Peter Posted May 21, 2018 Share Posted May 21, 2018 9 minutes ago, Marc said: I live in Canada and your words ring true , brother From what I have seen of Canada's young PM, he seems like an OK guy and his wife is nice too. Does Canada need their version of DJT? Mea culpa. I watched a recap of the royal wedding and didn't change the channel. Royal figureheads are just like every other celebrity, and many childhood stories revolve around royals, and princesses. Oh, Victoria! I did see two paintings ov young Vicky, maty, and while not yer movie star like the young lady who is playing her on the telly, she was similar in appearance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william.scherk Posted May 21, 2018 Share Posted May 21, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Peter said: It would be a shame to put Canada in the same class as the Soviet Union, Mexico or Honduras It depends. Honduras is a 'developing' nation. The Soviet Union gave way to Russia, and has had the same leader since ... well, how long has Putin been king of the castle? Canada's Westminster-style system is not quite like the USA's republican two-party system (we have five parties in the House of Commons), but our countries have enough similarities and many ties between such that we are firm allies ... As for the 'class' ... Little Honduras has a Gross Domestic Product of around 55 Billion US dollars -- which means in context that it is a very poor nation (not to mention its hideous violence). Russia, with a population of 144 millions, has a GDP of 1.3 trillion US dollars. Canada is an established industrialized democracy, has a population of 36 million, and posts a GDP of 1.5 trillion US dollars. [Added: Mexico, would you like to be in the same class as the USA and Canada?] Quote but if they [Canada, Honduras, Russia] keep traveling towards totalitarianism? I'd like a list, Peter. We could call it "Hallmarks of Totalitarianism." But a more useful rubric for such a list might be "Hallmarks of Authoritarianism." Wishing a term-limited elected official of an industrialized democracy to be styled an Emperor seems a little bizarre to me. Suggesting Canada is creeping towards totalitarianism ... strikes my philosophical funny bone. Spoiler Edited May 21, 2018 by william.scherk Who forgot Mexico? "They" swapped out for "we." It's not them, it's us, or so sez Brotherton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted May 21, 2018 Share Posted May 21, 2018 31 minutes ago, Peter said: From what I have seen of Canada's young PM, he seems like an OK guy and his wife is nice too. Does Canada need their version of DJT? Mea culpa. I watched a recap of the royal wedding and didn't change the channel. Royal figureheads are just like every other celebrity, and many childhood stories revolve around royals, and princesses. Oh, Victoria! I did see two paintings ov young Vicky, maty, and while not yer movie star like the young lady who is playing her on the telly, she was similar in appearance. It’s funny cause Trudeau ( the original ) was a flaming socialist yet very charismatic and was our PM my entire childhood it seemed to young adult . Then his son comes to power because he legalized marijuana and got his majority government . I would call him Obama north . That being said , we have a provincial election now ( Jine 7 ) and our current liberal Premiere is bribing voters with their own money , and Doug Ford WILL be the next Premiere . The press calls him Trump north and you may recall his brother Rob Ford ( RIP ) was the Mayor of Toronto . I believe that once Ford wins on June 7 ( hopefully a majority but who knows ) he ain’t Trump but he is a lot closer than our current outlandish Premiere Wynne who is literally bonkers . As the Province goes , goes the country so please God , our current PM ( his only experience is being a high school drama teacher and the correct last name ) will be thrown out . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted May 21, 2018 Share Posted May 21, 2018 29 minutes ago, william.scherk said: It depends. Honduras is a 'developing' nation. The Soviet Union gave way to Russia, and has had the same leader since ... well, how long has Putin been king of the castle? Canada's Westminster-style system is not quite like the USA's republican two-party system (we have five parties in the House of Commons), but our countries have enough similarities and many ties between such that we are firm allies ... As for the 'class' ... Little Honduras has a Gross Domestic Product of around 55 Billion US dollars -- which means in context that it is a very poor nation (not to mention its hideous violence). Russia, with a population of 144 millions, has a GDP of 1.3 trillion US dollars. Canada is an established industrialized democracy, has a population of 36 million, and posts a GDP of 1.5 trillion US dollars. I'd like a list, Peter. We could call it "Hallmarks of Totalitarianism." But a more useful rubric for such a list might be "Hallmarks of Authoritarianism." Wishing a term-limited elected official of an industrialized democracy to be styled an Emperor seems a little bizarre to me. Suggesting Canada is creeping towards totalitarianism ... strikes my philosophical funny bone. I will