{"id":6899,"date":"2018-03-09T23:16:56","date_gmt":"2018-03-10T04:16:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/?p=6899"},"modified":"2018-12-25T18:27:34","modified_gmt":"2018-12-25T23:27:34","slug":"friday-march-9-2018-ghosts-and-zombies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/?p=6899","title":{"rendered":"Friday, March 9, 2018 \u2014 Ghosts and Zombies"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"18-03-09<\/a>Accord\u00ading to the Eyr\u00adbyg\u00adg\u00adja Saga<\/em>, when the Ice\u00adlandic penin\u00adsu\u00adla of Sn\u00e6fell\u00adsnes was plagued with ghosts and zom\u00adbies (specif\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly Thorir Wood\u00aden-leg and his undead com\u00adpan\u00adions) dis\u00adrupt\u00ading dai\u00adly life and harm\u00ading the econ\u00ado\u00admy, Snor\u00adri \u00deor\u00adgr\u00edms\u00adson solved the prob\u00adlem by tak\u00ading them to court and sub\u00admit\u00adting them to tri\u00adal by jury. Always the pro\u00adce\u00addu\u00adral\u00adist, Snor\u00adri was best known for his fair judge\u00adments in cas\u00ades of blood feuds, bound\u00adary dis\u00adputes and the end\u00adless squab\u00adbles over fire\u00adwood. The zom\u00adbie prob\u00adlem was just anoth\u00ader such case. The Eyr\u00adbyg\u00adg\u00adja Saga<\/em> is not one of the best known of the Ice\u00adlandic sagas, but it would appeal to any lawyer or polit\u00adi\u00adcal jour\u00adnal\u00adist. I read it in 1992, and then twen\u00adty years lat\u00ader I hiked exten\u00adsive\u00adly in Sn\u00e6fell\u00adsnes, tread\u00ading foot\u00adsteps in most of the places the saga men\u00adtions. I\u2019m return\u00ading to Ice\u00adland ten days from now, for anoth\u00ader vis\u00adit to that mag\u00adi\u00adcal lit\u00adtle coun\u00adtry, so it\u2019s much on my mind, and so is old Snor\u00adri. Today, Cana\u00adda is men\u00adaced by a plague of ghosts and zom\u00adbies, orig\u00adi\u00adnat\u00ading south of the bor\u00adder. The ghosts are an assort\u00adment of old and stu\u00adpid ideas, the zom\u00adbies are the march\u00ading morons of Trump\u00adism and the moral\u00adly cor\u00adrupt leg\u00adis\u00adla\u00adtors of the U.S. (most\u00adly Repub\u00adli\u00adcan, but quite a few Democ\u00adrats as well). We could use a Snor\u00adri to sort things out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Among the old and stu\u00adpid ideas is the belief that the finan\u00adcial sys\u00adtem is \u201cbur\u00addened with exces\u00adsive reg\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion\u201d. It\u2019s been a full ten years since the finan\u00adcial melt\u00addown on Wall Street plunged the world into reces\u00adsion. Cana\u00adda and Aus\u00adtralia were the two coun\u00adtries that best weath\u00adered that cri\u00adsis \u2015 thanks to the reten\u00adtion of reg\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtions in those coun\u00adtries. In the U.S., mil\u00adlions lost their homes and sav\u00adings. Lit\u00adtle Ice\u00adland was tak\u00aden to the clean\u00aders. It\u2019s finan\u00adcial sys\u00adtem had been cap\u00adtured by ide\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal zealots espous\u00ading the crack\u00adpot the\u00ado\u00adries of Amer\u00adi\u00adcan Con\u00adser\u00advatism, and in such a small coun\u00adtry there were no coun\u00adter\u00advail\u00ading forces to dead\u00aden their impact. The whole coun\u00adtry went bank\u00adrupt after these zealots used their coun\u00adtry\u2019s bank\u00ading sys\u00adtem to laun\u00adder cash for Putin\u2019s crim\u00adi\u00adnal empire, and to loot pen\u00adsion plans in Britain and the Nether\u00adlands. To their cred\u00adit, the Ice\u00adlanders sub\u00adse\u00adquent\u00adly had the courage and good sense to jail some of their bankers, though the biggest offend\u00ader man\u00adaged to flee the coun\u00adtry. The results were dif\u00adfer\u00adent in the U.S., where the Oba\u00adma admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion came in on the strength of an under\u00adstand\u00ading with Wall Street that the banks would be bailed out and none of the crim\u00adi\u00adnals would be pun\u00adished. But in 2010, that Oba\u00adma admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion passed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Con\u00adsumer Pro\u00adtec\u00adtion Act. This pro\u00advid\u00aded a small degree of reg\u00adu\u00adla\u00adto\u00adry over\u00adsight, and lim\u00adit\u00aded at least some of the pro\u00adpri\u00adetary trad\u00ading with\u00adin com\u00admer\u00adcial banks, where\u00adby deposits are used to trade on the bank\u2019s own accounts. It is pre\u00adcise\u00adly this type of shenani\u00adgans that had cre\u00adat\u00aded the 2008 crash. Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives screamed in agony at this tepid lev\u00adel of polic\u00ading finan\u00adcial crime, and they have vowed bloody vengeance ever since it passed. Now, trad\u00ading on the fact that the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan peo\u00adple have the atten\u00adtion span and mem\u00ado\u00adry-reten\u00adtion of gold\u00adfish with Alzheimer\u2019s Syn\u00addrome, the Repub\u00adli\u00adcan Par\u00adty (with the help of cor\u00adrupt sell-out Democ\u00adrats) is about to ram through its \u201cFinan\u00adcial CHOICE<\/span> Act\u201d, which essen\u00adtial\u00adly wipes out Dodd-Frank and returns every\u00adthing to 2007 \u2015 and it guar\u00adan\u00adtees more and more dis\u00adas\u00adtrous finan\u00adcial crash\u00ades in the future. This is all hap\u00adpen\u00ading in the back\u00adground, vir\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly invis\u00adi\u00adble because of the con\u00adtin\u00adu\u00adous cir\u00adcus freak-show in the White House.