Nobody Cares About Canada

[Beebo Brink]

As long as this remains the truth nobody will win me over for voting machines, ever. Good voting machines need transparent software and mandatory paper trail.

"Voting machine" is a very broad category and can include everything from punch cards to software computing. Some of the old mechanical systems worked pretty well and provided efficiencies without the vulnerabilities. Going back to hand counting seems unnecessary.

 

[Free]

 

[Myradyl Muse]

Sadly I consider him akin to a mini Trump north. With ick factor and phony arrogance galore.

 

[Free]

 

[Innula Zenovka]

🇨🇦 RETALIATION NATION: Canada Is 26 Days From Detonating a $40 Billion Export Tax Inside Trump's Own Base

Corn Belt fertilizer bills. Midwest gas pumps. Right before midterms. He picked this fight with the one country that can end it.

deanblundell.substack.com

 

[Free]

Oh, Canada...

‘Donald J. Trump Memorial’: Rogue sign put up outside B.C. bathroom

A homemade sign was installed above the entrance to a public bathroom in B.C. over the long weekend, renaming the facilities after the U.S. president.

www.ctvnews.ca

 

[Innula Zenovka]

🇨🇦BOMBSHELL: Canada and Ukraine Signed a 100-Year Partnership That Shuts Out the US And The Trump Crime Family Making Canada a Drone Superpower Overnight

Two declarations, millions of drones, a Patriot alternative without Washington, critical minerals, sovereign AI, and Ukraine's combat data. The Trump Crime family wanted it. Canada got all of it.

deanblundell.substack.com

 

[Free]

Canada moves closer to being in Europe.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen says she wants Canada to become the bloc’s 1st associate member

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday proposed making Canada the European Union’s first associate member, a striking overture as U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats drive Ottawa closer to Europe.

Trump’s tariffs and repeated talk of making Canada the 51st state have soured the relationship between the North American neighbors. Canada is seeking to reduce its dependence on the United States, the destination for roughly 70% of its exports, and Prime Minister Mark Carney has called for a “unique alliance” with the EU.

In her annual State of the European Union address, von der Leyen said Canada and the EU would build on their existing free trade agreement, known as CETA, with a broader “Alliance for the Future” aimed at creating “a common prosperity and economic security space.”

 

[Innula Zenovka]

 

[Innula Zenovka]

The view from Canada: Make America Think Again

Rebuilding trust will take generations.

open.substack.com

Evernote Link

Why should Canadians trust Americans who have twice elected someone they clearly consider a narcissistic, venal, dangerous buffoon? They could excuse Americans for being “tricked” into electing Trump once. But electing him again, and by a bigger margin the second time, tells them all they need to know.

Americans might elect a normal Democrat in 2028, like Joe Biden, who will try to repair Canadian-American relations. But what if they opt for another insane Canadian-hating demagogue? From the Canadian perspective, what’s the point of signing a contract with Dr. Jekyll when Mr. Hyde will inevitably emerge later, betray you, and tear up the whole thing?

 

[Beebo Brink]

I'm not going to be around for a two or three more decades, but yup, that's about the amount of time it would take for me to trust this country again.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

The view from Canada: Make America Think Again

Rebuilding trust will take generations.

open.substack.com

Evernote Link

Americans might elect a normal Democrat in 2028, like Joe Biden, who will try to repair Canadian-American relations. But what if they opt for another insane Canadian-hating demagogue? From the Canadian perspective, what’s the point of signing a contract with Dr. Jekyll when Mr. Hyde will inevitably emerge later, betray you, and tear up the whole thing?

What really makes me want to throw up is that I can already imagine how right wing media will spin this. The next democrat President (If there is one) will be in a situation where anything they do will be wrong. Right wing media will easily spin things to blame the new President for the fact that allies won't really trust them. If the new President takes real steps to make amends, that will also make it very easy for right wing media to just make them look weak.

The Wall Street Journal has published multiple articles comparing Trump's first 100 days to that of Obama and Biden. I attempted to point out to certain conservative relatives that this was actually proved the opposite thing they thought it did, but that's talking to a brick wall. Can you imagine how bad the 2028's President's first 100 days will look?