refer to Trunp as The Emperor , simply because he is that good ! He already is the greatest President in history , and he still has more than half a year to get to half of his first of two terms . We cannot call him President after the first term , it needs to be a stronger term . Emperor Trump , has a nice ring to it . The man who had no ground game , is rushing for 500 yards a game Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william.scherk Posted May 21, 2018 Share Posted May 21, 2018 49 minutes ago, Marc said: Emperor Trump , has a nice ring to it . "I come to praise Caesar." Has an Erdogan/Putin/Xi/Kim/Hoxha/Ceaucescu ring to it. "Genius of the Carpathians" and all that. Lèse-majesté and worse ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted May 21, 2018 Share Posted May 21, 2018 It starts. From Axios a few minutes ago: Justice Department to proceed with FBI investigation Quote The Justice Department inspector general will investigate "any irregularities with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s or the Department of Justice’s tactics concerning the Trump Campaign," per a statement from White House press secretary Sarah Sanders. Between the lines: That's the outcome from President Trump's meeting with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray this afternoon, and it's pretty much where the investigation was already headed as of Sunday. But there will also be a meeting with White House chief of staff John Kelly, intelligence agencies, and congressional leaders to review classified information. Here's the full statement from Sanders: “Based on the meeting with the President, the Department of Justice has asked the Inspector General to expand its current investigation to include any irregularities with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s or the Department of Justice’s tactics concerning the Trump Campaign. It was also agreed that White House Chief of Staff Kelly will immediately set up a meeting with the FBI, DOJ, and DNI together with Congressional Leaders to review highly classified and other information they have requested.” From the reactions out there, the swamp is not amused. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroljane Posted May 21, 2018 Share Posted May 21, 2018 Marc, 3 hours ago, Marc said: I live in Canada and your words ring true , brother I live in Canada too, and the words ring as hollow to me as a death-knell. (Peter's words, not Neil Diamond's.) You live in Canada, but you don't seem to like it here. If you are being held hostage,you can smuggle through your whereabouts and we will try to rescue you. Politely, Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroljane Posted May 21, 2018 Share Posted May 21, 2018 3 hours ago, Marc said: It’s funny cause Trudeau ( the original ) was a flaming socialist yet very charismatic and was our PM my entire childhood it seemed to young adult . Then his son comes to power because he legalized marijuana and got his majority government . I would call him Obama north . ,,,,,,, As the Province goes , goes the country so please God , our current PM ( his only experience is being a high school drama teacher and the correct last name ) will be thrown out . You know perfectly well he has been an MP for 10 (ten) years, Leader of the Opposition for three, as well as PM for three. What are you doing, auditioning for Trump Surrogate North or for Ezra Levant's personal assistant? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Letendre Posted May 21, 2018 Share Posted May 21, 2018 United. And John Brennan’s threats against these elected leaders will only make his situation worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 6 hours ago, william.scherk said: "I come to praise Caesar." Has an Erdogan/Putin/Xi/Kim/Hoxha/Ceaucescu ring to it. "Genius of the Carpathians" and all that. Lèse-majesté and worse ... Lolllll , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9thdoctor Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 16 hours ago, william.scherk said: "I come to praise Caesar." Isn't the line supposed to be: "I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him"? And Julius Caesar? No, no, no, wrong hairdo. How about another Gaius? Still not quite the right hue. P.G. Wodehouse said it best, describing the cat Percy: Orange of body and inky black of soul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Letendre Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 https://mobile.twitter.com/SecOfState70 (Not the actual Secretary of State, parody account.) Republicans don't hate immigrants they hate illegal aliens Democrats don't hate Trump they hate America 7:07 AM · May 22, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 On 5/21/2018 at 3:05 PM, Marc said: It’s funny cause Trudeau ( the original ) was a flaming socialist yet very charismatic and was our PM my entire childhood it seemed to young adult . Then his son comes to power because he legalized marijuana and got his majority government . I would call him Obama north . That being said , we have a provincial election now ( Jine 7 ) and our current liberal Premiere is bribing voters with their own money , and Doug Ford WILL be the next Premiere . The press calls him Trump