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now for the zom\u00adbies. Trump has long been manip\u00adu\u00adlat\u00ading the cred\u00adu\u00adlous suck\u00aders who con\u00adsti\u00adtute his \u201cbase\u201d with non\u00adsen\u00adsi\u00adcal slo\u00adgans and absurd promis\u00ades of impos\u00adsi\u00adble things. The Repub\u00adli\u00adcan Par\u00adty does\u00adn\u2019t care what non\u00adsense he spouts, because they know that Trump has no knowl\u00adedge of any\u00adthing, will say any\u00adthing and then say the oppo\u00adsite ten sec\u00adonds lat\u00ader, and has filled the White House with a \u201cteam\u201d of igno\u00adrant boobs, cranks, and incom\u00adpe\u00adtent nitwits. The Repub\u00adli\u00adcan hier\u00adar\u00adchy is only con\u00adcerned with pur\u00adsu\u00ading the agen\u00adda of its cor\u00adpo\u00adrate back\u00aders: \u201ctax reform\u201d that will trans\u00adfer all of the coun\u00adtry\u2019s wealth into the hands of a tiny aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy, and \u201cdereg\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion\u201d that will destroy all of its func\u00adtion\u00ading civ\u00adil soci\u00adety. The end result will be to turn the U.S. into a back\u00adward hell-hole like the old Sovi\u00adet Union, or its suc\u00adces\u00adsor, Putin\u2019s Rus\u00adsia. Not sur\u00adpris\u00ading\u00adly, they have looked to Putin to help them do this. The lat\u00adest procla\u00adma\u00adtion from Zom\u00adbie-land is announced tar\u00adiffs on steel and alu\u00adminum. This con\u00adtra\u00addicts every sup\u00adposed eco\u00adnom\u00adic notion pushed by Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives for the last half-cen\u00adtu\u00adry, but it\u2019s meant to drum up more sup\u00adport from the suck\u00aders who vot\u00aded for him in the decay\u00ading indus\u00adtri\u00adal regions. They have been fed years of bull\u00adshit about how their jobs have been destroyed by nasty \u201clib\u00ader\u00adals\u201d \u2015 instead of the com\u00adbi\u00adna\u00adtion of Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive poli\u00adcies and tech\u00adno\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal changes that actu\u00adal\u00adly destroyed them. Most of these suck\u00aders are con\u00advinced that these tar\u00adiffs are \u201cagainst Chi\u00adna\u201d \u2015 a coun\u00adtry that Trump and his fam\u00adi\u00adly have con\u00adsis\u00adtent\u00adly sought out deals and graft from while at the same time they denounce it. Trump alter\u00adnates between giv\u00ading rous\u00ading speech\u00ades to unem\u00adployed coal work\u00aders about the evils of trade with Chi\u00adna and then telling his bil\u00adlion\u00adaire bud\u00addies how much he adores Xi Jin-peng and admires that Com\u00admu\u00adnist tyran\u00adt\u2019s recent ascen\u00adsion to Dictator-for-life.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is basi\u00adcal\u00adly a zom\u00adbie attack on Cana\u00adda, because Chi\u00adna\u2019s sales of steel and alu\u00adminum to the U.S. are insignif\u00adi\u00adcant. It is Cana\u00adda that is over\u00adwhelm\u00ading\u00adly the largest for\u00adeign sup\u00adpli\u00ader of steel to the U.S., export\u00ading $4.3 bil\u00adlion of it last year. This is not a \u201ctrade imbal\u00adance\u201d for the U.S., because Cana\u00adda in turn imports even more Amer\u00adi\u00adcan steel. This is because there are many dif\u00adfer\u00adent kinds of steel made in dif\u00adfer\u00adent forms for dif\u00adfer\u00adent pur\u00adpos\u00ades, and the indus\u00adtries on both sides of the bor\u00adder that use steel are tight\u00adly inte\u00adgrat\u00aded. An auto\u00admo\u00adbile chas\u00adsis may be shipped back and forth between the two coun\u00adtries six or sev\u00aden times before it is com\u00adplet\u00aded. In the case of the alu\u00adminum indus\u00adtry, there is a dif\u00adfer\u00adent con\u00adfig\u00adu\u00adra\u00adtion. Pro\u00adduc\u00ading alu\u00adminum requires cheap elec\u00adtric\u00adi\u00adty and baux\u00adite mines in places acces\u00adsi\u00adble to mar\u00aditime bulk trade. Cana\u00adda has both. The U.S. has lim\u00adit\u00aded sup\u00adplies of baux\u00adite, most of which are not acces\u00adsi\u00adble to the sea. Fur\u00adther\u00admore, it\u2019s elec\u00adtric\u00adi\u00adty has long been expen\u00adsive because of com\u00adpli\u00adcat\u00aded swin\u00addles in its oli\u00adgarchi\u00adcal pow\u00ader indus\u00adtry, cre\u00adat\u00aded large\u00adly by its Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive ide\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal nut\u00adbars. The U.S. can\u00adnot pos\u00adsi\u00adbly pro\u00adduce enough alu\u00adminum to sup\u00adply its indus\u00adtries, and import\u00aded 3.2 mil\u00adlion met\u00adric tons of it from Cana\u00adda last year, for a total of $7.2 bil\u00adlion. This is essen\u00adtial to Amer\u00adi\u00adcan indus\u00adtry and sup\u00adports hun\u00addreds of thou\u00adsands of Amer\u00adi\u00adcan jobs. In fact, the Cana\u00addi\u00adan alu\u00adminum indus\u00adtry is ful\u00adly inte\u00adgrat\u00aded with that of the U.S., and the Pen\u00adta\u00adgon con\u00adsid\u00aders Cana\u00addi\u00adan alu\u00adminum pro\u00adduc\u00adtion a strate\u00adgic mil\u00adi\u00adtary supply.<\/span><\/p>\n

So when Trump claims that \u201cwe lose a lot with Cana\u00adda. Peo\u00adple don\u2019t know it. They have you believe that it\u2019s won\u00adder\u00adful, and it is \u2014 for them. Not won\u00adder\u00adful for us \u2014 it\u2019s won\u00adder\u00adful for them.<\/em>\u201d, these are either the dement\u00aded rav\u00adings of a lunatic, the will\u00adful lying of a pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adal con-artist, or the igno\u00adrant bur\u00adblings of an igno\u00adra\u00admus. Few peo\u00adple believe that these tar\u00adiffs will actu\u00adal\u00adly be imposed\u2026. oth\u00ader\u00adwise the stock mar\u00adket would not just have dipped on their announce\u00adment, it would have col\u00adlapsed. Trump\u2019s White House orig\u00adi\u00adnal\u00adly announced that the tar\u00adiffs would be enact\u00aded with\u00adout excep\u00adtions, then short\u00adly after that they might have \u201csome excep\u00adtions, but not on a nation\u00adal basis\u201d then some\u00adwhat lat\u00ader that \u201cthere might be exempt\u00aded coun\u00adtries\u201d, and final\u00adly that the tar\u00adiffs on Cana\u00adda might \u201cpoten\u00adtial\u00adly exempt\u00aded for secu\u00adri\u00adty rea\u00adsons.