 

[Innula Zenovka]

What really makes me want to throw up is that I can already imagine how right wing media will spin this. The next democrat President (If there is one) will be in a situation where anything they do will be wrong. Right wing media will easily spin things to blame the new President for the fact that allies won't really trust them. If the new President takes real steps to make amends, that will also make it very easy for right wing media to just make them look weak.

The Wall Street Journal has published multiple articles comparing Trump's first 100 days to that of Obama and Biden. I attempted to point out to certain conservative relatives that this was actually proved the opposite thing they thought it did, but that's talking to a brick wall. Can you imagine how bad the 2028's President's first 100 days will look?

I think everyone will have to accept that the world has moved on since 2020, and certainly since 2016, and the relationship between the US and its former close partners and allies has now changed. New contracts, trade agreements and treaties that don't include the US have how been signed, and will continue in force.

Middle powers will still want to have close relationships with the US, so long as those are mutually beneficial, just as they do with China. But, as with China, dealings with the US will, for the foreseeable future, be tempered by the knowledge they can turn sour very quickly.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

I think everyone will have to accept that the world has moved on since 2020, and certainly since 2016, and the relationship between the US and its former close partners and allies has now changed. New contracts, trade agreements and treaties that don't include the US have how been signed, and will continue in force.

Middle powers will still want to have close relationships with the US, so long as those are mutually beneficial, just as they do with China. But, as with China, dealings with the US will, for the foreseeable future, be tempered by the knowledge they can turn sour very quickly.

Of course! My Brazilian friends in particular have been thrilled since they are getting all sorts of trade deals with folks who previously ignored them more or less. Everyone having to live without trusting us is a mixed bag, but very clearly bad for us!

...be tempered by the knowledge they can turn sour very quickly.

Of course, that's exactly what I was talking about. A future democrat President will have absolutely no credibility with other countries. Whether or not they trust that person will be irrelevant. Why trust them with anything only to have another Trump come along and tear up the agreement on a whim???

And it will be very easy for the propaganda machine to act like it's that new President's fault, and pave the way for a new Trump.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Of course! My Brazilian friends in particular have been thrilled since they are getting all sorts of trade deals with folks who previously ignored them more or less. Everyone having to live without trusting us is a mixed bag, but very clearly bad for us!



Of course, that's exactly what I was talking about. A future democrat President will have absolutely no credibility with other countries. Whether or not they trust that person will be irrelevant. Why trust them with anything only to have another Trump come along and tear up the agreement on a whim???

And it will be very easy for the propaganda machine to act like it's that new President's fault, and pave the way for a new Trump.

Is how the rest of the world sees the US such a big issue in the US? The US was, for a time after the collapse of the USSR, the only superpower, but those days are long gone.

The War on Terror in general, and Iraq in particular, destroyed most allies' enthusiasm for joining the US in foreign wars, and Guantanamo Bay and extraordinary rendition to black sights (i.e. torture) did huge damage to the confidence of confidence in the US -- I know for a fact that British and Canadian army officers, some of them pretty senior, were very worried about handing over Iraqi POWs and civilians to the US because they feared it could lead to their prosecution for war crimes under their domestic military and civilian law.

The current debacle in the Gulf is demonstrating that US military power is rather overrated, and the Saudis' experience of begging the US for support against the Houthis and being denied is showing that the US is not a reliable ally.

Trump has, to mind, simply presided over a process that's been developing for a long time. He may well have brought matters to a head, just as did Mikael Gorbachev Boris Yeltsin in the USSR, but the damage is now done it's beyond the abilities of any subsequent president to repair.

I think my question is, how much of all this matters to most Americans. That's not a criticism -- most people anywhere are far more concerned about domestic issues that affect them, their families and their communities than about how other countries see them.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

Is how the rest of the world sees the US such a big issue in the US?

Yes. Not that many Americans care, but they should care. Obama's nuclear deal with Iran for example was working and it's ability to work was dependent on Iran having at least A LITTLE bit of confidence it wasn't going to just be torn up right away. Nobody in their right mind would trust us now with such a thing.

