Trump’s triumph
Donald Trump only served one term but his legacy will last decades, if not generations. He ensured that by appointing no less than three right wing justices to the U.S.…
United States
Surprise—U.S. Senate seriously considers gun control
I confess to some surprise. I wrote in a recent post that nothing would be done in response to the gun massacres in two U.S. cities. Well, it appears something…
U.S Second Amendment—the most abused law in history?
Once again mass shootings stalk America. Ten dead in Buffalo, 21 in Uvalde, Texas. In less than two weeks. Both shooters were teenagers. Once again there are loud outcries for…
Is the U.S. a threat to our security?
I have experienced a number of revelations about the state of North American democracy in the last few years. In 2016 I thought it was solid as a rock. How…
Roe vs. Wade, democracy, and minority rights
The American Supreme Court has certainly managed to catch the attention of the nation. The leaking of a draft of a ruling has people wondering whatever happened to Court security.…
Oil, guns and ethics
Promoters of the Alberta tar sands suggest customers for the product almost have a moral obligation to buy it. Their term is “ethical oil.” We hear the refrain from an…
Perhaps the party of Lincoln isn’t dead yet
The Republicans backing Trump again would be the definition of insanity. Who said that, you ask. A Democrat perhaps? Or a journalist? An academic? No, as hard to believe as…
More craziness from Texas
Many years ago, when I toiled in the oil patch, I lived in Houston, Texas for a couple of years. It was most enjoyable, especially the part about missing Canadian…
Are liberal values failing?
A recent article in The New York Times by David Brooks, “Globalization Is Over. The Global Culture Wars Have Begun,” discusses the decline of globalization generally and Western values specifically…
The authoritarian Americans
Why are Americans so much more authoritarian than Canadians? According to a survey by American business intelligence company Morning Consult, the U.S. has twice as many right-wing authoritarians as Canada…
Smalls vs. Amazon as David vs. Goliath
The recent success of employees at Amazons’s New York fulfillment centre in forming a union might be the best example of David defeating Goliath since the biblical incident. The union,…
Americans and big lies
Watching “The Plan to Overturn the Election” on American public TV’s Frontline the other evening, I was once again amazed by how many people can believe a lie that is…
Does a U.S. Supreme Court justice advocate a military-backed coup?
Spouses are not their partners. They are unique individuals and deserve to be respected accordingly. But when a U.S. Supreme Court justice’s wife, his most intimate and important advisor, advocates…
The GOP wanders right off the political spectrum
The polarization of political views now has many Americans rightly worried about the future of their democracy. At least those that care about democracy. Some almost seem to welcome its…
The American retreat punishes the Afghan people
The Taliban are in a celebratory mood. Afghanistan has just defeated its third Western empire and they can take the credit. The Afghans humiliated the British in the 19th century,…
A Happy New Year for the American military
Santa was good to the U.S. armed forces. On December 27th President Biden signed a defence bill for nearly $770-billion. This was $24-billion more than he had asked for, but…
Joe Biden’s Summit for Democracy—a timely effort
As a passionate believer in democracy, I feel compelled to comment on the recent democracy summit called to order by President Biden. Cynicism about the summit is thick on the…
American jurisprudence—a puzzle
Two recent criminal trials in the U.S. caught international attention. I refer to the Kyle Rittenhouse case in Wisconsin and the Ahmaud Arbery case in Georgia, the first known best…
Compared to Americans, Canadians are happy campers
A recent survey by the Pew Research Center revealed striking differences in Americans’ and Canadians’ attitudes toward their political, economic and health systems. The Pew survey of 17 advanced countries…
Refunding the police
How quickly the tide turns. Hardly a year has passed since the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer triggered protests that pressured cities across the U.S. to…