\u201d Now the White House is issu\u00ading state\u00adments that Trump is \u201cflex\u00adi\u00adble\u201d. But he had, as usu\u00adal, an elab\u00ado\u00adrate and infan\u00adtile pub\u00adlic cer\u00ade\u00admo\u00adny to sign a mean\u00ading\u00adless document.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ice\u00adland\u2019s largest indus\u00adtry today is alu\u00adminum smelt\u00ading. Because it has extreme\u00adly cheap elec\u00adtric\u00adi\u00adty from both hydro\u00adelec\u00adtric and geot\u00adher\u00admal sources, and because it sits in the Atlantic mid\u00adway between Europe and Cana\u00adda, it is prac\u00adti\u00adcal to ship baux\u00adite there in bulk and refine it. A Cana\u00addi\u00adan alu\u00adminum com\u00adpa\u00adny was the first to see this oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adty, way back in 1969, open\u00ading a plant at Haf\u00adnar\u00adfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur, which I hope to vis\u00adit. In 1998, and then 2008, two Amer\u00adi\u00adcan com\u00adpa\u00adnies built plants, and the lat\u00adest new project is a Cana\u00addi\u00adan-Swedish con\u00adsor\u00adtium. Ice\u00adland exports more than a bil\u00adlion dol\u00adlars of un-alloyed alu\u00adminum annu\u00adal\u00adly to the U.S.. While Cana\u00adda will prob\u00ada\u00adbly end up exempt\u00aded from Trump\u2019s loony tar\u00adiff, there is no sign that Ice\u00adland will, which will be a dis\u00adas\u00adter for that lit\u00adtle coun\u00adtry. Zom\u00adbies threat\u00aden Ice\u00adland once again. Snor\u00adri \u00deor\u00adgr\u00edms\u00adson, where are you?<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s inter\u00adest\u00ading to inform this farce with a lit\u00adtle Cana\u00addi\u00adan-Amer\u00adi\u00adcan trade his\u00adto\u00adry. When Cana\u00adda first came into exis\u00adtence in 1867, its trade was pri\u00admar\u00adi\u00adly with the Unit\u00aded States, but its finan\u00adcial insti\u00adtu\u00adtions were mod\u00adeled on those of Great Britain and some of its high-end indus\u00adtries were British owned and man\u00adaged. It\u2019s most advanced enter\u00adprise was Cunard Lines, a Nova Sco\u00adtia-based com\u00adpa\u00adny which dom\u00adi\u00adnat\u00aded trans-Atlantic pas\u00adsen\u00adger ship\u00adping for a cen\u00adtu\u00adry, with finan\u00adcial back\u00ading in both the U.S. and Britain. By 1899, British invest\u00adment in Cana\u00adda had grown some\u00adwhat, though trade in com\u00admodi\u00adties and man\u00adu\u00adfac\u00adtured goods remained most\u00adly with the U.S.. Two men and two par\u00adties dom\u00adi\u00adnat\u00aded the polit\u00adi\u00adcal life of Cana\u00adda before World War I: John A. Mac\u00addon\u00adald\u2019s Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive Par\u00adty and Wil\u00adfrid Lau\u00adri\u00ader\u2019s Lib\u00ader\u00adal Par\u00adty. The Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives were extreme\u00adly hos\u00adtile to what we would now call \u201cfree trade\u201d. The Unit\u00aded States, at this time, was a high-tar\u00adiff nation, one of the most extreme pro\u00adtec\u00adtion\u00adist coun\u00adtries in the world, and Mac\u00addon\u00adald want\u00aded high tar\u00adiffs to match the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan ones and pro\u00adtec\u00adtion for fledg\u00adling Cana\u00addi\u00adan indus\u00adtries. The Lib\u00ader\u00adal Par\u00adty, on the oth\u00ader hand, was com\u00admit\u00adted to a pol\u00adi\u00adcy of \u201creci\u00adprocity\u201d, that is nego\u00adti\u00adat\u00ading the low\u00ader\u00ading and removal of all tar\u00adiff bar\u00adri\u00aders between the U.S. and Cana\u00adda. While Mac\u00addon\u00adald was a hard-core can\u00adny politi\u00adcian, much giv\u00aden to wheel\u00ading and deal\u00ading, Lau\u00adri\u00ader was much more of an intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adal, giv\u00aden to opti\u00admistic visions of lib\u00ader\u00adty and advanc\u00ading civ\u00adi\u00adliza\u00adtion: \u201cCana\u00adda is free and free\u00addom is its nation\u00adal\u00adi\u00adty\u2026 Noth\u00ading will pre\u00advent me from con\u00adtin\u00adu\u00ading my task of pre\u00adserv\u00ading at all cost our civ\u00adil lib\u00ader\u00adty.<\/em>\u201d Free trade seemed to him to be a cor\u00adner\u00adstone of this lib\u00ader\u00adty. His admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion nego\u00adti\u00adat\u00aded much low\u00ader tar\u00adiffs with the U.S\u2026Good tim\u00ading, because the Great Lakes region was about to spawn a new indus\u00adtri\u00adal rev\u00ado\u00adlu\u00adtion. The auto\u00admo\u00adbile was essen\u00adtial\u00adly a fusion of small motor tech\u00adnol\u00ado\u00adgy and car\u00adriage mak\u00ading. Car\u00adriage-mak\u00ading had long been a large-scale indus\u00adtry in the Toron\u00adto area, and small marine engines a spe\u00adcial\u00adty in Detroit. Both areas began man\u00adu\u00adfac\u00adtur\u00ading auto\u00admo\u00adbiles in 1901. By 1908, the Ford Motor Com\u00adpa\u00adny in the U.S. adopt\u00aded and refined the assem\u00adbly-line mass pro\u00adduc\u00adtion meth\u00adods that the McLaugh\u00adlin Com\u00adpa\u00adny in Cana\u00adda [soon to become Gen\u00ader\u00adal Motors] had devel\u00adoped for car\u00adriage mak\u00ading. Simul\u00adta\u00adne\u00adous\u00adly, McLaugh\u00adlin began man\u00adu\u00adfac\u00adtur\u00ading auto\u00admo\u00adbiles. From the very begin\u00adning, indus\u00adtry around the Great Lakes region had a strong trend of inte\u00adgra\u00adtion, since these inland seas sup\u00adport\u00aded mas\u00adsive fish\u00aderies and marine trade, which the auto\u00admo\u00adbile and steel indus\u00adtries ampli\u00adfied and elaborated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite this grow\u00ading eco\u00adnom\u00adic involve\u00adment