Foolish Shapiro and Atkins fail to sign Vladdy

The Toronto Blue Jays have really blown it.  They have made a fatal error.  Many fans, including myself, are thoroughly  disgusted and profoundly disappointed.  Vladimir Guerrero is the face of the franchise, a four time all-star.  The fans come to watch him play.  Yet, the Jays have failed to reach a long term contract with him.  It's  likely that he will become a free agent in the fall.  

There are no excuses. The Jays had the resources to sign him.  Remember how much they were willing to pay Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto?  They wasted time chasing those two players when it was doubtful they would come to Toronto.  They would have been much wiser trying to make sure Vladdy remained a Blue Jay.  One can only assume they didn't value him enough.

Other teams are already salivating at the thought of signing Vladdy, and they will open the vault.  The vultures are flying overhead.  It didn't have to happen this way.  This could have been avoided.  Vladdy could have been a Blue Jay for years to come.  He wanted to stay in Toronto.  The Blue Jays, however, chose to wait until the last moment to sign him.  Yet, they could have signed him for much less before the Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto deals.  

Unless Vladdy is traded, his free agency will hang like a cloud over the Blue Jays for the rest of the season.   The team will be distracted.  It will be hard for the Jays to attract good players when Vladdy will be a free agent after this season.  

The Jays have made some improvements during the off season.  However, they still do not have enough hitting, and they are in need of a catcher to back up Alejandro Kirk.  Wouldn't it be nice to have Gabriel Moreno sharing the catching duties with Kirk?  He should never have been traded.

The truth is that the Blue Jays are not anywhere good enough to compete with the Yankees and the Red Sox.  I expect them to finish third or fourth in the American League East.  Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins have got to go, and the sooner the better.  In any other city, they would have been gone by now.  There may empty seats at the dome this season.  Blue Jay fans are patient, but there are limits.

- Joanne

An American's Essay about Canada

I couldn't resist posting the following essay, written by an American.  The essay is a commentary on the history of the relationship between Canada and the United States.  According to Snopes Fact Check, however, it has as been falsely presented as an open letter by a Florida circuit judge named Robert Meadows.  In fact, it was not written by Judge Meadows.  This is just a small taste of all the misleading information on the internet and social media.  I urge you to double check and triple check everything you read online.

I'm relieved that I decided to check if the work was indeed an open letter written by a Florida judge.  I learned that it was not the work of Judge Meadows.  I discovered that it was originally posted on Facebook by Bruce Lindner of Portland, Oregon (with Ana Bee Gonzales) on Facebook on June 7, 2018.  The essay was written during the first Trump administration, shortly after Trump announced he would be imposing steel aluminum tariffs on imports from Canada.  As a result, Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs.  On May 17, 2019, the U.S. and Canada agreed to lift tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, as well as Canada's retaliatory tariffs,  Three days later, both governments lifted their respective tariffs.

I have posted Bruce Lindner's essay because it is more relevant than ever, more than seven years after it was first written.  

- Joanne

Thank you, Canada

By Bruce Lindner 

"Have you ever stopped to consider how lucky we Americans are to have the neighbors we have?

Look around the globe at who some folks have been stuck sharing a border with over the past half century:

North Korea / South Korea

Greece / Turkey

Iran / Iraq

Israel / Palestine

India / Pakistan

China / Russia

"We’ve got Canada! Canada. About as inoffensive a neighbor as you could ever hope for. In spite of all our boasts of “American exceptionalism” and chants of “America first,” they just smile, do their thing and go about their business. They are on average more educated, have a higher standard of living, free health care, and almost no gun problems. They treat immigrants respectfully and already took in over 35,000 Syrians in the last two years.

"They’re with us in NATO, they fought alongside us in World War I, World War II, Korea, the Gulf War, the Bosnian War, Afghanistan, the Kosovo War and came to our defense after 9/11. There was that one time when Canada took a pass on one of our wars: Vietnam. Turned out to be a good call.

"They’ve been steady consumers of American imports, reliable exporters of metals and petroleum products (they are the biggest importer of U.S. products from 37 states), and partnered with NASA in our space missions.

