America's Democracy is Failing... Why We Can't Afford to Look Away!

Guest Post by Michael James:

OK, HELLO WORLD...

 

For most of my adult life, I worked as a journalist in this country and credibly, factually, told the public thousands of stories at the Detroit News, New York Daily News and as head writer for a TV show on ESPN. None of the stories I have ever written is more important than the one I am writing now.

 

If you will indulge me a lack of brevity this one time, I will explain.

 

It begins with the three times I realized that the safety and security we so prize here in the United States of America is an illusion. It's not and never was true. It doesn't exist. We only believed it did.

 

The first time I realized it was in the aftermath of 9/11. After I witnessed the World Trade Center towers crumble before my eyes little more than a mile from my New York City apartment, authorities posted police with automatic weapons and huge American flags at the entrance to every bridge and tunnel in the city.

 

We felt safe seeing those images, but each time I ventured through those tunnels and over those bridges, I had a question:

 

"What's stopping that truck in front of me from being laden down with fertilizer and explosives? Who knows what's in the trunk of every car in front and back of me?"

 

We weren't safe at all. Terrorists just didn't decide to blow us all to hell.

 

The second time I realized there is no such thing as safety and security came when Donald Trump promised building a wall at the Southern border to keep illegals out.

 

I thought, "Mexicans are renowned for building tunnels from Mexico directly to homes on the U.S. side in Texas and California to smuggle in people and drugs. How can a wall prevent that?"

 

A wall could not make us safe at all. We only believed it could.

 

The third time I realized safety and security is an illusion was on January 6th, 2021, when Donald Trump's MAGA supporters overran the United States Capitol - the seat of power of the US government - injuring law enforcement officers and defacing the offices of cowering, terrified duly elected lawmakers.

 

The ease with which they penetrated our most sacred symbols of the rule of law and order in America showed me that if this could be done by only a few thousand mostly-unarmed citizens, there really is no such thing as safety and security in this country.

 

We only believed there was.

 

The final time I realized there is no safety and security in the United States of America has come in the last three weeks, or rather, since Donald Trump returned to The White House.

 

Under the guise of weeding out corruption and with South African-born Elon Musk as the tip of the spear, Donald Trump and his Republican confederates have turned every facet of American government upside down, installed inexperienced and unqualified loyalists in positions of power in every sector of government and thrown thousands of hard-working Americans - many of whom voted for him - out into the streets.

 

While stunned, outnumbered Democrats were frozen to inaction, Trump, through executive order, made laws, changed laws and ignored orders from courts to stop in his tracks.

 

While those of us who opposed him screamed that his actions and those of Elon Musk were tantamount to creating a fascist government and a dictatorship, we were only partially right.

 

See, people, Trump's dictatorship has already begun. It is HERE. It is NOW.

 

For those who don't believe this is true, what we all missed while focusing on the flood of executive orders and bizarre musings of taking over the Gaza Strip, annexing Canada as the 51st state against their will, purchasing Greenland to rename it Red, White and Blueland and taking over the Panama Canal is this:

 

Trump was merely testing the waters to see how much power and authority he truly had. The final step in his plan will be to ignore any and all court challenges aimed at stopping him.

 

What should be clear to you now is that there was really only one barrier to Donald Trump taking over this country and remaking it in his image:

 

The fact that the only thing that has kept our democracy in place since it was written in 1787 is a piece of paper called the U.S. constitution.

 

That constitution only works if our politicians RESPECT the power within, the rule of law.

 

Donald Trump clearly does not respect the constitution - in contrast to all the other United States presidents before him.

 

Worse, without respect for the constitution and our laws, THERE IS NO AUTHORITY LEFT TO STOP HIM.

 

There is no police force who can reign Trump in.

 

There is no military to reign Trump in.

 

There are no lawmakers or judges to reign Trump in.

 

And soon, as Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayer declared recently during a speech at Miami Dade College, Donald Trump will refuse to comply with all orders of the court - and his takeover will be complete - for there is no authority remaining to police him.

