MID-WEEK MAYHEM: 2024 Election!

Want to get back to normal down there in the good 'ol U.S. of A. kids????  

Run Haley and Newsome against each other in the November election!!!!!!!

(End of problem!)

A (far right) American view on our election

 Allan:

I was told yesterday by an American relative that we don't need to vote. That China had taken control of our voting machines and it was already a foregone conclusion that Trudeau was going to be elected Prime Minister and turn us into a Communist state within a year, and we'll be given orders on when and where we can do things like go grocery shopping and leave the house.

I didn't have the heart to mention that we vote by using a pencil to put a check mark on a piece of paper, how minority governments work, and that Canada is historically a Left leaning country, so of course Trudeau very likely will end up being the Prime Minister again.

Honestly it was a wild fantasy, but where are they coming up with this stuff?

George

A new broom for 2021

 On this last day of 2020 (Yipee!)) I would like to call for the removal of the broadcast license of Fox Cable News and most of the other Right Wing broadcast outlets!

Their disingenuous portrayal of politics has reached disgusting levels and just today I found blatant examples of Right-Wing propaganda that made my head spin and my stomach churn!

I have my TV set up o that I can switch back and forth between MSNBC on the left and CNN in the middle and FOX news somewhere in the Twilight Zone way over on the right of the political spectrum..., and while I was watching them I noticed that MSNBC and CNN were covering the pandemic and the new strain of covid-19 and the possible collapse of the hospital system in L.A. county and a third vaccine (Astrazeneca) about to come online and the failure to distribute the vaccine in the individual States..., and on and on!

Meanwhile, over at FOX cable news, most of the morning was devoted to GOP efforts to hire election observers to combat the obvious fraud about to occur at the Georgia Senate race next Wednesday, as well as the rejection of the new covid bill in the Senate that would put $2000 in the hands of most Americans.

One interesting point about the covid bill dialogue in the Senate was when Mitch McCan't gave reasons why they couldn't approve the extra money for those disadvantaged by the virus.

Chuck Surely then got up and started to lambast the Republicans for denying Americans $2000 relief money because of the pandemic..., while giving corporations over two (2) TRILLION dollars in tax breaks last year!  (As soon as it became obvious where Schumer was going with his speech they cut the 'feed' and went right back to the news desk!) 

ALL THIS LYING IN THE MEDIA PERMITS THE REPUBLICANS TO SUBVERT THE CONSTITUTION (AND DEMOCRACY) AND TRY TO STAGE A COUP D'ETAT BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T WIN THE ELECTION BY LEGAL MEANS!  

SO!

My wish for 2021 is that all those lying S.O.B.'s on the Far-Right 'burn in hell' for all the lies they are telling! 

The way I see it anyway!

No longer the 'world's longest undefended border!'

 The federal government is preparing for the weeks of uncertainty that might follow a U.S. presidential election day with no clear winner — by drawing up contingency plans for the border and other issues that might erupt between the Nov. 3 vote and inauguration day in January.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has signalled already that his government has been monitoring the election more closely in the final weeks of the campaign because of its potential impact on the Canadian economy.

"I think we're certainly all hoping for a smooth transition or a clear result from the election like many people around the world," Trudeau told a news conference earlier this month. "If it is less clear, there may be some disruptions and we need to be ready."

The cabinet committee on global affairs and public security has been preparing for various scenarios: President Donald Trump's re-election, a victory by Democrat Joe Biden, or a lengthy period of uncertainty coupled with multiple court challenges to decide the outcome.

A government official (who asked not to be identified because the person is not authorized to speak publicly on the plans) said the cabinet committee is worried about security at the border, the prospect of even higher COVID infection rates in the U.S. and the possibility of Trump taking harder lines on international issues that could affect Canada.

Trump has refused on a number of occasions to say he will guarantee a smooth transition of power if he loses and has been pushing unsubstantiated claims about massive voter fraud during the pandemic as an unprecedented number of Americans mail in their ballots.

Sen. Peter Boehm is an experienced former Canadian diplomat who was posted to Washington during the disputed 2000 election result in Florida between George W. Bush and Al Gore. He said the Canadian government has worked hard since Trump's election to develop contacts at all levels of the government in the United States.

Boehm said those contacts, honed during the prolonged negotiations to renew NAFTA, should help Canada navigate any challenges that emerge after Nov. 3.

"What we've seen over the last four years is greater utilization of the tools we have. What that means is not just discussions at the head-of-government level but with Congress, on Capitol Hill and with state and local government," he said.

"And what that tells us is that we have had to become more sophisticated in our approach, that there has to be consistent contact and a network, because we can't rely on the good-neighbour, best-friend status anymore. And that remains regardless of a Trump or a Biden victory."

