Close Reading

How many Ukrainians are vacationing in Russia? Get smart. Don't go.

Americans obviously didn’t understand what tariffs are, didn’t get that it’s an import tax which they must pay on goods and products they buy from Canada, a tax which tRump collects from Americans and uses to pay for tax-cuts for the richest citizens. But one more thing Americans don’t get is that before this fateful day an unofficial boycott against ALL US goods has been growing since tRump insulted Canada’s Prime Minister and threatened Canada’s sovereignty—whereas Canada’s official countervails ( which only kicked-in today )only target certain US goods, not ALL of them like ordinary Canadians are doing in growing numbers right now—in fact, the imposition of tRump’s tariffs today has only made the unofficial boycott bigger and more organized. It’s heartening that so many nations have solicited Canada, offering alternative sources for common US exports to Canada —citrus fruits, pharmaceuticals, and other manufactures, to name a few.\n\nI don’t think Canadians even realize how big this unofficial boycott is getting because it’s growing so fast. I’ve never seen a surge in Canadian patriotism like this. Never in my seven decades —which includes the two Referenda on Quebec separation. And there’s a federal election approaching when all partisans will be one-upping each other in the patriotism department—which manifests in more boycotts of US goods and hospitality services.\n\n Americans should know that the unofficial boycott is more harmful to US exporters than the official targeted countervails because it features immediate and longterm diminishment of Canadian purchases of US goods—all retailers know it’s very hard to recover lost customers once they’ve found alternatives (and the added patriotic effect only makes it worse). Included is diminishment of Canadian visits to the USA. Indeed, the internet is replete with testimonies of Canadian”snow birds” not only forgoing their annual sojourn in the Florida or Arizona sunshine but also of selling their properties there with the parting shot, “I will never vacation in the US again!” Already Mexico has seen its visits from Canadians (who have had a modest presence in Mexico for years) surge to unprecedented levels. I know from much-welcomed temp Mexican construction workers in BC (where I live) that they view Canadians completely differently from our mutual US neighbours—and now that affection is growing like never before. \n\nI’m continually amazed at how uninformed Americans are about tariffs—and misinformed by tRump and his goofy, preposterous, and ridiculous fantasy of world-domination. When tRump uses the lame excuse to implement emergency powers —that Canada is “allowing” (as Vance puts it) fentanyl to “pour into the USA”—it’s tantamount to saying Ukraine started the war with Russia. The man is a tendentious liar and narcissistic megalomaniac. \n\nI have faith that the great nation of the USA will reject tRump’s crazy policies—we all just have to hang on and let the needless suffering for both our nations (and the world with regard strategic alliances) play out until he either relents, is swamped in legal repercussions, is impeached, or otherwise removed from office!\n\nGood luck my American and Ukrainian friends!

Fellow US Americans it’s time to stand up. We cannot allow the Oligarchy to succeed here. Many have been deceived into believing that these men had the US people in mind as they came to power and it has been greatly proven that all Trump and Musk care about is strong arm power to become something anti American. Donald Trump should be seen as the highest risk to our national security today. He wants to weaken our country not make it great, harming our allies opens us up as a target for our enemies. \n\nCanada, beautiful nation, the US American people are so sorry, you have done nothing to earn this treatment. Boycott US goods, use any power you have to fight back against wannabe dictator Trump. Ukrainians, we are so sorry. The greater US People do not want this and we do not want Trump. \n\nUS people, keep boycotting these oligarchs while they leisure, don’t let them rest in peace, they don’t deserve it. We are the ones who are paying while they vacation and dine on our dimes, stolen from us.

Fellow US Americans it’s time to stand up. We cannot allow the Oligarchy to succeed here. Many have been deceived into believing that these men had the US people in mind as they came to power and it has been greatly proven that all Trump and Musk care about is strong arm power to become something anti American. Donald Trump should be seen as the highest risk to our national security today. He wants to weaken our country not make it great, harming our allies opens us up as a target for our enemies. \n\nCanada, beautiful nation, the US American people are so sorry, you have done nothing to earn this treatment. Boycott US goods, use any power you have to fight back against wannabe dictator Trump. Ukrainians, we are so sorry. The greater US People do not want this and we do not want Trump. \n\nUS people, keep boycotting these oligarchs while they leisure, don’t let them rest in peace, they don’t deserve it. We are the ones who are paying while they vacation and dine on our dimes, stolen from us.