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Trump Party Now

If there was any doubt, it has been quashed, the last couple of days. The Republican Party is now the Trump party, without question.
Do you remember when Trump said that he could walk down fifth Avenue, shoot someone and get away with it? He is literally doing that now. His administration has set aside $1.8 billion to be allocated to people who have been wronged by the Biden administration. This includes the January 6 rioters, who Trump pardoned. This includes one of those rioters, who, subsequent to the pardon, was put in jail for life for sexually assaulting minors. This also includes Trump himself.
How will this money be allocated? Acting Attorney General, Todd, Blanche, former Trump lawyer, will set up a committee of five members, who Blanche will select, to determine who gets the money.
In addition to the $1.8 billion to be allocated, an agreement has been reached with Trump’s justice department and with Trump’s IRS that the IRS is forever barred from pursuing past income tax claims against Trump, his family and his businesses. Is your blood boiling yet? Mine is.
Will the Republicans, in Congress, have the guts to put a stop to this? No, they won’t. Why?
Trump wants individual states to change their district boundaries so that more districts are favourable to Republicans. This is called gerrymandering. One republican state, Indiana, said no. It is the state legislatures that determines boundaries, in their state. Indiana has a Republican dominated legislature. Seven Indiana Republican senators voted against changing districts boundaries . They had their primaries a few weeks back to determine who would run in the next state election. Trump supported candidates who ran against those Republican senators in the primaries. Five of those seven senators lost to Trump supported opponents.
Thomas Massie is the Republican congressman for the fourth district in Kentucky. Massie has led the push to have all the Epstein files released. He has won seven congressional elections, as a republican. He has been in the house for 14 years. He had his primary in Kentucky last night. Trump supported his opponent. The opponent won.
John Cornyn is currently the Senate Majority Leader in the US Senate. But he has battled with Donald Trump a few times. He will be having his primary next week in Texas. Trump is supporting his opponent. His opponent is favoured to win. Think about that. The Republican Senate majority leader will likely lose his primary.
With all the disasters and the scandals befalling Trump, right now, such as Iran, Epstein and this $1.8 billion settlement, Trump still has a devoted MAGA base. The primaries are proof of that.
The thing about Massie and Cornyn is that despite losing the primaries, they will still be hanging around until after November midterms. Trump should be wary of that.
Also, given that the Republican Party has turned into the Trump party, the midterms will likely be a disaster for that party. While Trump has a loyal. MAGA base, an increasing number of Americans, including independents are fed up with Trump and the Trump party
That’s all I have for today.
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Like Clockwork

Heard this before, and before, and before, and…
We were getting ready to do a very major attack tomorrow. I put it off for a little while — hopefully, maybe, forever — but possibly for a little while, because we’ve had very big discussions with Iran, and we’ll see what they amount to.”
The supposed reason for holding off the attacks, this time, was that a number of Arabian countries asked him to put off the attack and to keep negotiating. Whatever the excuse, this is becoming déjà vu all over again and again. Trump makes threats Trump backs down. TACO time again. For those unfamiliar with that term, it means Trump always chickens out.
Meanwhile, the average price of gas in the US today per gallon is nearly $4.54. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? This is turning into a very bad joke of a situation.
That’s all I have for today.
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Same Old, Same Old

Donald, I guess you made another threat on Iran, didn’t you? This is what you posted on your social media site, yesterday
“For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! President DJT.”
Donald, you are right on one thing, the clock is ticking. But you’re the one hearing the ticking. You made a similar threat a few weeks back about ending their civilization. Now, this time, you are saying that there will be nothing left. If you carry through with your threat this time, does that mean Epic Fury is starting up again, after Marco Rubio said that it was over?
Donald, you’ve been played by two of the oldest civilizations around. Iran, of course. Also, China. You went to China with hat in hand, hoping that they would get you out of this mess. They gave you nothing other than saying they want the war to end too. It is true that China gets a lot of oil from Iran. But they have been stock piling oil for years. They have a long way to go before their reserves run out. Also, they’re turning into a green economy. A lot of electric cars over there Donald. Lot of windmills and solar panels too.
Iran and China, both, have been playing these games for centuries, while you are at most a novice. You’ve been used to running over opposition, weak opposition. Well, these guys are not weak.
During the so-called cease-fire, Iran has been building up its military resources. Including arms from China and logistical support from Russia. You remember Russia, Donald, your BFF Vlad. He’s having a bit of trouble in his country, too, Donald. He is living in underground bunkers now. I heard there’s gonna be a bunker under your ballroom.
All this of your own doing Donald. Make no mistake about it. Iran is a bad player a very bad player. But you have been treating your NATO allies, like Canada, like crap for years now. You decided to go into this war without consulting any other country and without a plan. Now here you are. Without any military support from your allies and without a plan and running out of military hardware.
Tick Tock, Donald, Tick Tock.
That’s all I have for today.
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BFF No More