"During 9/11 many aircraft were diverted to Newfoundland, an island province off Canada's east coast where Americans were housed in people's homes for two weeks and treated like royalty. In return for their hospitality, this administration slapped a 20% tariff on the products of Newfoundland's only paper mill, thereby threatening its survival.

"And what do Canadians expect of us in return? To be respected for who and what they are: Canadians. That’s what I call a good neighbor.

"But the King of Chaos couldn’t leave well enough alone. Based on his delusions of perpetual victimhood, out of the clear blue, he’s declared economic war on Canada. On CANADA! And he did it based on Canada being a national security risk to the US! For no good reason, other than the voices in his head that told him it was a war he could win. So why not do it, then?

"Again, we’re talking about Canada. Our closest ally, friend and neighbor.

"On behalf of an embarrassed nation, people of Canada, I apologize for this idiotic and wholly unnecessary attack.

Please leave the back channels open.

We the People of progressive persuasion stand with you."

Editor's Note:  Canada refused to participate in the U.S.-led 2003 invasion of Iraq.  Canada's intelligence services determined that Iraq did not have an active weapon of mass destruction program.

Canada vs. Sweden: What a great hockey game!

Wow!  What a game!  I'm talking about Wednesday night's thriller between Canada and Sweden in the Four Nations Face-Off tournament.  It was one of the best games I've seen in a while.  It was fast and entertaining.  It was everything hockey should and can be.  Here are some comments about the game, which Canada won 4-3 in overtime.

* There was no fighting.  In fact, I think Canada had only one penalty, in the third period.  However, every NHL player will always parrot the party line.  "It's part of the game," they will invariably claim.  I doubt there is a single player who doesn't echo those words.  Players are too afraid to go against the grain, to stand against the macho narrative.  They fear being ostracized, of having their manliness questioned.  If referees called more penalties and there were longer suspensions for fighting, teams would not feel the need to recruit enforcers to protect the more skilled players.  The NHL has highlighted fighting as a means of  marketing the game in the United States.  There are too many teams in the league, and too many games in the regular season.  The playoffs last far too long.  Thus, the quality of play has been watered down.  Furthermore, late June is not the right time for the Stanley Cup championship.  

* Kudos to Nova Scotia's Sidney Crosby for his three-assist performance in the game against Sweden.  At 37, Sid is no longer a kid, but he still has it.  He has been a real leader for Canada in international competition.  Thanks, Sid.

* The Swedish team played well, and they deserve credit for their performance.

* It was good to see Mario Lemieux greet the fans in Montreal.  Lemieux, a Montreal native, sent the crowd into a frenzy.  But where was Wayne Gretzky, Mario's teammate in the 1987 Canada Cup.  Gretzky should have been there to lend his support for Team Canada.  Instead he was a commentator on TNT, an American cable and satellite television network.  

* The All-Star game should be permanently replaced by international competition.  Nobody really cares about the Campbell Conference or the Western Conference.  

* The NHL puts money about all else.  I understand that it's a business.  However, the integrity of the game doesn't seem to be a priority.  The fans are not respected enough.  Many people can't afford to attend a game.  Here in Toronto, the corporations fill the arena.  On top of all the that, some games are only shown on streaming services. which prevents people from even watching the game on television.

I urge Canadians to refrain from booing the U.S, national anthem.  I understand the frustration, and I am appalled by how Trump is treating Canada.  Still, the best way to deal with the tariffs is to buy Canadian and refuse to travel to the United States.  We must stand up to the bully, but booing the American anthem is not the way to go about it.  We can still sing the Canadian anthem louder and with great pride.

- Joanne

Canada is the mouse that roared. Trump has awakened Canadian pride

 

In March of 1969, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 15th prime minister of Canada, travelled to Washington to meet with then-president Richard Nixon.  While in Washington, Trudeau addressed the Washington Press Club.  He spoke these memorable words, which have come to define Canada's relationship with its southern neighbour.

"Living next to you is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast, if I can call it that, one is affected by every twitch and grunt."

Pierre Trudeau 1969 Washington Press Club

Pierre Trudeau could not have envisioned an American president as unstable and vindictive as Donald Trump. Yet, 56 years later, his words seem more prescient than ever.  Ironically, Trudeau's own son, Justin, is Canada's current prime minister and has to deal with the very aggressive elephant next door.  The elephant is cranky and rude.  The mouse has no choice but to roar.