with the U.S., Lau\u00adri\u00ader was an enthu\u00adsi\u00adas\u00adtic sup\u00adport\u00ader of the British Empire. Though he fought stren\u00adu\u00adous\u00adly to pre\u00adserve Canada\u2019s polit\u00adi\u00adcal inde\u00adpen\u00addence from Britain, he sin\u00adcere\u00adly believe that the Empire could be trans\u00adformed into a grand fed\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion of equal and inde\u00adpen\u00addent nations, with French and Eng\u00adlish Cana\u00addi\u00adans, Ben\u00adgalis, Jamaicans, Aus\u00adtralians, Africans, Irish navies and Lan\u00adcashire work\u00admen all on the same foot\u00ading. You can imag\u00adine how this went over in the halls of West\u00admin\u00adster and Buck\u00ading\u00adham Palace, where the con\u00adcep\u00adtion of the Empire was con\u00adsid\u00ader\u00adably dif\u00adfer\u00adent. Lau\u00adri\u00ader died in 1919, sus\u00adpect\u00ading that the Empire would nev\u00ader be more than an exploita\u00adtive rack\u00adet, and demor\u00adal\u00adized by the Great War he had dread\u00aded for a decade and tried every diplo\u00admat\u00adic strat\u00ade\u00adgy to pre\u00advent. The Great War soured many Cana\u00addi\u00adans on Britain, and in the boom\u00ading 1920s, the U.S. became the focus of Canada\u2019s trade and cul\u00adtur\u00adal ambi\u00adtions. After WWI<\/span>, Nia\u00adgara Falls, at the bor\u00adder of these two coun\u00adtries, became the epi\u00adcen\u00adter of a tech\u00adno\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal and social rev\u00ado\u00adlu\u00adtion that would rapid\u00adly trans\u00adform the world. The Amer\u00adi\u00adcan inven\u00adtor and indus\u00adtri\u00adal\u00adist George West\u00ading\u00adhouse had cham\u00adpi\u00adoned alter\u00adnat\u00ading cur\u00adrent for deliv\u00ader\u00ading elec\u00adtri\u00adcal pow\u00ader, and made good use of Niko\u00adla Tes\u00adla\u2019s AC<\/span> induc\u00adtion motor\/generators and the polyphase alter\u00adnat\u00ading cur\u00adrent trans\u00admis\u00adsion sys\u00adtem to start pow\u00ader gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion on the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan side of Nia\u00adgara. But elec\u00adtric gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion still remained local\u00adized and aimed more at indus\u00adtri\u00adal than domes\u00adtic clients. On the Cana\u00addi\u00adan side appeared Adam Beck, an indus\u00adtri\u00adal\u00adist, Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive politi\u00adcian and civ\u00adil engi\u00adneer. Start\u00ading in 1906, Beck was a vocal pro\u00adpo\u00adnent of pub\u00adlicly owned elec\u00adtric\u00adi\u00adty grids, oppos\u00ading the pri\u00advate\u00adly owned com\u00adpa\u00adnies as poten\u00adtial\u00adly exploita\u00adtive and cor\u00adrupt monop\u00ado\u00adlies. He also want\u00aded to see Nia\u00adgara Falls har\u00adnessed on a large scale, and pow\u00ader grids extend\u00aded over wide areas, includ\u00ading the rev\u00ado\u00adlu\u00adtion\u00adary con\u00adcept of rur\u00adal elec\u00adtri\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtion. Rur\u00adal elec\u00adtri\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtion was soon to trans\u00adform agri\u00adcul\u00adture across the world. After WWI<\/span>, both nations built mas\u00adsive pow\u00ader gen\u00ader\u00adat\u00ading facil\u00adi\u00adties on either side of Nia\u00adgara, and it was in these projects that all the detailed tech\u00adnol\u00ado\u00adgy of long-dis\u00adtance pow\u00ader trans\u00admis\u00adsion was developed.<\/span><\/p>\n

By the end of the 1920\u2019s, Cana\u00addi\u00adans had come to think of them\u00adselves as more or less twin broth\u00aders and sis\u00adters of Amer\u00adi\u00adcans with no more than a sym\u00adbol\u00adic con\u00adnec\u00adtion to Britain. The coun\u00adtry was grow\u00ading rapid\u00adly, mak\u00ading a for\u00adtune export\u00ading wheat from its expand\u00ading west\u00adern provinces, and indus\u00adtri\u00adal\u00adiz\u00ading in the east\u00adern cities. What\u2019s more, a flood of immi\u00adgrants had giv\u00aden it a demo\u00adgraph\u00adic pat\u00adtern sim\u00adi\u00adlar to the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan Mid\u00adwest. The Cana\u00addi\u00adan accent in Eng\u00adlish was only a minor vari\u00adant of the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan Mid\u00adwest\u00adern accent. Pop\u00adu\u00adlar cul\u00adture and the pat\u00adterns of dai\u00adly life were large\u00adly shared. Cana\u00addi\u00adans felt per\u00adfect\u00adly at home walk\u00ading the streets of Chica\u00adgo or Min\u00adneapo\u00adlis. How\u00adev\u00ader, the oth\u00ader Amer\u00adi\u00adca, the South, large\u00adly rur\u00adal, racial\u00adly seg\u00adre\u00adgat\u00aded, and far from the indus\u00adtri\u00adal world of the Cana\u00addi\u00adan-Amer\u00adi\u00adcan bor\u00adder regions, remained utter\u00adly alien and incom\u00adpre\u00adhen\u00adsi\u00adble to them. Nor did they at all under\u00adstand the great wound of slav\u00adery and the Civ\u00adil War that per\u00adpet\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly haunt\u00aded Amer\u00adi\u00adcan life and politics.