Interesting image above of a lively looking Mark Carney, and Donald Trump on the verge of falling asleep
That US and Canada have been best friends forever it seemed. I remember when I was a kid, Canadians had a bit of a jealousy complex, over the US. They were what we wanted to be. This was the time of Kennedy and Pearson, and later on Ronald Reagan and Brian Mulrooney singing Irish eyes together.
Things have changed, dramatically in the last 15 or so months. We here in Canada are seeking and making trade agreements with many other countries so that we could be less dependent on US trade. Trump has consistently threatened us, saying that we should be the 51st state. Depending on what happens here in Alberta on the referendum, a portion of Canada could end up being a 51st state
It’s not that we dislike America, because I’m sure most of us have American friends. But we do not like how America’s being run, and the direction it is taking under the current Republican president house and Senate, especially the Republican president, that being Donald Trump
Many years ago, I was at a health conference in Winnipeg. The keynote speaker was Rex Murphy. He was talking about our universal healthcare system. He pointed out how our system reflected our Canadian mentality of ‘ having your back’. The US, under Trump, seems to idolize individuality over community.
One day, Canada and US will probably have a better relationship than what it is currently now. But it will never, ever, be like it was before.
That’s all I have for today.
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Slap In The Face

A couple of weeks ago, Donald Trump stated that he would be suing his IRS for $10 billion due to the release of tax information. For most people that was a bridge too far. Another thing to hurt his party in the November midterms
Would Donald come to his senses? He just announced that he would be dropping that lawsuit. Rather, he is asking for $1.73 billion to be allocated to those people who were wronged and unfairly targeted by the Biden administration.
Now here comes the crazy part. These people would include the January 6 rioters. Including those people who crapped on the floor of the Capitol, who erected a gallows on the front lawn, chanting ‘ hang Mike Pence’, who injured 140 police officers, who wrecked the Capitol and who forced over 400 house members and 100 Senate members to go into hiding, in fear of their lives.
If this does not make your stomach turn, nothing will. I honestly do not have anything to add to that other than this is not gonna help the Republicans in the November midterms.
That’s all I have for today.
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Much Ado But

Trump and XI just concluded their two days of meetings. While both sides expressed friendship and a need to establish and maintain good relations, not much else came out of these meetings.
Trump said that China would no longer send armaments to Iran, but would not do much more than that. Trump gave a pressor on Air Force
One, when the plane left China. He again reiterated somewhat angrily after being challenged by the press that Iran has been destroyed military and that the US is blocking the strait. This is kind of a case of locking the barn door with the horses still in the barn and a fire going on in the barn. Bottom line is the strait is still closed and gas prices are gonna continue going up.
Trump announced that discussions were held on trade and agreements will be coming up, but nothing more than that other than an agreement for China to purchase a number of Boeing planes.
China did threaten the US on the handling of Taiwan, saying that conflict could occur if the handling was done in the wrong way. America had agreed to sell billions of dollars of weapons to Taiwan. When Trump was asked whether that sale would go through, Trump said he has not decided.
It would be unfair to say that Trump is coming home with his tail between his legs. But it is true to say that his strong man image has taken another blow.
That’s all I have for today.
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What Now Danielle?

Things are rapidly heating up in my part of the world right now. At least something is heating up because it’s freezing cold out here.
An Alberta court judge made two decisions yesterday putting the entire separatist referendum question in limbo. The first decision overturned Elections Alberta’s decision to approve the separatist petition revolving around the question. The judge also determined that Elections Alberta failed to take into account an earlier judicial decision that separation would violate indigenous treaty rights.
Danielle Smith immediately responded saying that the judge’s decision was incorrect and anti-democratic. She added,
We think that today’s decision by the court will deny opportunity to well over 300,000 Albertans to have their petition verified by Elections Alberta.”
Danielle, you seem to forget that the forever Canadian group got over 460,000 signatures on a question asking whether Alberta should stay in Canada..
Allan Adam, chief of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, challenged Smith
“If you want to show true leadership, you want to show grit, here’s an opportunity for Premier Smith and Canada, along with the First Nations, to sit down and start building this country and start developing some of the resources.”
Mitch Sylvestre, leader of the Stay Free Alberta, separatist group, believes that Smith has no choice, but to have the referendum
“I honestly believe that she will give us the vote and I really don’t believe that any government in her position could do anything else.”
We are in mid May. Even though it’s quite cold out here right now it is predicted to be a hot summer weatherwise. Things are also heating up on the separation question. There’s going to be a lot of inflammatory rhetoric floating about over the next few months, mostly from the separatist side and unfortunately by Danielle Smith and her own UCP party.
Albertans, who want to stay in Canada, and whether Danielle likes it or not, represent the majority of Albertans, want Mark Carney and his team Canada teammates to start getting involved now. They want to strike back at all the misinformation being spread by the separatists. However, it might be wise to still lay back a bit and watch the separatists go down in flames due to unforced errors like the leaking of voters information.
That’s all I have for today.
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Who Will Lead Way