Having a public image that isn't totally demonic is also important for being able to actually sell products to other countries in trade deals. Bush damaged our public image a lot. Trump destroyed it.

 

[Isabeau]

Groan

Mark Carney (@mark-carney.bsky.social)

AI that builds Canada strong for all: that’s our mission. We’re supporting 10,000 AI-related internships for young Canadians — to empower them to use this technology safely and confidently.

bsky.app

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

Trump has, to mind, simply presided over a process that's been developing for a long time. He may well have brought matters to a head, just as did Mikael Gorbachev Boris Yeltsin in the USSR, but the damage is now done it's beyond the abilities of any subsequent president to repair.

It seems like you added a lot to your post after I started my response!

On one hand, Trump was obviously riding a wave of DEEP resentment among white, conservative Americans. Right wing media exploded in the USA after Nixon's impeachment. We've always had a deep anti-intellectual bend, but that started to grow the problem a lot over time. In that respect, the election of someone like Trump was likely to happen at some point.

On the other hand, I do think a lot of outside observers are still underestimating just how much destruction Trump personally to our institutions in terms of their ability to actually function. I've seen a lot of people make very handwavy remarks about how the US was clearly going to fall eventually and yadda yadda, This was the difference between "you'll die one day" versus "I just shot you in the stomach!"

The War on Terror in general, and Iraq in particular, destroyed most allies' enthusiasm for joining the US in foreign wars, and Guantanamo Bay and extraordinary rendition to black sights (i.e. torture) did huge damage to the confidence of confidence in the US -- I know for a fact that British and Canadian army officers, some of them pretty senior, were very worried about handing over Iraqi POWs and civilians to the US because they feared it could lead to their prosecution for war crimes under their domestic military and civilian law.

Yes. I think right after 9/11 there was a period of several years where most Americans were completely ready to embrace fascism.

That did calm down for a time which lead to Obama getting elected, but the huge undercurrent of white hatred I mentioned above certainly didn't just vanish. Politically we were doomed, I agree with that. But in terms of the government's actual ability to function, I think the US Military that took Baghdad in 2003 was a radically different (if still flawed) institution than the one that can't stop it's warships from drowning in poop and running out of missiles.

I don't want to get too side tracked on US politics on the CANADA thread! Long story short that we both agree on is that trusting the USA with much of anything would just be unforgivably stupid at this point. That seems to be one of the biggest things Canadians can agree with each other on, and they are correct.

I'm also a bit worried Canada could get attacked by the most broken military ever to be so expensive!

 

[Myradyl Muse]

It seems like you added a lot to your post after I started my response!

On one hand, Trump was obviously riding a wave of DEEP resentment among white, conservative Americans. Right wing media exploded in the USA after Nixon's impeachment. We've always had a deep anti-intellectual bend, but that started to grow the problem a lot over time. In that respect, the election of someone like Trump was likely to happen at some point.

On the other hand, I do think a lot of outside observers are still underestimating just how much destruction Trump personally to our institutions in terms of their ability to actually function. I've seen a lot of people make very handwavy remarks about how the US was clearly going to fall eventually and yadda yadda, This was the difference between "you'll die one day" versus "I just shot you in the stomach!"



Yes. I think right after 9/11 there was a period of several years where most Americans were completely ready to embrace fascism.

That did calm down for a time which lead to Obama getting elected, but the huge undercurrent of white hatred I mentioned above certainly didn't just vanish. Politically we were doomed, I agree with that. But in terms of the government's actual ability to function, I think the US Military that took Baghdad in 2003 was a radically different (if still flawed) institution than the one that can't stop it's warships from drowning in poop and running out of missiles.

I don't want to get too side tracked on US politics on the CANADA thread! Long story short that we both agree on is that trusting the USA with much of anything would just be unforgivably stupid at this point. That seems to be one of the biggest things Canadians can agree with each other on, and they are correct.

I'm also a bit worried Canada could get attacked by the most broken military ever to be so expensive!

Two notables:
Winter is Coming
and
We have Moose!

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

Two notables:
Winter is Coming
and
We have Moose!

That's nothing! We'll attack you with our mighty warships that are full of poop and not enough munitions!