Never Again?

All this tariff talk is provoking a recession, which seems to be a feature, not a bug. As the economy falls, companies go bankrupt and are cheap to take over by the wealthy. The very rich will be able to take advantage of desperate times to buy businesses and property, and then are even further ahead when (or if) the economy rebounds. More power. More control. More stuff. The suffering of the citizens is not a concern. At all. 

This entire scheme was kick-started back in 1971 by the Powell Memorandum. Chomsky and Chris Hedges have been talking about this forever. And, of course, Ralph Nader. It's the precursor to disaster capitalism. Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell wrote a memo attacking "extremists" like Nader who was doing things like trying to get cars to add seatbelts to improve traffic safety. The Memorandum is a push to allow unfettered capitalism without any regulations because, as far as Powell was concerned, businessmen really own the country. They pushed for more business involvement in colleges and universities way back then.  

A couple days ago, Senator Chris Murphy clearly outlined the corruption in the White House. It's all out in the open BECAUSE THEY CAN. Like in Russia, few in positions of power dare call them on it. 

"Trump and Elon Muck and their billionaire friends have engaged in a stunning rampage of open public corruption. It's not fundamentally different than what happened in Russia. These are efforts to steal from the American people to enrich themselves, and their strategy is to do it all out in the open. ...  

Democracies die when the very powerful people steal from us so regularly, so openly, so unapologetically, that we come to believe that it's normal. And listen, I understand that many Americans may think that all of this stuff just used to happen quietly and the only difference is that Trump and Must are just putting it all out in the open, and I'm not saying that there haven't been instances of corruption. Democrats and Republicans in this body have been accused of and convicted of acts of corruption. It has been a fact of life in American politics for a long time, but never before has the corruption happened this openly or this frequently. So I lay it all out for you this afternoon in the hopes that it is not too late for us to decide to stand up as a body and as a nation to say that this isn't okay. ... 

Rule of law matters. Doing things by the rules matter. This level of corruption was not occurring behind the scenes prior. It is not just that the cover got pulled off of it all. And it's our decision as a body and a country to decide not to normalize this scale of corruption."

It's almost 30 minutes, but it's really worth it to watch the whole thing just to get our heads around the past 6 weeks. (And to hear him say "Come on!" like he's in Arrested Development.)

 

NOTHING is beyond this administration. Nothing. We hope they'll walk back all this invade Canada talk like they have with the tariffs, but the tariffs costs their country. Taking over Canada gives them tons of resources. They're bullying children who want all the toys they can reach and they will just come and take it all. 

D'ya think they won't order a few drone strikes on Canada?

Anonymous wrote this lengthy and unnerving history lesson in December 2024, 

"When US president-oligarch Trump says he's going to invade of annex Canada; he is not joking, teasing, or trolling. He is making a threat. Take him seriously and prepare for war. The sooner Canadians, Mexicans, and allies come to an understanding that the United States under Trump could flip from ally to enemy, the sooner they can prepare for combat and protect their sovereignty and democracy. Refuse to accept the US manifest destiny or its expansionist language, refer to them as USian because no man or woman on these continents is more or less American than the others. The USA does not have a monopoly on democracy, freedom, America, or the ability to fight for these ideals. 

The 18th-century French writer Voltaire famously said that no adversary would want a "few acres of snow" in Canada. But Canada is more than a few acres of snow. There are population centres, citizens, infrastructure, and resources, incuding the water and oil Trump is eyeing. Today Canada faces many threats from different fronts, including Russia, China, India, and now under Trump the US. Each one of these countries is waging war against Canada through disinformation, bots, and coercion, openly trying to dismantle the nation and the principles that glue it together.

So far, Canadian politicians and state media have reacted in a manner unbefitting to a nation facing invasion and subjugation from a much larger and more powerful adversary. The current response by Canada's state media has been to minimize the threat or conduct polls normalizing the idea of annexation and invasion, instilling the delusion that these acts of war could be done peacefully. Other Canadian delusions include articles and commentary playing down the threat and recommending Canadians ignore Trump as if collectively wishing the danger to go away. Such actions only benefit the enemy which relies on silent consent and inaction to accomplish his goals of territorial expansion. 