Mark, Mr. Carney, sir, I guess you have been hearing what’s been going on, in Alberta. There’s some kind of separatist thingy going on. If things go Danielle Smith’s way, there will be a question, developed by the separatists, that will be put up to a referendum vote later this year.
Now this is all screwed up. Because the forever Canadian group developed their own question, got a lot more signatures than the separatist group, only to have that question languish in the Alberta legislature. Even more bizarre is that these separatists, got a hold of confidential information of 2.9 million Alberta voters and leaked that information out to the public.
Things are getting dirty out here Mark and we need you to put on your Captain Canada hat just like the federalist did back in the Quebec referendum days.
Mark, we Canada first Albertans realize that you cannot do this by yourself. Who are you going to get to help you? I guess it won’t be the Bloc Québécois. That would be kind of ironic. How about Pierre Poilievre? Then again, maybe not. He probably would hurt the cause. I don’t even know who the NDP leader is so…
I’m sure you could get some of the provincial leaders to help. Doug Ford, Wab Kinew, and David Eby.
You know, Mark, I bet you even Jason Kenney would give a helping hand. He got burnt by the separatists, if you don’t know. They leaked out his confidential information. That would be a kick in the pants to Danielle Smith. A former UCP premier fighting on behalf of Canada. That would be wild. Also, of course, Alberta First Nations, will be there to help you out. They believe this whole separation thing is illegal to begin with.
So, Mark, I know you got a lot of things on your plate right now like getting Canada less dependent on the US and it’s lunatic president, and all. But this is kind of a biggie too.
That’s all I have for today.
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Which One Is It?

Art Buchwald was a humorist who had columns in over 500 newspapers back in his heyday. He also wrote a number books. A short story in one of those books was about a kindergarten class in the Soviet Union in the 1960s. The kids were being taught that the premier of the USSR was a great person. He was good. He was fantastic. Then the teacher was called to the door by the principal, and was told that the premier had died and had been replaced by new premier
She went back to her class and asked whether the former premier wasgood or bad. The kids all replied that he was great he was fantastic. And the teacher sternly told them that the former premier was bad and evil to the state
There’s a bit of that happening now these days. Do you remember when MTG was, to liberals, one of the most hated women in the world. Then all of a sudden she’s one of the most loved. Now the same thing seems to be happening with Jason Kenney, the former premier of Alberta. Liberals could not stand him. And now he’s doing a Captain Canada routine. He is urging federalists to get involved in the separation push in Alberta.
“Federalists need to start kicking it into gear here. I think we’ve allowed the separatists to almost completely dominate the debate on the process for the past year.”
“A large number of Albertans have concluded this is an opportunity to send a message to get leverage — to replicate Quebec’s knife to the throat strategy, and I say to them be careful for what you ask for.”
Liberals are also feeling sympathetic towards Kenney, after he was victimized by the Centurion project with his confidential information being leaked out
What is going on here? MTG and now Jason Kinney seen as the good guys? Who next? Donald Trump and Pierre Poilievre? I don’t know if my left leaning heart could handle that.
That’s all I have for today.
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Closed

Well, this is another fine mess you’ve gotten us into Donald. Iran came back with its response to your peace proposal, and it was not to your liking at all.
So here we are, more than 60 days into this, let’s call it what it is, war and the Strait it’s still closed. Oil prices are skyrocketing again. The Dow Jones is doing its own thing. I think the Dow is like you and is in denial. We are not even basically at the same place we were when you started this thing. The regime in Iran is even more hardline than the one you eliminated on the first day of this war. And the Strait is closed.
You’re heading to China tomorrow and like the old Lucy show ‘ you got a lot of splaining to do’, when you get there.
You really don’t know what to do, do you Donald? You don’t really want to attack Iran because that’s gonna get you deeper into this. And questions have to be raised as to how much military hardware you used and how much you have left. Is it possible you don’t have enough military hardware to sustain an attack on Iran? Inquisitive minds want to know.
Donald, what have you done? Not much will be happening this week because you’ll be in China. Gas prices will get closer to that five dollar mark. Your popularity will sink even lower. It sucks to be you, today, Donald. It really does.
That is all I have for today.