The Trump presidency has proven to be an unpredictable dance partner for Ottawa. Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement and imposed national security tariffs on Canadian exports of steel and aluminum.

Trump called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "very dishonest and weak" in tweets following the troubled G7 summit hosted by Canada in 2018.

Pick One!

 Sitting here on a Sunday night I can't help but wonder what is going to happen in the United States over the next short while. 

Although there are dozens of directions within the realm of possibility, when  I take the worst case scenario and the best case scenario I can only come up with these two situations!

Worst case scenario: The Republicans appoint a new member to the Supreme Court and then Trump wins the election and the Senate stays in Republican hands! 

Are ya ready for this?

Early next year the supreme Court overturns the Affordable Care Act and tens of millions are left without health insurance since the Republicans don't really have anything to replace it..., in spite of what Drumpf said!

Then:

-Rowe vs Wade is overturned and abortion becomes illegal across the United States!

-Trump is not required to hand over his tax returns!

-More religious exemptions and advantages permitted!

-Elimination of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau!

-More relaxed laws for drilling and fracking!

Suspension of all sorts of personal freedoms!

-Higher taxes for individuals while corporations are taxed less!

Folks this is just a partial list and I don't want to take up too much space so we will leave it there!

***

If Biden wins and the Democrats don't take the Senate - NOTHING HAPPENS! (No, really, nothing in the Federal Government happens for the next four years!)

***

If Biden wins and the Democrats win the Senate: Joe and his buddies will spend the next four years undoing all the stupid and downright dangerous shit that Drumpf and HIS buddies did during the previous four years!

The way I see it anyway!

Are Trump Supporters Inbred?

I ran across this quote in Discover Magazine and had the Perspective Research Department look into it.

"Distinct psychological mix associated with frontier populations is consistent with the theory that harsh conditions attracted certain personalities." 

When historian Frederick Jackson Turner presented his famous thesis on the US frontier in 1893, he described the “coarseness and strength combined with acuteness and acquisitiveness” it had forged in the American character.

Now, well into the 21st century, and researchers led by the University of Cambridge have detected remnants of the pioneer personality in US populations

The harsh and remote environment of frontier regions historically attracted nonconformist settlers strongly motivated by a sense of freedom,” said researcher Friedrich Götz, from Cambridge’s Department of Psychology.

“Such rugged terrain likely favoured those who closely guarded their resources and distrusted strangers, as well as those who engaged in risky explorations to secure food and territory.”

“These traits may have distilled over time into an individualism characterised by toughness and self-reliance that lies at the heart of the American frontier ethos” said Götz, lead author of the study.

“When we look at personality across the whole United States, we find that some residents are more likely to have psychological characteristics indicative of this frontier mentality.”

The research uses the “Big Five” personality model, standard in social psychology, with simple online tests providing high-to-low scores for five fundamental personality traits of millions of Americans which makes them distinct from other nationalities! (In case you haven't figured it out yet... we're mainly talking about Trump's base of supporters!)

The mix of characteristics uncovered by study’s authors consists of low levels of “agreeableness”, suggesting affected residents are less trusting and forgiving – traits that benefit “territorial, self-focused survival strategies."   

Low levels of “extraversion” reflect the introverted self-reliance required to thrive and a low level of “conscientiousness” lends itself to rebelliousness and indifference to rules, say researchers.

“Neuroticism” is also lower, suggesting an assertiveness suited to their lifestyle. 

“Openness is a strong predictor of residential mobility,” said Götz. “A willingness to move your life in pursuit of goals such as economic affluence and personal freedom drove many original North American frontier settlers.”

“Taken together, this psychological fingerprint for certain groups may be an echo of the personality types that sought new lives in unknown territories.”  

Unfortunately it also differentiated them from, and set them apart, from the population norms that comprise modern day society! 

Taken as a whole this gives us a group that is more concerned with personal emotional considerations than societal guidelines!

The way I see it anyway!

Lock Him Up!

 As we dutifully watch what is happening down in the United States it might be useful to remember something that happened way back during the reign of Henry 11 of England! 

It was in 1170, and Thomas à Becket, the head of the Church in England was resisting the King’s attempt to subordinate the Church courts to the civil courts. (You could say he was the closest thing in 12th century England to a leader of the opposition.)

Henry II was beside himself and in the course of one of his rants against the cleric he said: “Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?” 

Four knights at the court, hearing this, decided the quickest way to rise in the king’s service was to go to Canterbury and do just that.

They found Becket on the altar of his cathedral and hacked him to pieces with their swords. (This caused a great outcry throughout Christendom, and the king had to swear it was all a ghastly misunderstanding... he had only been venting, not giving actual orders.)

WELL: Donald Drumpf might not be convicted for some of his rants that have resulted in crimes by his supporters... but it could add to the phenomenally long list of charges we already have waiting eh! 

The way I see it anyway!