Even more disconcerting is the reaction by the "Team Canada" government managed under Justin Trudeau which decided that the appropriate response to Trump's threats is to propose a new unnecessary border project serving as a token of appeasement, redirecting $1.6 billion of Canadian taxes to the U.S. These projects proposed by Trudeau will not only fail as appeasement they will be capitulation, as they propose the notion of joint policing to tackle nearly non-existent issues claimed by enemy disinformation networks and collaborators. This will grant the US further control over Canada, no different than a colonizing force. This is often seen as the first step towards annexation. 

To make matters worse, many disgruntled Canadians seem unable to distinguish real information from enemy propaganda and are floating the idea that they'd be better off being annexed or invaded, many promising to welcome the invaders with open arms. Such sentiments are being met with levity rather than the severity deserved by open treason. When Russian president-oligarch Vladimir Putin was threatening to invade and annex Ukraine, few in the government and media took him seriously. Many pretended he was 'joking' and up until the point that Russian troops took Crimea in 2014, they ridiculed the notion of their neighbour invading and annexing them as ridiculous and alarmist. Before Russia's invasion, many Ukrainian politicians, personalities, and media also tried to appease Putin and proposed joint projects, preached 'brotherly' unity, pretended that 'no way Russia would harm its economy like that', and laughed at the notion of an invasion. World governments and media further reinforced these ideas providing a false sense of security. In Ukraine, like in Canada, the invading force is not looking to make life better for its conquered people but to remove them from their lands and identity, primarily through genocide, to claim ownership of its rich and abundant resources worth billions of dollars. If you think an expansionist invasion by USians won't include mass murder, then you are wrong. 

Before this new friendship, the United States conspired against Canada sizing it up for its expansionist goals. Thomas Jefferson, a US founding father and rapist slaver owner, remarked that the capture of Canada was “a mere matter of marching”. The USians quickly learned that a coalition of first-nations and Canadian troops under the British flag had no desire to be part of their failed experiment. In 1919, the United States dubbed their aspirations of invading Canada, 'War Plan Red'. This was guised as a war game "in case" imperial Britain declared war on the US. The plan was to invade Canada to force the UK to surrender, however, if Canada declared 'neutrality' it would still get occupied. War Plan Red outlined the United States strategy for a potential invasion of Canada to take its resources, ports, and airbases. The plan identified key geographic and strategic targets across Canada, focusing on cutting off European allied reinforcement and seizing vital infrastructure. The plan proposed capturing key locations, including Halifax to sever European-Canadian naval links, Niagara Falls for its power plants, and Montreal and Quebec City to block troop and resource movements. It outlined simultaneous offensives across multiple fronts, targeting Ontario’s industrial heartland, Winnipeg’s rail hub, and Vancouver’s Pacific ports, supported by naval blockades of Canada’s coasts and control of the Great Lakes. Key Objectives of a US invasion of Canada were outlined as: 1. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Capture the port city to sever Canada's connection with Britain and disable its naval capabilities. 2. Niagara Falls: Seize power plants to disrupt Canada's energy supply. 3. Montreal and Quebec City: Control these cities to block troop and resource movements between eastern Canada and the seaboard. 4. Great Lakes and Ontario: Gain dominance over Toronto, key industries, and the Great Lakes for logistics. 5. Winnipeg: Capture this central rail hub to disrupt Canada’s nationwide transport network. 6. Vancouver and British Columbia: Deny Britain access to Pacific naval bases and sever Canada's western connections. 

Canada developed an earlier counterpart to War Plan Red, Defence Scheme No. 1, on April 12, 1921. Maintaining that the best defence was a good offence, they planned for rapid deployment of flying columns to occupy Seattle, Great Falls, Minneapolis, and Albany. With little hope of holding the objectives, the goal was to divert US troops to the flanks and away from Canada, hopefully long enough for allies to arrive with reinforcements. Defence Scheme No. 1 was terminated in 1928. In 1935, War Plan Red was updated with specific invasion routes, including the recommendation to use Route 99 to reach Vancouver. The plan reflected an intention to permanently annex Canadian territories into the United States, preparing them to become U.S. states and territories after the war. In the event of a modern invasion of Canada, the population can expect mass casualties from cuts to supplies and superior US air dominance, any Canadian troops hosted in joint Canada-US bases would be quickly captured and US troops would likely take the capital in Ottawa within hours. 