I have lived in Canada my entire life, and I have never seen Canadians so upset with the United States. Trump's actions feel like a slap in the face from a good friend.  It really hurts.  Can you blame us for being outraged?  What has Canada done to deserve this treatment from Donald Trump and his supporters?  We've been loyal and trustworthy.  America couldn't have chosen a better neighbour and ally.  Trump is using fentanyl as an excuse to bully us.   By the way, it's the U.S. users who have created a demand for the drug.

By the numbers, Canada lets in only a fraction of America's fentanyl.  Here are the facts as provided by data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

In the 2024 fiscal year (October to September), some 43 pounds (19.5 kg) of the drug fentanyl were seized at the border, bound for the United States, with an additional 10 pounds (4.5 kg) intercepted since then.

This is a large increase over 2022 and 2023, which saw seizures of 14 pounds (6.3 kg) and two pounds (almost 1 kg) respectively. However, the numbers were also buoyed by two months (June and July) that saw 23 pounds (10 kg) seized.  Is this a large amount compared to Mexico.?  Not at all, according to the National Post. "Those figures amount to little more than a rounding error when compared to numbers from the southern border. Fentanyl seizures there last year amounted to approximately 21,100 pounds, or 9,500 kg. In the last three years, the lowest monthly figure for fentanyl seizures at the southern border was 461 pounds, or almost seven times the amount seized at the Canadian border during the entire three-year period."  Is this a large amount compared to China?  Not at all.  "U.S. coastal and interior seizures, which would presumably include China, totalled 1,583 pounds (718 kg) over the last three years — 10 times less than the supply from the southern border, yet still more than 25 times as much as was arriving from Canada."

There is a lot of talk about fentanyl.  Why isn't there more discussion about all the illegal American guns that are smuggled into Canada. They are used to commit crimes in this country.  One of the many reasons why most Canadians don't want to become the 51st state is America's lack of gun control laws.  Most Canadians don't want automatic weapons and school shootings.  

Most Canadians value our public heath care.  We don't want to lose the Canada Health Act.  The people of the province of Quebec do not want to be forced to abandon the French language.  That's exactly what will happen if Trump lays his grubby hands on our country.

Yet, Trump insists on slapping tariffs on Canada.  As of the writing, he has announced a 25 per cent tariff on steel and aluminum.  Guess which country sells the most steel and aluminum to the United States?  Canada does, by far.  Wouldn't it be preferable for the United States to work with Canada in order to solve problems, rather than to punish Canada.  Unfortunately, that's not the way Trump operates.

Donald Trump has colonial ambitions.  He seems to have a great deal in common with his good buddy, Vladimir Putin of Russia.  It's likely Putin will equate Trump's quest for empire with his own invasion of Ukraine and future invasions of other territories..  If the United States can annex Canada and Greenland, why can't Russia annex Ukraine?" Putin will ask.

Sadly for the United States, America's image around the world has suffered greatly since Trump's return to the White House.  I realize that millions of Americans did not vote for that madman.  I am not blaming them.  I hope that they let their voices be heard in defence of Canada.  However, Trump was duly elected and he is already causing chaos around the globe.

Donald Trump, stay away from Canada!.  Leave us alone and mind your own business!  We don't want a trade war.  We have never asked for this.  You have foisted it upon us.  You are threatening our sovereignty.  You are also punishing American consumers.  Nobody wins a trade war.  It is a lose-lose proposition.  

Canada's very existence as an independent nation is being threatened by a big bully.  We have to resist the bully or we will lose our precious country.  That's why Canadians are boycotting American products.  That's why Canadians are cancelling vacations to the United States.  That's why the sales of Canadian flags have hit the roof since Trump announced his plans to impose tariffs.  By the way, February 15th is Flag Day in Canada.  We officially adopted our Maple Leaf flag on February 15, 1965, almost exactly 60 years ago.  According to Murray Jefferies of Flying Colours International in Toronto, sales of Canadian flags have increased "I would say 50 per cent."  It's heartening to know that some of those purchasing Canadian flags are Americans.

In the words Canadian-born singer Joni Mitchell in her song Big Yellow Taxi:

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone

- Joanne

Language Corner: Some useful grammar tips

 

Convince versus persuade

There is a difference between "convince" and "persuade."  