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Great Depres\u00adsion struck both nations. The droughts that crip\u00adpled the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan West were even more dev\u00adas\u00adtat\u00ading in the Cana\u00addi\u00adan West. How\u00adev\u00ader, there were some con\u00adtrasts. Canada\u2019s banks were more strict\u00adly reg\u00adu\u00adlat\u00aded, and there were zero bank fail\u00adures in Cana\u00adda while there were over 9,000 in the U.S.. Amer\u00adi\u00adcan pro\u00adduc\u00adtion rebound\u00aded quick\u00adly, but its unem\u00adploy\u00adment remained high through\u00adout the 1930\u2019s; Canada\u2019s employ\u00adment rebound\u00aded quick\u00adly, but its pro\u00adduc\u00adtiv\u00adi\u00adty was slow\u00ader to rise. But the sin\u00adgle most impor\u00adtant event was not the stock mar\u00adket crash of 1929, it was the Repub\u00adli\u00adcan Par\u00adty\u2019s Smoot-Haw\u00adley Tar\u00adiff Act of 1930. This was a mas\u00adsive enact\u00adment of pro\u00adtec\u00adtive tar\u00adiffs in the Unit\u00aded States. Just as with today\u2019s Trump Tar\u00adiff scheme, the major\u00adi\u00adty of econ\u00ado\u00admists con\u00adsid\u00adered it fool\u00adish, and lead\u00ading indus\u00adtri\u00adal\u00adists begged Pres\u00adi\u00addent Hoover not to enact it. Eco\u00adnom\u00adic his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adans are divid\u00aded as to whether it sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant\u00adly length\u00adened or wors\u00adened the Great Depres\u00adsion, but there is no dis\u00adpute about its effect on Cana\u00adda. As with today\u2019s Trump Tar\u00adiff, the prin\u00adci\u00adpal vic\u00adtim was Amer\u00adi\u00adca\u2019s largest trad\u00ading part\u00adner to the north. Canada\u2019s imme\u00addi\u00adate response was, of course, retal\u00adia\u00adto\u00adry tar\u00adiffs, but its long-term response was to shift both its trad\u00ading and polit\u00adi\u00adcal ori\u00aden\u00adta\u00adtion. With the Statute of West\u00admin\u00adster (1931) Cana\u00adda sev\u00adered its last direct leg\u00adisla\u00adtive ties with Great Britain, mak\u00ading its inde\u00adpen\u00addence com\u00adplete, but at the same time it entered com\u00adpre\u00adhen\u00adsive trade agree\u00adments with Great Britain and Aus\u00adtralia in which each guar\u00adan\u00adteed to co-ordi\u00adnate their trade poli\u00adcies and abol\u00adish bar\u00adri\u00aders. This was essen\u00adtial\u00adly a new configuration\u2026with Britain a large indus\u00adtri\u00adal mar\u00adket for Cana\u00addi\u00adan and Aus\u00adtralian resources. At the same time, Canada\u2019s new indus\u00adtri\u00adal pro\u00adduc\u00adtion could share in Britain\u2019s mar\u00adket with Aus\u00adtralia. Aus\u00adtralia was not yet indus\u00adtri\u00adal\u00adized, but it ben\u00ade\u00adfit\u00aded from pref\u00ader\u00aden\u00adtial deals for its agri\u00adcul\u00adtur\u00adal goods, which, on the whole were not in con\u00adflict with Canada\u2019s dif\u00adfer\u00adent prod\u00aducts. Cana\u00adda invest\u00aded heav\u00adi\u00adly in devel\u00adop\u00ading telecom\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adtions, part\u00adly to pre\u00adserve uni\u00adty across an immense and still sparse\u00adly-set\u00adtled ter\u00adri\u00adto\u00adry. Iron\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly, Lau\u00adri\u00ader\u2019s dream was at last being ful\u00adfilled, at least in a lim\u00adit\u00aded way. Cana\u00adda was now fac\u00ading away from the U.S. in pre\u00adcise\u00adly the ways it had pre\u00advi\u00adous\u00adly faced toward it.<\/span><\/p>\n

The begin\u00adning of World War II<\/span> mul\u00adti\u00adplied this effect, at first. The respons\u00ades of the two coun\u00adtries were pro\u00adfound\u00adly dif\u00adfer\u00adent. Cana\u00adda imme\u00addi\u00adate\u00adly entered the war and geared up for it. It rapid\u00adly accel\u00ader\u00adat\u00aded its trans\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adtion into a indus\u00adtri\u00adal pow\u00ader, and chan\u00adneled vir\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly all of this devel\u00adop\u00adment into the war effort. Soon, fac\u00adto\u00adries in Toron\u00adto were turn\u00ading out Lan\u00adcast\u00ader bombers at fre\u00adnet\u00adic speed, and Cana\u00addi\u00adan women pilots were fer\u00adry\u00ading them to Eng\u00adland through swarms of spitfires.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the U.S., it was a dif\u00adfer\u00adent sto\u00adry. The F.D.R. admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion was sym\u00adpa\u00adthet\u00adic to Britain\u2019s plight, and opposed to Hitler, but it had to deal with a sub\u00adstan\u00adtial pop\u00adu\u00adlar move\u00adment called Amer\u00adi\u00adca First<\/em>. This should be of spe\u00adcial note to today\u2019s read\u00aders, because Trump\u2019s \u201cAmer\u00adi\u00adca First\u201d slo\u00adgan was con\u00adscious\u00adly devised as a his\u00adtor\u00adi\u00adcal ref\u00ader\u00adence to this move\u00adment of the 1930s. Trump him\u00adself may be clue\u00adless about his\u00adto\u00adry, but his ide\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal gun\u00adslingers, Steve Ban\u00adnon and Stephen Miller, cer\u00adtain\u00adly knew what the phrase meant. The Amer\u00adi\u00adca Firsters, as they came to be known, flood\u00aded the media of the time with pro\u00adpa\u00adgan\u00adda and staged hys\u00adter\u00adi\u00adcal ral\u00adlies. The mes\u00adsage was clear: Hitler is our friend. Ger\u00admany and Amer\u00adi\u00adca should co-oper\u00adate. Jews and god\u00adless \u201clib\u00ader\u00adals\u201d are schem\u00ading to drag Amer\u00adi\u00adca into war. Uppi\u00adty negroes, Mex\u00adi\u00adcans and immi\u00adgrants with gar\u00adlic breath and fun\u00adny accents are the real ene\u00admies, not the noble Nazis. If you have ever seen a Trump ral\u00adly, you get the idea. The Amer\u00adi\u00adca First move\u00adment was sur\u00adrep\u00adti\u00adtious\u00adly financed by both the Nazi Par\u00adty in Ger\u00admany, and its faith\u00adful ally, the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty. Both Hitler and Stal\u00adin dis\u00adpatched agents to infil\u00adtrate the local Amer\u00adi\u00adca Firsters and direct their ener\u00adgies to their inter\u00adests. As a con\u00adse\u00adquence, though Roo\u00adsevelt was able to devise some \u201clend-lease\u201d poli\u00adcies to help Great Britain, the U.S. stayed out of the war until the Japan\u00adese attack on Pearl Har\u00adbor deflat\u00aded the Amer\u00adi\u00adca Firsters. The con\u00adclu\u00adsion of that war, with the U.S. par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpat\u00ading, was to change the polit\u00adi\u00adcal and eco\u00adnom\u00adic land\u00adscape of the whole world.