 

Like Sotomayer, the American Bar Association just released a statement declaring that, “Trump is not following the rule of law.”

 

Now, the reason why the ABA sounds like a kid screaming, “Charlie hit me!” is because they’ve reached the conclusion that there is nothing they can do about Trump not following the rule of law. This has never happened before in the history of this country, but it IS happening now.

 

Hey, America, hey World, you can call it a monarchy, or fascism or a totalitarian government or a dictatorship, but whatever you call it, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are the law of the land now.

 

Don't believe me?

 

The 1,500 January 6th rioters who were tried and convicted in federal courts?

 

Trump freed them. On Day 1.

 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who was brought up on corruption charges after a decade-long investigation?

 

He cozied up to Trump, who order his Department of Justice to drop the charges.

 

If that's not enough, I think Donald Trump has one more trick up his sleeve, as I predict he is being lobbied at this very moment to grant clemency to an old friend who has been accused of pedophilia, drugging and raping male and female victims, physically assaulting others and possibly sanctioning numerous murders over the past 30 years.

 

So what, pray tell, will you say when Donald Trump pardons Sean Diddy Combs?

 

The lyrics to that song you sang in grade school has changed, folks:

 

This land is NOT your land.

This land is NOT my land.

NOT from California.

NOT to the New York Islands.

NOT from the Redwood Forest

NOR to the Gulf of America waters

This land belongs to Trump and E.

 

In less than a month back in office, all of the checks and balances have been removed. Republicans control the house and the senate. Every cabinet pick Trump proposes will be confirmed. No decision he makes, whether it's instructing the Treasury Department to stop making the penny or bringing back the plastic straw, is being denied.

 

While his supporters cheer his every move, they have yet to see the cost cuts Elon Musk and his team of hackers make under cover of darkness are hurting American farmers, American workers and those in the poorest red states in the country who voted for him.

 

For them, and us, it's already too late to realize it's too late.

 

If you saw Musk recently in the oval office with his young son holding court while Trump sat idly by, you should have realized the richest man in the world controls the supposed most powerful man in the world.

 

Only Elon Musk is holding Elon Musk accountable and Trump - who is likely paying Musk back for whatever he did to help him take the 2024 election - is allowing it to happen.

 

As you read these words, it is likely that Elon Musk has already had his hackers place back doors into every major computer system across the US government, which gives him the power to shut down any program he chooses at any time on an app while sitting in the driver's seat of his Tesla.

 

For those in the back or in the nosebleed section or under a rock, let me say it again:

 

Elon Musk and Donald Trump are the law of the land. Today. Right now.

 

The United States of America is no longer a democracy. We are now a dictatorship.

 

In closing, let me say that I don't believe in presenting problems without offering solutions. There IS something we can do to fight this takeover and resist this bloodless coup that has stripped away the sense of freedom we have known all of our lives - but it will require of us a resolve and action most of us have never known or shown.

 

It will require us to unite, fight, stand up, risk our lives and our liberty - because one thing dictators have never fully understood is that THE PEOPLE truly are the power.

 

Think of it this way: if we don't want the price of an automobile in America to be $50,000, well, if nobody buys those cars, there won't be a $50,000 car in America.

 

With that in mind, should Elon Musk and Donald Trump try to dump hundreds of thousands of federal employees out into the streets, simply refuse to leave. If forced from your offices, show up to work en masse the next day - and every day after - and make sure NOBODY goes into those offices.

 

If Trump's new Department of Defense head Pete Hegseth makes a demand of the 3.5 million workers he now oversees, what can he possibly do if they disobey in the name of American democracy?

 

The same goes for new national security director Tulsi Gabbard, who has never worked in security or run a department of ANY kind. The same goes for new secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, new Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. - or any other Trump appointee.

 

None of these figureheads - not even Trump himself - can do anything without our complicity.

 

Lastly, this battle is only just beginning. You must protect your physical and mental well-being.

 

You don't have the time or energy to fight meaningless squabbles on social media against Trump's MAGA sycophants who believe every narrative they sell.