Here's a little ditty to help you remember the difference: "Convince of a fact.  Persuade to act."

Here are some examples of the correct use of the two words.

I convinced Joe that his computer was out of date.

I persuaded Joe to buy a new computer.

I convinced my son that he was spending too much money.

I persuaded my son to make an appointment with a financial advisor.

Farther versus further

This is a tricky one.  It can be confusing.  Both words mean "to a greater distance or extent."  Both words can be used as adjectives or adverbs.

Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary states: “Farther and further have been used more or less interchangeably throughout most of their history, but currently they are showing signs of diverging. As adverbs they continue to be used interchangeably whenever spatial, temporal, or metaphorical distance is involved. But where there is no notion of distance, further is used.”

The traditional rule is that farther should be used for reference to physical distance.

Example:  I walked farther than all the others.

Example:  My house is located farther down the road.

Farther has the restriction of physical space  Further, on the other hand, is used when referring to a figurative distance, a metaphysical advancement, or an extension of time or degree.

Example:  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Example:  In order to further myself, I need more more education.

Example:  After being fired from his job, Bob asked for further consideration.  He claimed that he had been treated unfairly.        

Further has the meaning of "moreover" or additionally.  Example: Further to your remarks . . .

When in doubt, it is advisable to use further, because farther has the restriction of physical space.

Correct use of the verb "to go"

It is incorrect to say "I would have went,"

It is correct to say "I would have gone."

'Went" is used in the simple past tense.  Example:  I went to the library yesterday.

"Have gone" is used in the present perfect tense (have + past participle}. "Gone" is the past participle of the verb "to go."  Example:  I have gone to the doctor twice this week.

Redundancies

"Tuition fee" is redundant.  Tuition is a fee.  

"I have paid my tuition fee" is incorrect.

 "I have paid my tuition" is correct.  

Revert back is redundant.  Revert means to come or go back.  Therefore, "back' is not needed.

"Revert back to your old eating habits." is incorrect.

"Revert to your old eating habits." is correct.

Incorrect use of past participles of irregular verbs to swim, to drink, to take, to shake and to eat.  

According to grammarly.com: "Irregular verbs are verbs that do not follow the normal pattern of conjugation to express tenses and past participles.  Unlike regular verbs, which take on their simple past tense and past participle forms by adding -ed or -d to their base, irregular verbs are conjugated in many unpredictable ways."

I have swam is incorrect.

I have swum is correct.

I have drank is incorrect

I have drunk is correct.

I have took is incorrect.

I have taken is correct.

I have shook is incorrect.

I have shaken is correct.

I have ate is incorrect.

I have eaten is correct.

Medium and media

Medium is the singular form of media.  Media is plural.

Examples of correct use:

The medium is the message.

In totalitarian countries, the media are used as propaganda tools.

- Joanne

Take the Pledge for Canada: Stand up for this country

Calling all Canadians who love this beautiful country!

Canada's sovereignty is being threatened by an increasingly cruel, unstable authoritarian American president and his misguided, sycophantic supporters.  Donald Trump is threatening Canada economically.  He is threatening Canadian values.  Retiring Canadian MP Charlie Angus has had enough.  That's why he's launched a resistance against Trump's bullying and his imperialistic rhetoric.  Angus has set forth a Pledge for Canada.  Below is what is written on the pledge website, along with a link to the website.  I have proudly signed the pledge, and if you are concerned about the future of this country, I urge you to sign it, too.  I also encourage Americans who are appalled by the way Trump is bullying America's northern neighbour to email me.  Let me know that you truly respect Canadian sovereignty.  I would really like to hear from you, and I will post your letters on this blog.  Talk about the 51st state is no laughing matter to Canadians who cherish this nation.  It is time for Canadians to stand united and discuss what we can do for Canada.  Enough of the negativity of the far right who claim that Canada is broken.!  Remember that Trump claimed that the U.S. was broken and that only he could fix it.  Yeah!  Right!  He and his billionaire buddies (Elon Musk, Rupert Murdoch, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg et al) are trying to take control of the media and other levers of power in order to turn America into an undemocratic, authoritarian state.