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the war end\u00aded, the Unit\u00aded States and Cana\u00adda were the only two sub\u00adstan\u00adtial indus\u00adtri\u00adal pow\u00aders left stand\u00ading. The for\u00admer indus\u00adtri\u00adal pow\u00aders of Europe and Japan were dev\u00adas\u00adtat\u00aded ruins. Britain, France, and the Nether\u00adlands had not yet lost their over\u00adseas colo\u00adnial empires, but every\u00adone expect\u00aded them to soon. Britain lived with food short\u00adages and ration stamps for a decade after the war. For the next gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion, the glob\u00adal lead\u00ader\u00adship of the Unit\u00aded States was self-evi\u00addent, and the return of Cana\u00adda to its fold was unques\u00adtioned. Cana\u00addi\u00adans became, once again, par\u00adal\u00adlel Amer\u00adi\u00adcans. Aus\u00adtralians felt the same pull. There emerged in the world a clear \u201cgold stan\u00addard\u201d of life. This cen\u00adtered on the Unit\u00aded States, which despite the embar\u00adrass\u00ading per\u00adsis\u00adtence of racial injus\u00adtice, and pover\u00adty and seg\u00adre\u00adga\u00adtion in it\u2019s south\u00adeast\u00adern quar\u00adter, offered the world a vision of a decent life for the ordi\u00adnary work\u00ader and fam\u00adi\u00adly. This was char\u00adac\u00adter\u00adized not only by a wide dis\u00adtri\u00adb\u00adu\u00adtion of con\u00adsumer goods, but a gen\u00ader\u00adal assump\u00adtion of social equal\u00adi\u00adty, strong unions, busy fac\u00adto\u00adries offer\u00ading high-pay\u00ading jobs, qual\u00adi\u00adty pub\u00adlic edu\u00adca\u00adtion, excel\u00adlent pub\u00adlic infra\u00adstruc\u00adture and gov\u00adern\u00adment ser\u00advices, afford\u00adable hous\u00ading includ\u00ading wide\u00adspread own\u00ader\u00adship of sin\u00adgle-fam\u00adi\u00adly homes, a bank\u00ading sys\u00adtem now reg\u00adu\u00adlat\u00aded against fraud and spec\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion by the Glass-Stea\u00adgall Act, and a cre\u00adative and high\u00adly demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic pop\u00adu\u00adlar cul\u00adture mim\u00adic\u00adked around the world. Every dance craze dreamed up by Cal\u00adi\u00adfor\u00adnia teenagers was soon tak\u00aden up in Turin and Tokyo. Cana\u00adda, Aus\u00adtralia and New Zealand shared in this new pros\u00adper\u00adous and egal\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan lifestyle, char\u00adac\u00adter\u00adized by a steadi\u00adly nar\u00adrow\u00ading gap between the rich\u00adest and the poor\u00adest. Sub\u00adur\u00adban life in Mil\u00adwau\u00adkee, Mel\u00adbourne or Mon\u00adtre\u00adal was essen\u00adtial\u00adly the same. Despite threat\u00aden\u00ading the world with nuclear holo\u00adcaust and cre\u00adat\u00ading a glob\u00adal cold war, the Sovi\u00adet Union offered noth\u00ading to the world that peo\u00adple want\u00aded. Every\u00adone knew that despite its weapons and space pro\u00adgram, it was a back\u00adward dump that no sane per\u00adson would choose to live in.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Viet\u00adnam War tar\u00adnished this pic\u00adture, but did not fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal\u00adly alter it. Cana\u00addi\u00adans over\u00adwhelm\u00ading\u00adly opposed the Viet\u00adnam adven\u00adture, and refused to par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpate, anger\u00ading the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtions that waged that war. (Aus\u00adtralia took the oppo\u00adsite posi\u00adtion). But Cana\u00addi\u00adans\u2019 atti\u00adtudes to Amer\u00adi\u00adcans remained \u201cfam\u00adi\u00adly\u201d \u2014- broth\u00aders might squab\u00adble, but out\u00adside the fam\u00adi\u00adly it was anoth\u00ader mat\u00adter. Cana\u00addi\u00adans were dis\u00admayed by Amer\u00adi\u00adcan racial injus\u00adtice, but admired the courage and patri\u00adot\u00adic vital\u00adi\u00adty of its civ\u00adil rights move\u00adment. They deplored the Viet\u00adnam War, but admired the youth\u00adful Amer\u00adi\u00adcan ide\u00adal\u00adism that resist\u00aded it. The assump\u00adtion that the U.S. and Cana\u00adda were \u201cnat\u00adur\u00adal allies\u201d and eco\u00adnom\u00adic part\u00adners remained self-evi\u00addent. So too was the assump\u00adtion that social injus\u00adtices would one by one be defeat\u00aded and rel\u00ade\u00adgat\u00aded to the trash-heap of the past, that under\u00adneath all the weak\u00adness\u00ades and con\u00adflicts there was a fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal\u00adly pro\u00adgres\u00adsive core.<\/span><\/p>\n

The real change began with the Rea\u00adgan Rev\u00ado\u00adlu\u00adtion of the 1980s. From this point on, the Unit\u00aded States sys\u00adtem\u00adat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly aban\u00addoned all the prin\u00adci\u00adples and atti\u00adtudes that had made it great. Sud\u00adden\u00adly, it was no longer a coun\u00adtry where a fac\u00adto\u00adry work\u00ader could feel the social equal of any stock bro\u00adker or banker, where the inven\u00adtor of every new gad\u00adget and builder of every big for\u00adtune went to Cen\u00adter\u00adville High and then State Uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty, where cures for dis\u00adeases came from the labs in prairie cow col\u00adleges, and where the impov\u00ader\u00adished immi\u00adgrant end\u00aded up with \u201cmy son the doc\u00adtor\u201d and \u201cmy daugh\u00adter the lawyer\u201d with\u00adin a few decades of set\u00adting foot on a land of oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adty. Instead, it was now a land where \u201cthe right school\u201d and the \u201cthe right con\u00adtacts\u201d mat\u00adtered most. It was now a land where \u201ccelebri\u00adties\u201d were treat\u00aded like Euro\u00adpean roy\u00adal\u00adty and \u201cimpor\u00adtant\u201d peo\u00adple expect\u00aded to be fast-tracked past the line-ups in restau\u00adrants and