 

No matter if they are friends or family or casual acquaintances on social media, SILENCE THEIR VOICES and influence. Block, snooze, delete or ignore them.

 

For me, the purge begins TODAY! I’d love to tell the people going away that it isn’t personal, but their blind belief system is a direct threat to me, my friends, family, neighbors, fellow Americans, Canadians, Palestinians, and, well, you get the picture.

 

Trust what your eyes and ears are telling you. Hope that they will catch up and join our fight against this power virus threatening our country and the world.

 

Lastly, remember the words of philosopher Bertrand Russell, who said roughly this of how fascism begins:

 

"First they fascinate the fools. Then they muzzle the intelligent."

 

If you've gotten this far, it's because you're not a fool.

 

We got here because all of our lives we believed in that concept devised by our founding fathers of "We The People."

 

Well, the only way out from under the megalomania of Donald Trump, Elon Musk and their collaborators is to make every day January 6th.

 

If you feel so moved, please share my post. If not, please act in some way. We need all hands on deck.

 

If we want our democracy back, starting today, starting now, we must "BE THE PEOPLE."

Hey Canadians, if you want to unite your small, poor country with ours, we look upon it positively! ...Uncle Sam!

 WELL!!!!  We took a survey here at the "Perspective Research Department:

***

Of course, Americans look upon a Canada/U.S. merger positively because the U.S. is a country in decline. Already a second-world country and sliding, the U.S. would gain substantially while Canada, one of the leading countries of the world, would lose big time.

Thanks for thinking of us though. It's rather incredible since most of the time you Americans don't have a clue about what or where Canada is.

Oh, in case you come up with the idea of the U.S. becoming part of Canada, still not even interested in the slightest.

***

I think I'm ashamed for wasting my time with you. You haven't the slightest idea of what would be involved in merging 2 G7 countries. One of which has 2 languages and is physically bigger than the US. Furthermore, Canadians definitely do not want a merger, why would we? So now you're talking armed aggression against a non-threatening neighbour. Some Christian. You can say “sieg heil” now.

***

Canadians have NO DESIRE WHATSOEVER to join a third world shit hole especially when the “president “ of the third world shithole is rapist, insurrectionist, liar, grifter, fraud, pedophile, career criminal, convicted felon, needle-dick trump!!

***

Why Canada, a first world country, should want to join the third world shitshow that's the US of A, Bubba? As for small, instead of posting inane crap on Quora, invest in a fucking world map!

***

Canada has a health service free at the point of use, no medical bankruptcy, no abortion laws which kill women with ectopic pregnancies, doesn't have school shootings, is massively less racist, doesn't have the death penalty, has fewer homeless, doesn't have a drugs epidemic and many other things of a positive nature not found in the US.

***

Standard of living is higher in Canada. Our health care is better. Life expectancy is greater. Average Grade 11 student in the USA would be sent back to Gr. 9 in Canada. So should I keep going.

***

The US is like a person wearing the best clothes, living in the biggest house, driving the nicest car and appearing to be wealthy but are so heavily in debt that they pay their debts by robbing Peter to pay Paul every month but one wrong move they would go bankrupt in a flash.

Canada's biggest problem(s) and cause of its debt is offering too many social programs to people in supposed need instead of setting up a system to encourage work. Canada's system of consulting and getting consent from various groups, more specifically the Indigenous communities, to expand their national resources access has also held back the nation from more global investments; the Keystone XL is just one small example of the country being held back and, therefore, the people in the country.
The U.S., however, is now a very unstable country politically for any other country or investor to look at for investments. For 4 years, corporations, etc, can do this, then for the next 4 years, they can’t. For 4 years, there were no tariffs, and then the next, there were large tariffs. In and out of global agreements. The only thing the U.S. has is a bully pulpit with military threats, which is why the U.S. globally is one of the most hated countries in the world and, in conjunction, the American people.