- Joanne

"Previous generations have fought to protect our democracy and made sacrifices to build the Canada we inherited.

This is now our time.

The threats of economic coercion from the United States, our neighbour and leading trading partner, pose serious risks to the well-being of all Canadians and to our sovereign right to determine our political, economic, social, and cultural destiny.

We will meet the challenge as previous generations have done, not by bending to threats but by joining together in common purpose, across partisan, regional, and cultural differences, to look out for one another, to protect our shared interests and assets, and to safeguard our democracy.

Canadians will decide Canada’s future and place in the world.

What is required in this moment is solidarity among Canadians and among our political leaders – federal, provincial, territorial, Indigenous, and municipal. We call on our leaders to work together across partisan divides to forcefully affirm and defend, in word and deed, Canada’s sovereignty, to put in place measures that mitigate the consequences of any unilateral actions on workers, families, and businesses, and to increase Canada’s resiliency in an increasingly turbulent and unpredictable world.

We therefore pledge our commitment to the following principles:

1. We must develop an all-of-Canada approach that is built collaboratively, engages Canadians, and balances to the extent possible our shared and diverse interests. We must also respect and protect our official languages, rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. No region or sector should seek to secure favour at the expense of the rest of the country.

2. We must unequivocally assert and protect the sovereign right of Canadians to shape their own political, economic, social, and cultural destiny, and protect our democracy from disinformation and foreign interference from both public and private actors such as through the manipulation and capture of online platforms.

3. To enhance Canada’s resiliency in this increasingly turbulent world, we must reduce our dependence on the United States by diversifying our trade and strengthening our collective tools and institutions necessary to defend and build the Canada we want, consistent with our shared commitments to inclusive democracy and human rights, equity and labour rights, environmental responsibility, reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, and good global citizenship.

4. We must give priority to protecting nature, to preserving control over our lands and water systems, and to resolute action on the climate crisis.

5. We must seek and build alliances with other countries similarly threatened and with other like-minded countries. We must contribute our fair share to international cooperation for global climate action, common defence through alliances of democratic societies, humanitarian response to suffering in the world, and welcoming and protecting those seeking shelter in our lands."

Click on the link below to sign the petition.

Sign the Pledge for Canada - Action Network   

Canada is not for sale, Donald Trump!

Memo to Donald Trump and his supporters: Canada is NOT for sale.  Canada is a sovereign country.  Our sovereignty is non-negotiable.  We love our country as much as you love yours.  We do not wish to be the 51st state.  We are your neighbour and your ally.  It is disconcerting, to say the least, that the United States has elected a man who disrespects and insults our country. Canada has always been a loyal friend  to the United States.  Yet, Trump has never had a good word to say about the True North Strong and Free.

I guess Trump doesn't remember how Ken Taylor, the Canadian Ambassador to Iran, helped six American hostages escape from Tehran by procuring Canadian passports for them so they could pose as a Canadian film crew scouting locations.  I guess he doesn't remember how the good people of Gander, Newfoundland provided hospitality to Americans travellers stranded during the 9/11 terrorist attacks?  Has he seen the musical Come From Away?  If he hasn't, he should.

Trump has threatened Canada with tariffs and "economic coercion."  As I write this, there are reports that he will not impose the tariffs right away.  However, that does not mean that he has changed his mind.  He could impose the tariffs at any time.  Canadians are preparing for a response to whatever he decides to do.  After all, Trump has had the unmitigated gall to refer to the border between Canada and the United States as an "artificial line."  We must be ready to respond to tariffs that will not only hurt Canadians, but will also hurt American consumers.

How dare Trump threaten a sovereign nation like Canada this way!  Has he ever criticized his buddy, the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin?  Never!  Ha he ever said a bad word about another brutal dictator, North Korea's Kim Jong Un, to whom he has written "love letters."  Trump really doesn't have any idea who America's real friends are.  

Today is only the first day Trump's presidency, but he has already created chaos around the world.  Americans will deeply regret allowing him back in the White House.  He is a sick man, a dangerous man.  He is dangerously unstable.  Such a person should not be making decisions concerning wars and nuclear weapons.  