clubs. Ruth\u00adless\u00adly pil\u00ading up mon\u00adey by cheat\u00ading peo\u00adple was pro\u00adclaimed a moral virtue. At first, it began with sym\u00adbol\u00adic things\u2026 a dress code here, a sniffy \u201cclass\u201d priv\u00adi\u00adlege there, an arro\u00adgant smirk in a smug priv\u00adi\u00adleged face every\u00adwhere. The hard-won advances of African Amer\u00adi\u00adcans stag\u00adnat\u00aded, then began to roll back. The sym\u00adbol\u00adic assaults were rapid\u00adly suc\u00adceed\u00aded by real, gut-wrench\u00ading trans\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adtions, and over the course of the last forty years, Amer\u00adi\u00adca has become Anti-Amer\u00adi\u00adca, a nation dis\u00adplay\u00ading and espous\u00ading every\u00adthing it once stood against, and every\u00adthing the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan rev\u00ado\u00adlu\u00adtion was fought against. It is now well on the way to becom\u00ading a third-world, back\u00adward soci\u00adety, ruled by a third-rate hered\u00adi\u00adtary nobil\u00adi\u00adty \u2015 and if Trump stays in pow\u00ader, a tenth-rate tin-pot pup\u00adpet dic\u00adta\u00adtor tak\u00ading orders from Moscow.<\/span><\/p>\n

The rela\u00adtion\u00adship between Cana\u00addi\u00adan and Amer\u00adi\u00adcan soci\u00adeties has altered fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal\u00adly in this process. There is no ques\u00adtion now, that Cana\u00adda is more demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic \u2015 not because its polit\u00adi\u00adcal insti\u00adtu\u00adtions have great\u00adly improved (they have only mar\u00adgin\u00adal\u00adly done so), but because Amer\u00adi\u00adcan democ\u00adra\u00adcy has erod\u00aded so dras\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly. Income inequal\u00adi\u00adty has been increas\u00ading in Cana\u00adda as well, though not near\u00adly at the same rate. With its inti\u00admate cul\u00adtur\u00adal rela\u00adtion\u00adship to the U.S., it\u2019s no sur\u00adprise that many of the despi\u00adca\u00adble social trends that plague the U.S. find echoes in Cana\u00adda. But the dif\u00adfer\u00adences between the two coun\u00adtries have sharp\u00adened dra\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly in the last decade. There is no Trump in Cana\u00adda, and nobody like him can pos\u00adsi\u00adbly get elect\u00aded. The only polit\u00adi\u00adcal Par\u00adty even slight\u00adly sus\u00adcep\u00adti\u00adble to that kind of stuff, the Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive Par\u00adty, turned away from it pret\u00adty firm\u00adly. There is no Cana\u00addi\u00adan Marie Le Pen, no Vik\u00adtor Orb\u00e1n, no Alter\u00adna\u00adtive f\u00fcr Deutsch\u00adland, no Five Star Move\u00adment, no Gold\u00aden Dawn. There are no bands of goons roam\u00ading the streets beat\u00ading up immi\u00adgrants. Refugees have been wel\u00adcomed in great num\u00adbers, encoun\u00adter\u00ading hos\u00adtil\u00adi\u00adty only from a hand\u00adful of cranks. Old social injus\u00adtices are still seen as mat\u00adters to expose and resolve, rather than to deny and entrench. In short, it is anoth\u00ader world from what lies south of the border.<\/span><\/p>\n

The sta\u00adtis\u00adtics tell a pro\u00adfound sto\u00adry. A Cana\u00addi\u00adan today has con\u00adsid\u00ader\u00adably greater social mobil\u00adi\u00adty than an Amer\u00adi\u00adcan. If a Cana\u00addi\u00adan is born into the low\u00adest quar\u00adter of the income scale, they have twice as much chance of mov\u00ading into the upper mid\u00addle quar\u00adter and three times as much chance of mov\u00ading into the high\u00adest quar\u00adter. Immi\u00adgrants to Cana\u00adda suc\u00adceed in achiev\u00ading a secure stan\u00addard of liv\u00ading at high\u00ader rates than immi\u00adgrants to the U.S. Refugees show near\u00adly the same rates, though start\u00ading with obvi\u00adous hand\u00adi\u00adcaps. There are no racial or eth\u00adnic ghet\u00adtos. Inher\u00adit\u00aded wealth is half as like\u00adly to be the major fac\u00adtor in suc\u00adcess for a Cana\u00addi\u00adan. Small busi\u00adness\u00ades have sta\u00adtis\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly bet\u00adter chances of suc\u00adcess, and are start\u00aded at a high\u00ader rate. Cana\u00addi\u00adans have three times as much chance of becom\u00ading mod\u00ader\u00adate\u00adly wealthy as Amer\u00adi\u00adcans and there are twice as many very wealthy [over $30 mil\u00adlion in assets] Cana\u00addi\u00adans per capi\u00adta as Amer\u00adi\u00adcans. The over\u00adwhelm\u00ading major\u00adi\u00adty of suc\u00adcess\u00adful peo\u00adple in Cana\u00adda went to ordi\u00adnary pub\u00adlic schools and local main\u00adstream uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adties. There is no stu\u00addent loan cri\u00adsis in Cana\u00adda, and col\u00adlege tuitions are not a sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant bar\u00adri\u00ader to advance\u00adment for any lev\u00adel of the soci\u00adety. Cana\u00addi\u00adans have sta\u00adtis\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly bet\u00adter health than Amer\u00adi\u00adcans and live a few years longer.