***

I think that you’re an idiot - or at least spouting idiocy. There’s the small matter of the inhabitants of Canada and Greenland not having the slightest desire to join the USA. Why would the Canadians want to lower their standard of living to ours? And why would the Greenlanders want to leave a culture with which they are very familiar for one that’s completely alien, only to see their natural resources plundered and their nation polluted in pursuit of the almighty dollar?

You are under the delusion that being an American is a great privilege. It’s not. There are countries that are freer, more prosperous, happier and with a better overall quality of life than what we have here. We had that once, and we blew it. You can give much of the “credit” to Mr. Reagan, Mr. Gingrich, Mr. Bush 43 and Mr. Trump.

***

What do I think? I think you are one of the many low-information Magats who voted to overturn your own democratic political system and install a dictator.

I think you have had little to no education. I think you do not realize that Canada is internationally regarded as a first-rate country while the U.S. has degraded into a second-rate country. Look at the International polls on health care, longevity, education, gun safety, and happiness- Canada outscores you on every single one!

As for calling us poor, there is far more poverty in the U.S. than here in Canada because we look after our fellow citizens. We have universal health care, gun controls that keep everyone safe- especially our school kids, and a broad social network for those who are unable to work, who lose their jobs or fall on hard times for other reasons. And better hockey.

***

We are not as populated but not small.

We are not as economically powerful, but by no means poor.

Of course you look on that as a positive idea. You are covetous, greedy and need many of the things we have.

It is not an opportunity for us, it would be of greater benefit to the US.

You know what we think and if not, you are more dim witted that we thought. But so we are clear like the hundreds of other answers here on Quora alone…

So no uniting, no joining, converting, blending, annexing, NO! Give it a rest. Give it a frigging rest.

You will have to invalid and conquer… you know murder women, children, elderly and soldiers and destroy homes, infrastructure etc. Yup, like Trumps friend Putin. Like all warmongering murderous wealth seeking, power hungry dictators and their sheep followers. The way this keeps coming up is how wars and invasions happen. Not funny, not a joke, not a negotiation tactic… It is a threat and the precursor to open aggression. The trade tariffs are the next step in the process so we know you are untrustworthy and underhanded.

We don't want to be American… that’s your jam. We have enough issues of our own to resolve without taking on more baggage. Clean up your house before you invite people over cause with the state you’re in, you aren’t ready for guests, and it will take more than just a shot of air freshener.

We are not your little brother or sister to the north. We are not your cousins. You have ended the friendship. You have decided we are no longer your allies. You have declared our trading relationship is over.

We ignored the warnings last time. Now you have our attention, and we are very focused, and we indeed know how we feel about your “suggestion.”

***

Let’s think about this for a second. No universal health care. Active shooter drills in grade schools. Women do not have a right to decide on their own health care. A criminal can get elected as Head of State. A corrupt Supreme Court. A thirty-six trillion national debt. I think we will give a hard NO to that offer. Have a nice day.

***

Arrogance is not an inviting quality. We are not a poor country. In fact we are a rich country in resources or your orange hot air buffoon that you call a President would not be trying to take our country. We have hydro and water as well as minerals, and we have a huge immigrant population, which gives us more skilled labour and a huge amount of diverse cultures that are much richer than the USA and your Hollywood culture.

You will NEVER reign over Canadians without a WAR!!!

***

NOW... After all the huffing and puffing somewhat... We here at "Allan's Canadian Perspective" have come up with TWO possible solutions to this mess!

1.

2.

TA - DAH!

SATURDAY MORNING CONFUSION:

 

DUMP TRUMP!

Q:  To what extent is the United States dependent on Canadian products? 

A:  Are there any comparable American alternatives to these products?

