No. of Recommendations: 34
I've been reluctant to enter into this heated exchange, but I must admit to being quite disappointed to see how quickly some respected persons on this board are thoroughly condemning the US.
Annexing Canada would not only violate the wishes of the Canadian population but most of the US population as well. Referring to such annexation as "official US policy" because Trump has disgustingly spoken out in favor of it is, to my mind, over the top, and, quite frankly, demoralizing. We, the internal resistance to a megalomaniacal oligarch elected to a four-year Presidential term by a *minority* vote, are now in need of worldwide support and encouragement rather than dismissal out of hand. I share your disgust with the status quo, but we in the US can't allow ourselves to simply roll over and play dead. I would hope the same is true for those in other countries.
The United States of America is *not* Donald J. Trump, and he most certainly does not speak for all of us.
For sure. Speaking for myself, the condemnation is the US government and its actions, not American individuals.
But the reality is that the folks in charge determine the US government's actions and form the facts on the ground, whereas the opinions of those Americans that don't agree absolutely don't matter at all. This seems so obvious I'm surprised it isn't more widely appreciated. When it comes to actions, as opposed to hand wringing, like it or not Mr Trump *does* speak for the United States and direct its actions more or less without limit. One might admire those who say they don't approve, inside or outside the US, but it simply doesn't matter a whit. The white house wanted jackboots on the streets of LA, so there are jackboots on the streets of LA. Maybe that's a good idea or maybe it isn't, but the point is that those who don't like the idea don't factor into the decision.
Indeed, it appears that the opinions of the US supreme court and congress no longer matter either, as they have been successfully reduced to advisory bodies by the simple expedient of ignoring them and getting people used to that. If the folks in charge decide to invade or bankrupt Canada (or shut down Harvard or support Russia or whatever), then that's what will happen.
Since the US administration DOES have the power, and HAS said emphatically and repeatedly that the plan is to annex my home country by economic coercion, it behooves me to take that at face value rather than pretending it isn't so. There are lots of nice folks in Russia, but they don't matter either--I'm never going to go on vacation there either, for precisely the same reason: the government has emphatically positioned itself as my enemy.
This might be a time limited situation, or it might not. The party in charge can stay in power past 3.5 years from now by adopting policies on balance approved of by the plurality of the population, or by ensuring that there isn't a free and fair election next time at the margin, for which there is a standard playbook. As time goes on we all see various bits of evidence in each direction. Prudent folk, no matter the home town, will to assess which is most likely and plan for whichever path(s) seem plausible.
Jim