north and you may recall his brother Rob Ford ( RIP ) was the Mayor of Toronto . I believe that once Ford wins on June 7 ( hopefully a majority but who knows ) he ain’t Trump but he is a lot closer than our current outlandish Premiere Wynne who is literally bonkers . As the Province goes , goes the country so please God , our current PM ( his only experience is being a high school drama teacher and the correct last name ) will be thrown out . How ya doin’ neighbors! How about an honest appraisal through my eyes and Canadian eyes? I hope Canada and Mexico elect conservative libertarians. There is a correlation between freedom, capitalism, prosperity, and happiness. It can be observed by most people internally and computed by economists and sociologists. Look at developing countries and determine what works. (aside: The top ten most polluted cities are in India. I would have guessed they would be in China.) If you were to move, and you excluded the factor of language and shared history, where would you go? (I don’t think I would go to French speaking portions of Canada, for example.) Which countries have the most number of foreigners wanting to come to its shores? Did the election of Donald Maximus Trump cause people to turn away or want to come to America even more? From foreign eyes, do you care at all, praise American election results, or dread another ringing of the freedom bell in 2020? I saw that President Trump just turned 72, so he will be 74 in 2020. Do we have a new and improved Ronald Reagan? Hell yes! Why should good Americans or Canadians worry? Years ago, we in rural America, were more insistent that Spanish speaking immigrants, many who worked in local chicken factories, drop the Spanish. But nowadays, the local TV station has a Spanish version. I heard a three year old girl in a shopping cart being pushed by her mother, speak Spanish and then switch to English. That was cool. The average salary at some California tech giant was $240,000. If you lived in a small apartment and were frugal, in a decade you could save enough to be a millionaire. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroljane Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 7 minutes ago, Peter said: How ya doin’ neighbors! How about an honest appraisal through my eyes and Canadian eyes? I hope Canada and Mexico elect conservative libertarians. There is a correlation between freedom, capitalism, prosperity, and happiness. It can be observed by most people internally and computed by economists and sociologists. Look at developing countries and determine what works. (aside: The top ten most polluted cities are in India. I would have guessed they would be in China.) If you were to move, and you excluded the factor of language and shared history, where would you go? (I don’t think I would go to French speaking portions of Canada, for example.) Which countries have the most number of foreigners wanting to come to its shores? Did the election of Donald Maximus Trump cause people to turn away or want to come to America even more? From foreign eyes, do you care at all, praise American election results, or dread another ringing of the freedom bell in 2020? I saw that President Trump just turned 72, so he will be 74 in 2020. Do we have a new and improved Ronald Reagan? Hell yes! Why should good Americans or Canadians worry? Years ago, we in rural America, were more insistent that Spanish speaking immigrants, many who worked in local chicken factories, drop the Spanish. But nowadays, the local TV station has a Spanish version. I heard a three year old girl in a shopping cart being pushed by her mother, speak Spanish and then switch to English. That was cool. The average salary at some California tech giant was $240,000. If you lived in a small apartment and were frugal, in a decade you could save enough to be a millionaire. Peter First I wish Marc would correct the lie he told about Trudeau's experience. He was an elected member of Parliament for ten years before becoming party leader and then prime minister, as Marc knows but chose to conceal. Whereas Gluteus Maximus's only experience, outside of conning people in business deals, was firing people on TV, which is basically all he has done since he got elected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 13 minutes ago, caroljane said: First I wish Marc would correct the lie he told about Trudeau's experience. He was an elected member of Parliament for ten years before becoming party leader and then prime minister, as Marc knows but chose to conceal. Whereas Gluteus Maximus's only experience, outside of conning people in business deals, was firing people on TV, which is basically all he has done since he got elected. Horse crap. Gluteus maximus is a nickname only big butted people can have, and our Prez is a keeper - not a bleeper. He might be worth a million if it were true that he ONLY was on TV for a while and conned people. Someone who is a wiz at free trade and made billions is the personification of objective success. Except to a deep state, progressive totalitarians like a big butted dunce, having the "right stuff" and doing the "right thing" having the right epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, etc., is a