However... in the event of a US invasion of Canada, there will be resistance and not the type that carries a sign. Canadian troops would switch to an active insurgency and head North, where they would regroup in the wilderness and mountains of the second biggest country in the world. There they would organize an insurgency aided by allies, who will provide intelligence, and supplies, and act as unofficial intermediaries. Civilians would also join the fray to combat US troops. Many being hunters and former reservists, not only from Canada but other countries too. The insurgency in rural and urban areas will likely target the US with hit-and-run tactics, assassinations, IEDs, and suicide drones. Others would aid the insurgency through localized intelligence networks and crowdfunding. While USians will be very divided about the prospect of a war with Canada, Canadians are raised to expected aggression from their neighbour and will be far more unified in their response. 

Most importantly, given the proximity to the United States, the Canadian insurgency will spill over to US streets and probably target police departments, US bases, airports, power plants, water supplies, crops, state legislatures, propagandists, collaborators, and ultimately those close to Trump. Unfortunately given the nature of a war between Canada and the US, any resulting insurgency carrying out operations within the United States would not be able to distinguish between Democrats and Republicans. Meaning, that the US would likely undergo significant disruption from a collapsed economy, sabotaged logistics, and random bombings that affect everyone. The goal would be to make the United States bleed to the point that the occupation of Canada becomes far more costly than beneficial, creating a rift within the population, forcing either the removal of Trump by the US Congress/ Senate or the birth of a rebellion. The goal would be to make the United States bleed to the point that the occupation of Canada becomes far more costly than beneficial, creating a rift within the population, forcing either the removal of Trump by the US Congress/ Senate or the birth of a rebellion. Ultimately nobody writing history will distinguish between which side USians voted for, they will all have to pay war reparations and carry the same guilt.

The best defence is still a good offence for Canada and the United States. Anyone that wants to prevent war needs to act now. You need to meet the threat with defence not conciliation. And not wait to find out what Trump is going to do when he’s already told us what he’s going to do."

Yikes! right?!?

Last week Trudeau acknowledged, 

"The excuse that he's giving for these tariffs today of fentanyl is completely bogus ... What he wants is to see a total collapse of the Canadian economy because that'll make it easier to annex us."

From Michael Harris in The Hill Times on Monday,

"Former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna captured the anger and deep sense of betrayal that Canadians are feeling. McKenna called Trumps' announcement 'a day that will live in infamy.' He was clearly channelling what former U.S. president Franklin Roosevelt famously said after the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941. Canadians aren't the only ones who don't like the president's actions. Trump's tariffs have also bombed in the United States with all but the most dedicated Kool-Aid drinkers. Investment guru Warren Buffett referred to the tariffs as an 'act of war.' ... 

Trump has announced a one-month delay on his tariff on vehicles entering his country from Canada and Mexico. Make no mistake about it. That is a concession to the nervous American auto industry, not to Canada or Mexico. ... No mater what Trump says about delaying his tariffs on certain sectors, a delay is just a delay. The bottom line is that you can'mt negotiate with a man whose word means nothing. ... Unity is our greatest asset in this battle with a bully. Our game plan should be firm and clear." 

Ford is going the tit for tat route by upping then suspending surcharges, but is that retaliation just going to be seen as an attack that justifies an invasion?? Is that the whole point?? I'm just waiting for a scenario like Trump being shot, for real this time, by some poor Canadian who got roped into an assassination attempt so they can all march straight on in. Or maybe they'll have us somehow shoot down a plane over the ocean with no remains ever found so Trump can be ushered off to some nice island somewhere to live out his life with Vance in charge of the invasion. 

Tim Houston wants to promote internal trade throughout Canada through "mutual recognition", which would be wise at this point. And an article by Peter MacLeod in The Tyee last week calls for a new civil defence corp. 

