The disinformation on fentanyl is particularly concerted: nossalk.org/2025/05/19/d...
The disinformation on fentanyl is particularly concerted: nossalk.org/2025/05/19/d...
Kash Patel's "get to stepping" criticism of Canada is just the latest in an organized campaign by the Trump administration to convince Americans that Canadians are responsible for the fentanyl crisis afflicting the US. For a sample: nossalk.org/2025/05/19/d...
This is the latest in a concerted campaign since November to convince Americans that Canada is a major contributor to their fentanyl crisis. Trump, Vance, Navarro, Hassett and now Patel have all βblamed Canada.β Time to start calling it out for the Nazi-style groΓe LΓΌge that it is.
Great to see you too!
Given Trump's dismissive comments about Carney's visit today, does the PM really want to sit in what @kevinmilligan.bsky.social has so aptly called the "Humiliation Chair" so that Trump can later characterize his visit as evidence of yet more "ass-kissing"? /x
Trump sneered as he recounted what other leaders supposedly said to him: "'Please, please, sir, make a deal; I'll do anything, sir.'" IMO @stewartprest.ca has it exactly right: the PM should move tonight to "reschedule" the meeting and just fly back to Ottawa. No explanation. /3
Trump on the purpose of the PM's visit: βI donβt know. Heβs coming to see me. Iβm not sure what he wants to see me about, but I guess he wants to make a deal.β A month ago Trump was bragging that leaders were "kissing my ass" in order to make a trade deal. (www.theguardian.com/us-news/vide...) /2
Trump's interview with Time shows his Inaugural Address promise that the US would again be a "growing nation," one that "expands our territory" and "carries our flag into new and beautiful horizons" is still on the agenda. See my opinion piece in the latest Round Table: nossalk.org/2025/04/25/d...
From a negotiating perspective, racing to the White House to offer concessions is not the best strategy. Thatβs what Trump is counting on, but domestic pressure on him to compromise will continue to intensify, particularly if major US trade partners use this moment to match his tariffs.
Dear countries hit by Trump's tariffs: Now is the time to retaliate. If you instead start with concessions, Trump will simply pocket them, claim victory, and demand more. He will bend in the face of the economic and political costs at home - and they are now mounting.
βSo unbelievably stupid, incompetent and insane.β
Canadaβs travel advisory for the US needs to go well beyond the present highly ambiguous βTake normal security precautions.β
The Chief Penguin of Heard and McDonald in the βhumiliation chairβ (h/t @kevinmilligan.bsky.social)
Itβs 9am TFT time here, and citizens are already gathering to protest Tariffs by the United States. Our plain clothes Officer Penguins are attempting to maintain calm, but unfortunately we keep losing them in the crowd.
Why would Canada want to βrewardβ the Trump administration with even the perception of acquiescence in continuing through with these purchases? Not a commentary on whether CAF or DND needs these F-35. The perception in DC would be a win. Why would Ottawa βgiveβ them that?
This Substack needs to go to every Liberal and CPC candidate. Ask why their leaders are making tax cuts the most important campaign issue instead of the annexationist threat β which will require huge tax *increases* to deal with effectively. Make this make sense.
For those who think the way out of the annexationist threat is a renegotiated trade agreement, this by @bhaggart.bsky.social is a reminder that we should just skip this bit of psychodrama, since we wonβt be able to trust any βtreatyβ signed by this admin. www.theglobeandmail.com/business/com...
At a time when Canada needs MASSIVE investment to transition away from the US, to build new facilities and transpo towards our ports, to rebuild our military, to build HOMES, to rebuild science and post-sec ed... to see the two main parties jump on *tax cuts* for their campaigns is depressing.
The UK Germany, Denmark and Finland have issued advisories warning about travel to the US, and Canada should too. We often go to the US in the summer but this year? Forget it, not worth it.
In times of peace Canadians have always spent as little as we can get away with on defence because we have never had to pay a price for our cheapness. But we have never faced a US president who is so openly committed to our elimination as a sovereign state. So that might be a game changer.
Sovereignty Bonds
This is *exactly* what is needed given the existential threat posed by the Trump annexationist agenda. But our governors need to begin leveling with us: stop pretending that facing down Trump can be done on the cheap. We need to spend seriously on defence; we will need to be taxed seriouslyβ¦
and all those partners in these new negotiations will have confidence that the US will abide by the results, said nobody
βThe specific association of Canada with fentanyl is a big lie that allows Americans to shift responsibility away to a chosen enemy and enter a world of geopolitical fantasy.β
IMO, no, this is not a good idea. All defence acquisitions should be paused until after the election, when the govt should conduct a full defence policy review.
Canada, alone. (That is not a lamentation, just a statement of fact).
Agree 100%. NATO Sec-Gen Mark Rutte surely must be regretting his decision to appear on the βOval Showβ in order to suck up to Trump and have a good laugh β and then have to sit there silently while Trump babbled on about two NATO members: annexing Canada and seizing territory from Denmark.
Screenshot of snippet from text at URL from post: The real Achilles heel of the F-35 lies in the Mission Data Files (MDF), which are essential to the aircraft's combat capabilities. A 90-strong team at the American Air Force base Eglin manages these electronic combat manuals. Without regular MDF updates, the aircraft becomes vulnerable to new threats. These files contain crucial information about enemy radars and anti-aircraft systems and are indispensable for planning flight paths that are difficult to detect. The lack of a European capacity to produce and update these files makes the F-35 fleet potentially vulnerable to American policy decisions.
Piece on F-35 fighter and the dependencies that come with it.
ioplus.nl/en/posts/can...
I am seeing the same thing in my time in Berlin and last week's visit to Stockholm.
Europe is taking defense more seriously not because they are giving into Trump but because they see the Russian threat more clearly and they can't trust the US to show up if needed.