Blame Canada
This isn’t the first time Canada has taken heat. Back in 1999, the animated, satirical (in the late 20th century, satire was still possible) show South Park let our neighbors to the North have it with the Oscar nominated song: Blame Canada. The lyrics sound like they could have come straight from a certain Truth Social account: And my boy Eric once had my picture on his shelf. But now when I see him he tells me to f-ck myself! Well, blame Canada! Blame Canada! It seems that everything’s gone wrong Since Canada came along! They’re not even a real country, anyway. People laughed at the South Park gang’s parody. But no one in Canada is laughing at Trump’s suggestion that Canada should become America’s 51st state. Maybe because the message isn’t being delivered as a joke. Consider that earlier this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made this claim about the President: “What he wants is to see a total collapse of the Canadian economy, because that’ll make it easier to annex us.” From NYT (Gift Article), “this is the story of how Mr. Trudeau went from thinking Mr. Trump was joking when he referred to him as ‘governor’ and Canada as ‘the 51st state’ in early December to publicly stating that Canada’s closest ally and neighbor was implementing a strategy of crushing the country in order to take it over.” How Trump’s ‘51st State’ Canada Talk Came to Be Seen as Deadly Serious. “While Mr. Trump’s remarks could all be bluster or a negotiating tactic to pressure Canada into concessions on trade or border security, the Canadian side no longer believes that to be so.”
+ As far as I know, there’s only one reason why any American president would ever consider annexing Canada: A dramatic acceleration of climate change causing an extreme concern about water access and habitable living land. I guess even the people who lie about climate change understand the threat. That said, if you really think Canada is going to become the 51st state, I’ve got a canal in Panama, some minerals in Ukraine, and an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark to sell you.
+ The Canada-US feud has even ensnared the Great One. (Amazingly, Trump hasn’t tried to annex that sobriquet.) Why Canadians are stung by Wayne Gretzky’s silence. “There was politicized criticism when images of Gretzky first emerged celebrating Trump’s election victory at Mar-a-Lago, and later when he attended the president’s inauguration. But that wasn’t what Canadians were really upset about. It was what came later, when Trump turned his focus to Canada — and Gretzky, the national hero, stayed silent.”
+ I got a ton of feedback about yesterday’s lead item that really helps explain what’s going on and the best way to respond. If you missed it or want to share it: The C-Word.