Trump has not ruled out forcibly annexing Greenland and seizing control of the Panama Canal.  You can be sure that Putin and his Russian oligarchy have been paying close attention to Trump's revival of  Manifest Destiny.  If they succeed in seizing control of Ukraine, the Russians now have the excuse to annex other countries such as Poland, since the American leader also advocates annexing other territories.

As Joe Biden warned in his farewell address, an oligarchy is forming in the United States.  Trump has surrounded himself with billionaires, men such as his co-president, the unelected Elon Musk.  Other billionaires, such as Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Rupert Murdoch are happy to do Trump's bidding.  In return, he will deliver tax breaks to them.

For me, this is a very sad and tragic day.  I am upset, and I have a right to be.  I am appalled to see my neighbours to the south under the control of an authoritarian and undemocratic leader.  Some will say that Trump was elected democratically, whether I like it or not.  They will say that he won the election fair and square.  Here is my reply to them.  Donald Trump should not have been permitted to run again as president because he does not respect democracy.  In 2021, he supported a violent insurrection against the duly elected government of Joe Biden.  That alone should disqualify him from running for public office.

When Biden won the 2020 election. Trump refused to admit defeat.  He screamed that the election was a scam, even though there was no evidence of widespread fraud.  Not surprisingly, Trump isn't calling into question the legitimacy of the 2024 election.  Hmmm.  I wonder why.

Today is Martin Luther King Day in the United States.  Just imagine how Dr. King would feel about a white supremacist becoming president for a second time.  I wonder how Bobby Kennedy would feel about his son, RFK Jr., supporting a man who want to trample over civil rights, a man who plans to deport millions of undocumented Americans and separate them from their families.

Trump has shown no respect for women.  He and J.D. Vamce seem to regard them as second class citizens, only useful for reproduction, housekeeping and child rearing. What a terrible setback for the female sex!  How wonderful for Alpha males and men with a locker room mentality!

Canada and other countries must remain vigilant. We must not succumb to Trump's bullying.  We must not run to his Mar-a-lago palace to kiss his ring.  Sadly, the entire world all have to pay the price for the folly of many of the American people.

- Joanne

Beware! There will be even more false information online

“The bottom line is: We take misinformation seriously.  There are many respected fact-checking organizations . . . and, while we have reached out to some, we plan to learn from many more.”

Mark Zuckerberg, personal Facebook post, November 2016

No wonder the world has so many problems.  More and more people believe the false news and half-baked truths they read online.  That's one of the reasons why Donald Trump was elected to the highest office in the land last November.  So many voters were misled or fooled by his lies.  So, Trump will be quite pleased about the recent news concerning social media.

Meta, the social networking giant which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp and Threads, has announced that it will end its longstanding fact-checking program.  The fact-checking program was started in order to restrict the spread of false information across its social media apps.  Meta will now allow more speech, and the onus will be on users to correct inaccurate and false posts.  

Obviously, it is impossible to correct all misinformation.  Readers cannot entirely be relied upon to monitor inaccurate information or outright lies. The danger is that some readers will endorse the misinformation, further spreading lies and propaganda.               

Unfortunately, there has been a mass brainwashing in America.  For example, many Americans actually believe that January 6th is of little consequence, that the attack on the Capitol in Washington was as harmless as a walk in the park.  They regard the January 6th insurrectionists as Capitol tourists.  They won't believe or can't believe what is clear to anyone who watches the videos of that horrible day.  A violent mob of white supremacists and right-wing extremists, encouraged by Donald Trump, attempted to overthrow the duly elected government of the United Sates.  That mob called for the hanging of then-Vice President Mike Pence.  It is truly frightening that the man who engineered that attack on democracy will  soon be back in the Oval Office. He wishes to pardon the January 6th insurgents and he regards them as patriots.

To please Donald Trump, Meta has opted for a wild west approach to free speech.  In other words, it has chosen a recipe for chaos.  Unfettered free speech is the law of of the jungle.  Free speech must have limits.   It should also be kept in mind that the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States does not protect the right to yell "fire" in a crowded theatre.

Not surprisingly, right wing Supreme Court Judge and Trump stooge, Samuel Alito, in his 2022 remarks to the conservative Heritage Foundation, repeated the myth that yelling "fire" in a crowded theatre is "unprotected free speech."  Alito, however, did acknowledge that the First Amendment doesn't protect all speech, including "extortion and threats," defamation., and "shouting 'fire' in a crowded theatre."