good thing. I even like Trump's esthetics sense in his architecture. So, Philosophically, how is President Trump doing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william.scherk Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Peter said: Gluteus maximus is a nickname only big butted people can have Spoiler 1 hour ago, Peter said: Except to a deep state, progressive totalitarians like a big butted dunce, having the "right stuff" and doing the "right thing" having the right epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, etc., is a good thing. Epistemology is a great place to begin your series on Trumphilosphy, Peter. I'd open with "How I love what I know about Him?" Basically, I think an Objectivish argument can be made for holding one's nose, voting straight Republican except in cases of Roy Moore, and supporting the agenda of a Republican President. You don't have to justify anything at all about the great leader to support his agenda. Once you figure out his agenda on the issues that matter to you, you can decide what to ignore, what to file for later ... What might concern a skeptical Objectivist in re Trump is a tendency to the Strongman. If you are Objectivish and kind of pine for a strongman and feel the emotional wallop of getting behind a leader, how do you navigate the one or two concerning things about the direction or management of this administration? Well, all opposition can be demonized and labelled unpatriotic, if you don't already have a few thought-stoppers ready. In the back of my mind for a few months is a blog post 25 Things to Love About A Trump Presidency, Even If You "Hate" Him. Must be my love of lists. Meanwhile, the Criminal Deep State is eating my homework. Edited May 23, 2018 by william.scherk Linked "Criminal Deep State" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroljane Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 2 hours ago, Peter said: Horse crap. Gluteus maximus is a nickname only big butted people can have, and our Prez is a keeper - not a bleeper. He might be worth a million if it were true that he ONLY was on TV for a while and conned people. Someone who is a wiz at free trade and made billions is the personification of objective success. Except to a deep state, progressive totalitarians like a big butted dunce, having the "right stuff" and doing the "right thing" having the right epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, etc., is a good thing. I even like Trump's esthetics sense in his architecture. So, Philosophically, how is President Trump doing? OK, he did more than just con people, after all its caveat emptor in his game, he also bullied and threatened. And he could be just worth a million for all we know, since he'll never release his taxes -- and without the Russian income (which Don Jr boasted was considerable) he might be just a run-of-the-mill multimillionaire. As to philosophy, he is a complete cynic with no notion of ethics and no political ideals which he would not reverse immediately if he saw an advantage to himself. It is useless to tell an Objectivist that the ability to make money for its own sake is a skill bestowed on different individuals, some good and some not. But gosh, Peter, I am sorry to see you emulating his style of discourse towards women who don't agree with him. Here I thought you liked me! Why, I never think about your butt at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 Strongman, in the totalitarian sense? That is not what our Donald is. Strong Man, in standing up for what is right makes sense. I occasionally say to myself, what is he up to, or I would not have put it that way, but he adheres better to Objectivist ideals than any other recent President. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 I don't want to be hostile and snarky (my style is more like poking folks in the ribs good-naturedly), but it does feel good to see anti-Trump people bitching about President Trump in the same terms they used to right before he got nominated, then right before he got elected. The reason, of course, is that he is dismantling the mess Bushes-Clinton-Obama made of the world and America and putting in lasting good things. And he is dismantling the Deep State big time. And it's working. I think that worries the hell out of the left and the cronies. They prefer themselves to tell us lesser beings how to live. And without political power to take our stuff ("our" meaning us lesser beings) and force their opinions on us, we don't pay much attention to them. I'm willing to give lots of them a hug, though... Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 Trump is a cynic? No, he is not. He tells you what he is thinking, like totally all the time, girl. I predict Trump will have the Objectivist vote in 2020. I also predict the Progressive Socialist candidate will hide their left leaning behind a moderate, but strong personae. The anti future vote hatred the left has for Trump is astonishing. He is a good decent man, rough around the edges . . . just like me. Ha~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 "I think that worries the hell out of the left and the cronies," Michael wrote. I think it is time to plan for 2020. Weirdly, I think the republican party cronies, who may try to jinx the election, are less afraid of "hidden retribution" from President Trump than from any other recent president. You get your FU immediately from him, though he may grumble in private a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroljane Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 25 minutes ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said: The reason, of course, is that he is dismantling the mess Bushes-Clinton-Obama made of the world and America and putting in lasting good things. And he is dismantling the Deep State big time. And it's working. Michael Well, if he is dismantling all the mess made in the world in the last 20 years or so, that is an awesome task. But as to dismantling the Deep State, how does that differ from firing every Democrat, and every Republican who criticizes Trump, from any job in the federal government? That seems to be the only way to ensure true dismantling, if the State is all that Deep. I will take the hug, though, if it's still on offer. I could use it. My TVis broken and I have to watch tv on the laptop and I hate that, especially at the Cup final! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 22 minutes ago, Peter said: You get your FU immediately from him, though he may grumble in private a bit. Peter, And look what you get from the fake news media immediately. I looked on RCP Video just now and on Morning Joe, on discussing this term SPYGATE President Trump tweeted out this morning, somebody (I think it was Joe) asked how this term (yada yada yada) when the whole investigation started with a "booze-fueled sitdown" between a Trump advisor and and Australian (yada yada yada). Then, eating a sandwich for lunch, I looked at TV news. I like to use the remote control to bounce back and forth between several stations. On tree different stations, I saw a guest talking about SPYGATE and protesting about some "booze-fueled sitdown." Jeez... Seriously. These guys are such amateurs... They don't think. They don't present news. All they do is run scripts handed down to them from some master whose boot they lick. No wonder the general public thinks the mainstream news stinks. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 9 minutes ago, caroljane said: Well, if he is dismantling all the mess made in the world in the last 20 years or so, that is an awesome task. Carol, That is the correct word: awesome. President Trump is awesome and doing an awesome job. 10 minutes ago, caroljane said: I will take the hug, though, if it's still on offer. Always... Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william.scherk Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 Remarks. 3 hours ago, Peter said: On 5/21/2018 at 11:41 AM, william.scherk said: On 5/21/2018 at 10:52 AM, Peter said: It would be a shame to put Canada in the same class as the Soviet Union, Mexico or Honduras It depends. Honduras is a 'developing' nation. The Soviet Union gave way to Russia, and has had the same leader since ... well, how long has Putin been king of the castle? Canada's Westminster-style system is not quite like the USA's republican two-party system (we have five parties in the House of Commons), but our countries have enough similarities and many ties between such that we are firm allies ... As for the 'class' ... Little Honduras has a Gross Domestic Product of around 55 Billion US dollars -- which means in context that it is a very poor nation (not to mention its hideous violence). Russia, with a population of 144 millions, has a GDP of 1.3 trillion US dollars. Canada is an established industrialized democracy, has a population of 36 million, and posts a GDP of 1.5 trillion US dollars. [Added: Mexico, would you like to be in the same class as the USA and Canada?] How ya doin’ neighbors! How about an honest appraisal through my eyes and Canadian eyes? The death of expertise ... Tom Nichols not being a fun read, I'd rather return to question you over your earlier remarks about the class of Mexico-Canada-Russia-CCCP-Honduras. Do your remarks make more sense now, or less? Quote I hope Canada and Mexico elect conservative libertarians. We can put that slogan on a mug for a low, low price -- and ship it to you direct. Or you can take that hope and a five dollar bill and get yourself a hot beverage from capitalism. The subtext is that hope about another polity is meaningless, especially if you aren't curious about the state of reality in the other lands. Quote There is a correlation between freedom, capitalism, prosperity, and happiness. It can be observed by most people internally and computed by economists and sociologists. That is why Canada has more freedom, lower taxes, a general distribution of advanced industrial prosperity ... and a dang high happiness index. How come? Quote Look at developing countries and determine what works. A modern-day history of brutal military dictatorships leaves legacies of state-sanctioned terror, death squads and judicial impunity (Honduras) ... versus Costa Rica? A lengthy sojourn (sixty years) under a single party's rule, leavened by corruption at every level of the state-allied economy (Mexico)? A late-in-the-day turn to real US/Canada style democracy, an