• America imports 60% of its crude oil from Canada, at an average **discount** of 15%. That discount has applied for close to 4 decades, minimum. Roughly 80% of vehicle fuels used in the US are derived from this CANADIAN-SUBISIDIZED oil. The closest substitute your refineries can handle comes from Venezuela. I’m sure the orange stain won’t mind buying from them at all.
• 50% of aluminum consumed in the US comes from Canada. There are few alternatives as aluminum takes a god-awful amount of electricity to produce. Canada has shit-tons of hydroelectric power that we use to make aluminum.
• That same hydroelectric power generation is so plentiful, that we export most of the rest to the US, which keeps the grids along the east coast and into the mid-west humming. No Canadian hydro means rolling blackouts across a third of the US.
• 80% of potash used in fertilizer is sourced from Canada. Canada is the world’s largest producer, having a full third of global production. The next two largest producers are russia and China, and put together, they produce ALMOST as much as Canada does by itself. You could try and buy half the output from both of them, or all the output from one, I guess.
• Canada exported almost 3–trillion cubic feet of natural gas, which helps keep the Midwest and Northeast states warm and generates a significant amount of electricity. According to your own sources, natural gas accounted for 43.1% of your total generating capacity last year.
• A full quarter of the uranium you use annually comes from Canada. The ore is of unusually high purity too. That’s another quarter of your generating capacity going down, and 18.6% of electricity is produced by nuclear.

In order to replace any of these would require a huge amount of work. 

You could build a dozen aluminum smelters to pick up the slack from Canada alone, but you still need electricity to run them. And you can see the problems with that. 

More pressing is finding new ways to heat your houses, fertilize your fields and afford to drive anywhere. 

The “good guy” discount Canada has been giving the US for five decades is going to end... so you can expect your local gas prices to rise by an average of 15%, regardless of what the orange-stain does now.

M Spicer. 

CANADA WINS!

I'm not here to gloat... or to say anything nasty about the U.S. team because Canada won by sheer luck...  the teams were that evenly matched!

However, one very important point here... after it was all over... just like in Kindergarten... EVERYONE GOT A MEDAL!

DON'T WORRY ABOUT TRUMP CANADA!

Donald J. Drumpf has threatened to cripple Canada in a variety of ways... but I don't think we need to worry about it too much, kids!!!

Look... if Donald gets too rank... we just shut off the electricity from Ontario and Quebec... and the oil and natural gas from Alberta!

That will get things back into "Perspective" in a hurry Folks! 😃(God, I love that word!)

We'll be sitting up here selling our shit to other countries... while our southern neighbours will... unfortunately... be freezing their asses off in the dark!

Here's a picture of Donald after we shut off the electricity to New England... New York... and Washington!!!

"How do ya like them apples... Donnie!"

Stephen Harper: The preservation of Canada's existence must be our highest objective!

 Aside from Brian Mulroney,,, my next favourite politician would have to be Stephan Harper!

Good ol' Stephan wrote a post in the Post today... and everybody in the country should read it... so I'm gonna pass it along as well!

***

Beyond any necessary retaliatory tariffs, Canada must resist its own version of Trumpian protectionism

Author of the article:

Stephen J. Harper, Special to National Post

I am frequently asked what to make of President Trump’s intentions toward Canada and what we are to do about them. 

On the former, I do not know, and I suspect there is no way of really knowing. 

On the latter, however, Canada must have a plan!

The facts are clear: President Trump was prepared, on a pretence, to jettison the almost entirely tariff-free trade that has defined the Canadian-American economic relationship for three and a half decades. 

He appeared prepared to even discard the trade agreement that he signed in his first term. 

Then, equally on a pretence, he cancelled that plan for 30 days. 

We do not know what the plan is after that, or if there is one.

I suggest that there are four clear lessons for Canada!

First, we must be calm in the face of Mr. Trump’s threats. 

We must wait until it becomes crystal-clear what the President will do before acting ourselves.

We should also remember that there is no significant body of public opinion in the United States calling for comprehensive trade action against Canada. 

Such action would hurt many Americans!

Second, we should have contingencies for any possible scenario, including the worst. 

These must be prepared well in advance!

There should be no debate, for example, over whether we would retaliate in the face of tariffs. 

It is true that retaliation is a poor choice, but, in the event of a trade war, we are left with only bad choices. 

Thus, our measures need to be carefully calibrated, with clear objectives in mind. 

But the worst possible response is no response at all, as that would lead to one-way economic flows from Canada to the United States.

Third, we should not offer unilateral concessions! 

