Some Canuck Thinking. March 7th 2025

  

•  We just watched the movie Conclave.   It was such a good movie with a cast that is kinda the who's who of White Male Hollywood.   I am all about inclusiveness, but it is a movie about the selection of the leader of the Catholic faith so........   In any event, I brought this up because I wanted to mention the role played by Stanley Tucci.  Tucci is one of my very favourite actors of all time.  He played Cardinal Bellini.  Cardinal Bellini started the movie as the favourite to become the new Pope.  He was adamant that Pope was a position he didn't want...... Until it appeared he wasn't going to be the Pope.  I know the feeling.  
• When I started blogging a decade or so ago,  I did so because I had been encouraged by several people who used to read my rants on facebook.  I rented blog space from a European company.  It was a pretty format, and I immediately started to amass a modest following.  As time went on, my following surpassed my facebook contacts, and grew to somewhere around 500 readers.  Needless to say I was flattered.  
• Now I always said I blogged for me.  The chance to sit down and write was a something I simply liked to do.  But when my blog page was sold to another company that through the marvels of technology shut me out,  I was forced to move on.  A very good friend set me up here.  It was perfect.  There is no cost.  It is limitless.  I get to write whenever it seems needed.  But I lost my following.  In fact, most of my facebook friends don't even get notifications anymore.  So know I really am writing pretty well just for me.  What I always said was all I really wanted.  And like Cardinal Bellini,  I am disappointed.  Vanity is such an embarrassment. 
• So my blog today is evidence that I sometimes play over my head.  You will note it is in point form.  That's because I have no idea what key I accidentally pushed to bring the bullets on.  I remain a technological disaster.   But now that I have cleared the air,  and admitted to my obvious flaws, I suppose I can move on.
• Today the POTUS reversed the three day old tariffs he imposed on Canada and Mexico for another month.  He has basically crashed the stock market.  He has ruined the reputation of the United States with his allies.   And he has pretty much suggested that we will go through this in one month intervals for the next four years.  And Canadian leaders have said enough is enough.  Our Premiers in many provinces have decided to proceed as if America still wants a trade war until the POTUS calls it off.  Their words are getting more colourful, and the biggest surprise is that the two rouge Provinces ( Alberta and Quebec)  are on board with the other leaders. 
• The POTUS loves caos.  He thrives on attention.  He has been an incredibly successful con man for his entire life.  But often later then sooner the con man meets his Waterloo.  This could be it.  There are a couple of things that need to happen before the world is finally rid of him.
• Firstly Americans will have to see that this crash in the stock market and other fallouts such as inflation is neither warranted nor temporary.  They will have to pay attention to the fact that the free world no longer respects them as their leader.  And they will have to eat some crow and admit that they were conned by a man they already knew was a convicted felon who couldn't be trusted with their money.  They have to get tired everything turning into being about him.  
• Gotta tell you, I am so very proud of Canada and Canadians through all of this.  And I am not the only one.  It is unfortunate that it took a total betrayal from a mad man who wants to hurt then absorb us to bring our country together.  But he did.  And even my own Premier who initially believed the election of Agent Orange was the best thing that could happen to Alberta is on the National Pride band wagon.  ( And on a side bar, I will acknowledge that she did have to eat a little crow on the whole trade war front.  And she did.  That's not easy.  Thanks Danielle.)  And for all this trade war has taken away,  it has returned at least one very important symbol.
• The Freedom convoy and anti vaccine movement hijacked our flag a couple years back.  Yup.  Our flag somehow became a symbol of protest because an international pandemic closed the borders for those who believed the whole covid thing was the fault of our Prime Minister.  While people were dying in huge numbers across Canada and all over the world, Covid was turned into a political football.   But that is now old news.  Flags are flying all over Canada, in in a lot of places in the United States.  And they are flags being flown by patriots.  WE GOT OUR FLAG BACK!!! And I love it.
• I use Bourbon for steak marination.  I am gonna miss it.  But I will get by.  I pulled some snacks from the pantry yesterday.  Spicy bacon puffs.   I noticed they were a product of USA.  Gonna miss them too.  There will be a host of little adjustments and additional costs to living here where we truly are free,  But as time goes on we will adjust to life without weak beer, waxy chocolate, and corn liquor.  
• Near the end of my dad's life, he often said "You usually don't know that the last time you did something or went somewhere would be the last time."  I think we have gone to our winter retreat in California for the last time.  That was last year.  And we loved it there.  But in truth,  I don't see us going there while the threat remains to our country.   Hopefully that will be a mere four years.  But there is no way of knowing what four years will bring.  And there is no way of knowing how long it will be before there trust we once had in the USA will be restored.  Besides, Europe is every bit as economical as California.  We fell in love with the Portuguese and the Spanish.  And we are welcome and treated with respect.  
• Today is a great day to be a Canadian.  I remember my last days of work some 17 years ago,  We had a tragic school bus fatal crash and a who done it homicide in my last week.  I worked out the door because that is what I had to do.  And an important interesting file is important and interesting regardless of where you are in your career.  The same can be said for our out going Prime Minister, who has handled himself and represented our country so very well.  He has dealt with a Narcissistic mad man who has threatened our sovereignty every. single. day.  And in his final days, he has been a leader in the solidarity of Ukrainian support.  Freeing up Russian Assets in the amount of five billion for Ukrainian defence use.   He did our country proud and defended us well going out the door.  Thank you Justin Trudeau.  Thank you very much.