The world certainly has more information than ever before, but is humanity really better off when the truth is more difficult to find?  There's no turning back from the internet, social media and AI.  They are very useful tools when used properly.  Used improperly, they can be profoundly dangerous, especially when there is a lack of critical thinking. 

Like it more not, the internet and social media are the way of the future.  They are locked in forever.  It is foolhardy not to adjust to this reality.  Sometimes, though, books and hardcopies of newspapers seem far more trustworthy.

Meta is obviously positioning itself for Trump's inglorious return to the White House.  It is no coincidence that this decision by Meta has come just before Trump's inauguration.  Could it be that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is trying to curry favour with the Dear Leader?   

According to a report on Semafor. Zuckerberg paid homage to Trump by visiting his Mar-a-lago palace on Friday, January 10, 2025.  It was confirmed to Semiafor that Zuckerberg was spotted at Trump's Florida compound on that day.  It wasn't Zuckerberg's first visit to the compound. either.  According to CBS News, on November 28th, 2024, soon after the presidential election, the Mega chief had Thanksgiving dinner with Trump at the exclusive club.

It is no accident that just days after Mark Zuckerberg's January 10th visit to Mar-a-lago, Meta announced its new policy, ending two sources of aggravation for Trump and his supporters: fact-checking and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.  In a video, Zuckerberg stated that the changes were implemented due to "too many mistakes and too much censorship."

Below is a September 19, 2019 photo of Zuckerberg meeting Trump in the Oval Office.

It is absolutely disgusting how so many bow down to Trump.  It is tragic how he is being allowed to build his authoritarian regime, with very little impunity.  I am sickened.  How can so many seemingly educated people have forgotten the rise of fascism in the 1920s and 1930s?  Trump is using fascist language and fascist tactics.  America, what have you done?

Note:  I will try my best to practice what I preach.  I pledge to aim for the accuracy of the factual information presented on Number 16.  I will reveal my sources.

SOURCES: New York Times, "Meta Says It Will End Fact-Checking Program on Social Media Posts," Mike Isaac and Theodore Schliefer; January 9, 2025; Freedom Forum; "Is It Illegal to Yell 'Fire' in a Crowed Theater?" by Freedom Forum; Reason (reason.com), "Yes, ," by Emma Camp, October 22, 2022; Semafor,"Trump, Zuckerberg meet at Mar-a-lago," by Shelby Talcott, January 10, 2025.

- Joanne

Here is why Alpha males are not real men

 

This may sound contradictory, but it's not.  Alpha males such as Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu project an image of toughness and aggressiveness, but they are truly weak. Unfortunately, millions of men, and also many women, buy into their false bravado.  Many are attracted to their vision of masculinity.  That's one of the major reasons why Trump won the 2024 U.S.  presidential election, an election in which he should not have been permitted to run as a candidate, given his crimes.  

The truth is that Alpha males like Trump, Musk, Putin and Netanyahu have very little inner strength.  They are weak inside.  They are made of jelly.  They remind me of the Wizard of Oz, all snoke and mirrors.  They pretend that they are larger than life.  They demand unwavering loyalty.  They bully so that they appear to be mighty and strong.  However, we all know that it's a mirage.  It's all a front to cover up their lack of courage and fortitude.  The truth is that they are really insecure cowards.  They have to put others down in order to raise themselves up.  They falsely believe that empathy is a feminine trait.  

Unlike Donald Trump, real men don't brag that they can do anything to women because they are powerful, rich and famous.  They don't dismiss such words as "locker room talk."  Unlike Elon Musk, real men don't attempt to insult the Prime Minister of Canada by referring to him as "girl."  

Real men are secure.  They are comfortable in their own skin.  They have no need to bully and they have no desire to do so.  Real men respect women.  They don't put them down or treat them like chattels, sex objects, playthings or servants.  Real men are not afraid of "uppity women."  They don't think that women should know their place or answer to men.  They are not threatened by well-educated, intelligent, creative or ambitious females.  They see women as equal partners.  In fact, they encourage women to be the best they can be.  They know that life will be better for everyone when it is better for women.  Real men are secure in their masculinity.  They don't need to prove it by knocking down others.

- Joanne