Concessions will simply be pocketed, and the demands will be ratcheted up. 

Make a concession only when we know what we are getting in return!

That is the simple stuff. 

There is, however, a fourth, more troubling lesson, to take from all of this. 

It is the general perspective that the President has repeatedly articulated about our country. 

It is one that goes well beyond his understandable hostility to our current government!

Rather than seeing the U.S. relationship with Canada as its most profitable, most reciprocal, and most secure in the world, the President views it as a drain on America. 

He believes that Canada’s economic activity could take place in the United States and should move there. 

And he believes that Canadian sovereignty is undesirable!

I certainly do not share that view of our relationship. 

I have repeatedly said that Canada’s alliance, partnership, and friendship with the United States is one of our country’s greatest assets! 

However, given a contrary American perspective, our focus now should not be on pursuing a deeper economic and security partnership! 

At this stage, whatever comes next from the President, Canada must avoid further dependency on the United States!

I say this because the preservation of Canada’s existence must be our highest objective. 

I do not assume that such a belief is universal, particularly if the cost is high. 

But it should be, and we need leaders who share that belief, who oppose the woke denigration of Canada, and who are prepared to see this fight through to victory. 

Our distinct history, identity, and cultures are worth preserving!

The current situation thus presents great risk, but also considerable opportunity. 

We can use this moment to make Canada a proud and serious country once again. 

This is a chance for us to develop a long-term agenda to become an internationally competitive economy. 

That would mean big changes, not just in government policy, but also in our economic structures and business culture.

"We must break down interprovincial trade barriers, open internal markets, lower taxes, reduce subsidies, thin regulation, get our resources out of the ground, build export-oriented infrastructure, and make it a national mission to diversify our external markets! 

My government created a global network of free-trade agreements. It is well past time for Canada to take advantage of the possibilities that were created over a decade ago!

If we choose this path, we will become stronger. 

But if we respond to this turmoil with a Canadian version of Trumpian protectionism, our country will weaken! 

Beyond the necessary retaliatory measures, enhanced protections and subsidies for Canadian business, even temporarily, only increase damage. 

Such policies would mean the adjustment to new economic realities would be delayed. Our balance sheets would be weakened further at the moment when we most need them to be stronger.

Even worse would be continuing down the path of Davos elitism. Our competitiveness agenda must be focussed on opportunities and incomes for working Canadian families, not just the economic one percent! 

The elitist priorities of Canada’s current leaders in monetary policy, deficits, immigration, climate, and many other areas have already fuelled inflation, doubled housing costs, and created the worst growth in the G7.

Avoiding economic elitism is especially important when it comes to the re-engineering of our energy economy. 

Like it or not, alternatives to fossil fuels — nuclear power excepted — are not economical, reliable, or viable at scale. 

There is no guarantee they will become so. That is why they have been massively subsidized for the last decade.

In contrast, fossil fuels will remain an immensely profitable business for the foreseeable future. It is economic malpractice to ignore this fact. 

Canada’s best route to quickly turning around the downward trajectory of our economy is the responsible development of our energy resources. 

This was true in the recession of the 1980s and during the global financial crisis... and it remains equally true today!

We must also be what every sovereign nation should be: responsible for the protection of our citizens from crime and the maintenance of our own national security!

Yes, our border is a shared responsibility with the United States. But beyond those lines, we must reinvigorate our military and invest in the full range of capabilities necessary for the defence of Canada’s land, seas, and sky. 

We should aspire to depend on no one for this work. 

We should remain a partner of the United States, yes, but also be capable of independent action.

Finally, we must avoid indulging in our worst instincts. 

Bashing the United States or baiting President Trump, however emotionally satisfying, is beneath us. 

We must show respect and maintain a long-term perspective. 

But so, too, must we approach the coming negotiations with steely professionalism and quiet self-confidence.

These are dark days, but they will pass. 

Let us see this challenge as an opportunity for Canada to embark on a voyage of urgent national renewal.

Stephen Harper was prime minister of Canada 2006-2015.

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