE made with Canada and Mexico. So let's make it official and say that his violations have just nullified it. His tariffs violate the WTO rules as well. Now he is spouting off about wanting to redo the borders. The US cannot be trusted while Donald is in charge, and Vance wouldn't be any better.

Fuck Donald and Fuck the Americans who voted for him and pay lip service to him. 77 Million plus of  Americans voted for this piece of shit. 49.8% of all those who voted. When I hear people say "I didn't vote for him!" as a means of distancing themselves from the insanity he has created I have 1 question. Did you vote? The 2024  Presidential Election had a lower turn out than the 2020 election. If all those who said they didn't vote for Donald, don't blame me, actually voted, Kamala would have won. So, someone other than Donald is a liar and deserves to be called on it. But I digress.

Then you have the Republican Party itself. They have sold their souls to a fascist piece of shit and his extremists. While Donald and Elon trample on the US Constitution the Republican Party is either fondling Donald's dick to keep him happy or have their head in the ground and their ass in the air and ignoring what is going on around them.

I am proud of how Canada and Canadians are responding.