Of course Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race. It was the best thing for the nation he loves, and he’s been serving his nation for over 50 years. He goes out on a high and that’s the only way to go. Men find it very hard to give
Continue readingTag: United States
Views from the Beltline: Trump—an aggrieved leader for an aggrieved people
Why, one wonders, would so many Americans be prepared to elect a president with such contempt for democracy, one of the country’s cardinal values. A partial answer is that many Americans simply don’t care for democracy. Not everyone does. A study by Matthew MacWilliams, a research associate at the University
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Never enuf nukes
The Dr. Strangelove’s are at it again. As if there wasn’t enough to worry about with the possibility of Donald Trump resuming the presidency of the U.S., some of his former allies are proposing that, should he be elected, the United States restart the underground testing of nuclear weapons. Robert
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: When the president does it, it’s legal
After resigning in disgrace over the infamous Watergate affair, President Richard Nixon told an interviewer, “When the president does it that means that it is not illegal,” and everybody had a good laugh. Well, nobody is laughing now. Except perhaps Donald Trump. The U.S. is not the country it was
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Some countries we like, others … not so much
A recent survey of Canadian attitudes toward various countries by the Angus Reid Institute produced some interesting results. The survey covered nine countries that have been much in the news lately: the UK, France, Mexico, the U.S., India, Israel, China, Russia and Iran . Our favourite nation, not surprisingly, was
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: CBC News Delusional About Republican Election Respect
Why is CBC News carrying water for the GOP? "Both main presidential candidates sent out fundraising emails after the verdict. One thing the Biden message, and Trump's, had in common: both said this election will be settled at the ballot box, by voters. (CBC News)"GTFO @CBCNews. Republicans repeatedly deny that!
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Neoliberalism’s failure—Americans agree on something
If I should ask what the most prominent single feature of American politics is today, I suspect most would say it’s polarization, perhaps dangerous polarization. I would agree. It was with some pleasure, therefore, that I read in a recent article in The New York Times, “A New Centrism Is
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Suppressing free enterprise in Florida
Meat. Steak and hamburgers. Who would have thought a diet staple would become such a controversial subject? Conservatives, as is their wont, have dragged the issue into the culture wars. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has banned cultured meat (grown in a lab from animal cells) from sale in his state.
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Labour’s big Southern win
Employers in the American South have long had a thing about cheap labour. In fact, for the first 90 years of the country’s history they got it for free, and that was worth fighting for. They lost, of course, but that didn’t diminish their passion for peonage. After the Civil
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Trump and Hitler: disturbing parallels
Many people think that Hitler was democratically elected chancellor of Germany. He wasn’t. In fact, some highly influential conservatives convinced President von Hindenburg to appoint him to the position. The Nazis never won a majority in German elections. In July, 1932 they won a plurality with 37 percent of the
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: What’s with our unhappy youth?
Why are old Canadians so happy and young Canadians so unhappy? That’s the story the World Happiness Report (WHR) tells us. Every year the report is issued by a partnership including Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The report reflects an interest in
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Biden loses Ireland
The U.S. departed almost radically from an habitual practice on a resolution at a United Nations Security Council meeting Monday. It didn’t vote in Israel’s favour. The Council passed a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza during the remaining weeks of Ramadan. The resolution passed with 14 votes
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: The Collapse Of The American Empire
The United States is giving us a real-time view into the collapse of an empire. The 2024 election cycle will determine whether the final failures happen quickly (and soon), or if there will be a slower series of failings that will eventually render the current American Republic neutered. Precisely when
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: When Trump and the left agreed
A recent article in The New York Times took me back to the latter decades of the 20th century and the debates over free trade agreements. The 1988 federal election was fought over the issue and the free-trade side led by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney won the day. A free
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Why must the Palestinians beg for a country in their own land?
A seemingly eccentric question, one that shouldn’t have to be asked, yet it does because that is the bizarre situation the Palestinians find themselves in. Indeed, many find themselves refugees in their own land. Their circumstances are a reflection of the disdain that supporters of Israel, particularly its chief enabler
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: 7,000 children, 60 journalists, 130 UN aid workers … enough?
On September 11th, 2001, the Islamist extremist group al-Qaeda carried out one of the most dramatic terrorist attacks in history on the United States. It knocked down two phallic symbols of U.S. capitalism and killed nearly 3,000 innocent people. The Americans could have sought out the perpetrators and brought them
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: The contagious toxicity of Trump
Rudolph Giuliani was once a man of substance. A man of integrity. He served as the U.S. Associate Attorney General from 1981 to 1983 and as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1983 to 1989. In the latter role, he led the 1980s federal prosecution
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Is There Hope For Palestine
I wrote this in November 2007 on the hope for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The solution essentially comes down to understanding the most and least that each side can accept. We could argue forever whether the State of Israel should have been created the way it was but,
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: The cost of emissions just went up
With gorgeous blue prairie skies all too often transformed into smoky shrouds, we have just experienced a summer that brought climate change home. We are aware of the fires, the floods, the storms, the droughts, the heat waves, the rising sea levels, the effects on our health, but what’s the
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Swedes take on Tesla
The world’s richest man is not amused. Elon Musk, CEO and biggest shareholder of automaker Tesla, is annoyed at a series of strikes against his company. He calls them “insane.” He has simply encountered a culture which takes workplace democracy seriously. When Tesla set up in Sweden, Musk attempted to
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