opening of the economy to competition and integration into energy and transport networks? Mexico. Rising standard of living? Mexico, leavened by persistent corruption, criminal violence and a weak justice infrastructure. Quote If you were to move, and you excluded the factor of language and shared history, where would you go? (I don’t think I would go to French speaking portions of Canada, for example.) Canadians are, on the whole, much more on the move than Americans ... between provinces and territories, as well as between business interests and part-time retirement in a variety of second countries. Boatloads of Brit-derived Canadians enjoy a second Britannic citizenship, which for a time allows them entry into the EU as citizens. Multiply that by every country in the Commonwealth and the Francophonie ... But don't underestimate where Americans themselves have got to in the wider world. For example, the West Coast resorts of Mexico have heavy American contingents (both Hispanic and not) doing heavy business. From Vietnam to Kazakhstan to fabulous Montreal, Americans do business in 98% of everywhere. So, I would suggest we North Americans would go where money was to be made (if not retired or a student) easily or almost as easily as at home. For me, that would make Mexico and the US a first stop for my skills and abilities were I younger. My dollar goes a long way in Mexico and I have fallen in love with one village, and I would happily retire there, making trouble, making friends, buzzing along a little business development. Quote Which countries have the most number of foreigners wanting to come to its shores? Western industrialized democracies have the biggest "pull," I believe. At the same time, the incoming hopefuls are cognizant of the reality of borders and policies and 'welcome mats.' For example, foreign students in our North American universities: in Canadian provinces, under federal guideline, foreign students are cash cows, and are encouraged to deepen their ties to Canada through generous allowance into work. Meaning, study, spend, work, drop those dollars through our economy, thank you. And if you'd like to become a citizen, well, let's take a look at your experience, your language abilities, and your degree ... Welcome to Canada, newcomer! Quote Did the election of Donald Maximus Trump cause people to turn away or want to come to America even more? That is going to require a shopping trip downtown to the Statistics and Ladies Wear floor at Factco. Quote From foreign eyes, do you care at all, praise American election results, or dread another ringing of the freedom bell in 2020? Some of these are awkward questions. Personally, I relish "throw the bums out" elections. The shortcomings of the US system I have gone on about at length elsewhere. To briefly summarize, I think the system is calcified, crusted over as with barnacles -- in the sense of an institutional two-party lock on all elective contests bar a few. The simplicity of Canadian elections might astound or appall, given the framework of comparison. We get to clear out incumbencies at a far higher rate than you guys do. Bench-clearing moments, crushing defeats, drama. Think Kim Campbell, think Bill Vander Zalm or other BC leaders forced to step down. Canadians can only be spectators of the US drama, except for those of us who wield dual citizenships and residences. Quote I saw that President Trump just turned 72, so he will be 74 in 2020. Do we have a new and improved Ronald Reagan? Hell yes! Why should good Americans or Canadians worry? What's a "good" citizen? Hopefully not one that slavishly follows a leader as in a cult, hopefully not one who doesn't understand what loyal opposition means, and hopefully not one who ignores the 'other side' as being hopelessly evil or corrupt ... Quote Years ago, we in rural America, were more insistent that Spanish speaking immigrants, many who worked in local chicken factories, drop the Spanish. But nowadays, the local TV station has a Spanish version. I heard a three year old girl in a shopping cart being pushed by her mother, speak Spanish and then switch to English. That was cool. Unnecessary segregation can prevent a natural acculturation to a second working language in immigrant communities, leaving people isolated from the general run of the economy and levels of achievement in society. Up here, provinces and private societies through federally-funded and mandated 'welcome' practices help newcomers reach their goals of fluency and literacy in English or French. For both first and second generation incoming, public schools (with great effort) turn out fluent, literate graduates ... I learned French as an adult, and feel confident entering a conversation with a francophone. Two days ago I got to use my nascent Spanish on a trio of gentlemen who I heard speaking the tongue. They turned out to be workers, landscapers. I didn't ask them their origin or their destination, but I will next time. Bienvenido a Chilliwack, señores! Of course, I also seek to learn more of the actual local language, the tongue of the people who were here before colonists, Halkomelem. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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