"Trump's aggression means it's time to train thousands more civilians for disaster preparedness. ... The threats facing Canada are real, and they are growing. Russia's invasion of Ukraine is not just a European conflict--it is a reminder that brute force is back on the table. NATO has had to rearm, and democracies are waking up to the fact that peace requires preparation. ... Trump has made it clear that he views Canada as little more than a resource colony. ... Canadians must recognize that the luxury of assuming our security is someone else's responsibility is over. We must be strong enough to push back, resilient enough to survive cyberwarfare and economic coercion ... with a population that is engaged, trained and ready. Pause for a moment and imagine the skills or time you could bring--whether it's first aid, co-ordination and logistics, communications, engineering, IT support, counselling and caregiving or any other expertise--to contribute to our collective security and resilience if called upon."

MacLeod lays out what we need: mandatory universal civil defence training, basic first aid, emergency preparedness, and cybersecurity; optional defence skills and reserve forces expansion, and mandatory cyber-resilience training. "Every Canadian should be able to recognize and defend against cyberthreats, disinformation campaigns and economic coercion." We need specific programs for youth and the Indigenous. In November and December, Germany and Nordic countries mailed out pamphlets for citizens to begin to prepare. When will ours come? 

"In Sweden, 350,000 people--or about 3.5% of the population-actively participate. ... Only 0.07% of Canadians are in our Reserve Force--one of the lowest rates in NATO. And unlike almost every other NATO country, we have no universal civil defence training. ... Canadians have always stepped up when it matters. But it shouldn't take a crisis to get us moving. The time to prepare is now, while we still have the ability to do so on our own terms."

Holocaust scholar, Timothy Snyder, commented on the strategic way the US admin treated Zelens'kyi in the oval office, demanding an apology and criticizing his clothes:

"Jews had to show deference. Germans mocked the ways Jews dressed. That was before they were sent to the ghetto and murdered. Jews were scapegoated, made responsible for what the Germans wished to do anyway. ... Jewish achievement was portrayed as illegitimate. Jews only gained success, antisemites say, by lying and propaganda. If a Jew was prominent, that only proved the existence of a Jewish conspiracy. ... Ukraine, says Putin, does not really exist. But another theme of the propaganda is that Zelens'kyi is not actually the president of Ukraine. ... When Vance was already yelling at the Ukrainian president, 'you're wrong!' I took in the tone and the body language, and my first, reflexive reaction was: these are non-Jews trying to intimidate a Jew. ... American foreign policy now seems to be all about mineral wealth: in Greenland, in Canada, and in Ukraine. ... In the antisemitic imagination, everything is for the taking. ... Never again means attending to the smaller aggressions that imply the greater ones to come." 

If there's any comfort in this at all, it's in the abject cowardice of these men in charge. Hitler volunteered for service in WWI and was decorated for his bravery. Trump's dad called in a favour and got him diagnosed with bone spurs to avoid the draft during the Vietnam War, and Musk used his mother's Canadian citizenship to come here at 18 to avoid mandatory military service in South Africa. We've seen Trump make huge threats, then withdraw them at the last minute, over and over. (Vance, on the other hand, was a marine, but maybe that's a 2028 problem. He's an NPC as long as Musk is around.)

An article by Andrew Adonis in Prospect from last week adds some additional comforts:

"The prospective abandonment of Ukraine to Vladimir Putin by Donald Trump has an eerie resonance of neville Chamberlain handing Czechoslovakia to Adolf Hitler in 1938. And we all know what happened a year later. ... [However] I don't think this worst-case alarmism is remotely justified. In the first place, it is far from clear that Trump will ultimately abandon Ukraine and erect high tariff walls. He has said and threatened a lot, but we are at present in limbo between ambiguous words and deeds. ... 

Even if Trump actively back Putin on Ukraine, and levies general tariffs against his (former) western allies, this is not a crisis as bad as the capitulation of Europe's democracies to Hitler in 1938--provided Europe, Canada and Japan act decisively to protect their interests. ... Putin may be a Hitler in personality, but he has nothing remotely like the same military or economic power. Putin's Russia has an economy not much larger than Spain's and military capacity roughly equivalent to that of France. ... The European economy is huge--only marginally second in size to the US's. ... An alliance with Russia and China at the expense of Europe, Canada, and the democratic parts of Asia can only weaken the US. Russia has little to offer the US apart from the enrichment of the Trump clan personally."

We can only hope for the best and be prepared for the worst.