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a new sit\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion for Cana\u00adda. None of those sta\u00adtis\u00adtics would have been true a gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion ago. What is more, only some of them can plau\u00adsi\u00adbly be attrib\u00aduted to social or polit\u00adi\u00adcal progress in Cana\u00adda. They result much more from the com\u00adpar\u00ada\u00adtive decay of Amer\u00adi\u00adcan insti\u00adtu\u00adtions and soci\u00adety. One can\u00adnot pur\u00adsue the sick, anti-demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic and anti-Amer\u00adi\u00adcan ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy con\u00adcoct\u00aded by Amer\u00adi\u00adcan Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives for four decades and expect to remain the land of the free and the home of the brave. Mind\u00adless wor\u00adshipers of a self-styled super-duper\u00adman like Trump can nev\u00ader be brave, and cer\u00adtain\u00adly have no inter\u00adest in free\u00addom. The core prin\u00adci\u00adple of Amer\u00adi\u00adcan Con\u00adser\u00advatism, which boils down to \u201cif a bil\u00adlion\u00adaire enters the room, get down on your hands and knees and pre\u00adpare to suck his dick\u201d, is fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal\u00adly noth\u00ading but snivel\u00ading cow\u00adardice. And once you are in that posi\u00adtion, crouched on all fours, it does not mat\u00adter much if the bil\u00adlion\u00adaire wears a cow\u00adboy hat, tweets his orders from a Park Avenue pent\u00adhouse, or mut\u00adters them in Russ\u00adian from his Res\u00adi\u00addence Riv\u00adiera <\/em>dacha in Sochi.<\/span><\/p>\n

Will Amer\u00adi\u00adcans turn a cor\u00adner and recov\u00ader their hon\u00adour? As a Cana\u00addi\u00adan, and a friend of many Amer\u00adi\u00adcans whom I admire, I am con\u00advinced that they will. But it will take a long time. A major\u00adi\u00adty of Amer\u00adi\u00adcans are true in their hearts to Amer\u00adi\u00adca\u2019s most noble ideas, but they have, like bat\u00adtered wives, become accus\u00adtomed to accept\u00ading their dis\u00adhon\u00adour as ineluctable fate. A minor\u00adi\u00adty of big\u00adot\u00aded fanat\u00adics wave AR-15s at them, scream at them from the Fox Net\u00adwork and church pul\u00adpits, and sneer at them from the halls of Con\u00adgress; a dement\u00aded child tweets at them from the White House or a golf course; and they cow\u00ader in their homes, afraid to stand up, afraid to assert their her\u00aditage as Amer\u00adi\u00adcans, afraid to vote out a gang of trai\u00adtors despoil\u00ading their coun\u00adtry. Demon\u00adstra\u00adtions are fine, but it is polit\u00adi\u00adcal orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion, purg\u00ading the Demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic Par\u00adty of sell\u00adouts, get\u00adting out the vote and putting real patri\u00adots in office that will accom\u00adplish some\u00adthing. The Amer\u00adi\u00adcan his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adan Tim\u00ado\u00adthy Sny\u00adder has right\u00adly said that \u201cAmer\u00adi\u00adca has been col\u00ado\u00adnized. Amer\u00adi\u00adcans are in the process of accept\u00ading their sta\u00adtus as a colony.\u201d<\/em> He has com\u00adpared Amer\u00adi\u00adca\u2019s cur\u00adrent sit\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion to France in the time of Vichy, when many French\u00admen pre\u00adtend\u00aded that every\u00adthing was nor\u00admal, that noth\u00ading had hap\u00adpened, that Mar\u00adshall P\u00e9tain\u2019s rule was just anoth\u00ader French admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion. \u201cIt is only very slow\u00adly<\/em>\u201d Sny\u00adder has said \u201cthat one comes to under\u00adstand what being col\u00ado\u00adnized means.<\/em>\u201d And the longer it takes, the deep\u00ader the wound and the shame will be, and the longer it will take to recover.<\/span><\/p>\n

Which brings us back to alu\u00adminum and steel. It seems unlike\u00adly that Trump\u2019s insane tar\u00adiffs will actu\u00adal\u00adly be foist\u00aded on Cana\u00adda. The bulk of Trump\u2019s back\u00aders and the Repub\u00adli\u00adcan Par\u00adty elite stand to loose mon\u00adey if that hap\u00adpens, though some stand to gain. They can usu\u00adal\u00adly finesse, dis\u00adtract, or talk Trump out of any\u00adthing they real\u00adly dis\u00adap\u00adprove of, because Trump has no knowl\u00adedge of any poli\u00adcies. You get some\u00adthing from Trump by flat\u00adter\u00ading him, giv\u00ading him a parade, and let\u00adting him sign some\u00adthing. But Trump is not reli\u00adably con\u00adtrol\u00adlable. He uses ran\u00addom destruc\u00adtion as a habit\u00adu\u00adal tac\u00adtic, and can sum\u00admon up an army of zom\u00adbies to denounce any\u00adone he takes a dis\u00adlike to, ruin\u00ading their chance of re-elec\u00adtion and future graft.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is unwise and dan\u00adger\u00adous for Cana\u00adda to assume the dan\u00adger is passed. The Unit\u00aded States is going to be in a chaot\u00adic state for many years, no mat\u00adter what hap\u00adpens next. Dur\u00ading this peri\u00adod, Cana\u00adda will be con\u00adstant\u00adly vul\u00adner\u00ada\u00adble to nasty sur\u00adpris\u00ades and eco\u00adnom\u00adic chaos. When this hap\u00adpened before, back in 1930, Cana\u00addi\u00adan politi\u00adcians and busi\u00adness were clever enough to shift their per\u00adspec\u00adtive and seek out new alliances, and the coun\u00adtry survived.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is one of the rea\u00adsons I am about to vis\u00adit Ice\u00adland, vis\u00adit\u00aded Aus\u00adtralia last spring, and hope to make vis\u00adits to Scan\u00addi\u00adnavia and New Zealand rea\u00adson\u00adably soon. I seek to under\u00adstand these soci\u00adeties as deeply as I can. This is because a glance at a sin\u00adgle chart tells me which coun\u00adtries should be the focus of Canada\u2019s atten\u00adtion, and which should be con\u00adsid\u00adered nat\u00adur\u00adal allies. Our cur\u00adrent admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion, con\u00adven\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adly-mind\u00aded, looks to where the mon\u00adey shines, thinks that carv\u00ading out deals with the big play\u00aders is the desir\u00adable strat\u00ade\u00adgy. Canada\u2019s pres\u00adtige in the world has def\u00adi\u00adnite\u00adly been ris\u00ading, as the U.S. sinks, but cur\u00adry\u00ading favour with Japan, India, or the Euro\u00adpean Union is not going cre\u00adate any con\u00adfig\u00adu\u00adra\u00adtion of pow\u00ader that Cana\u00adda can rely on, and any\u00adone who thinks they can play pok\u00ader with Xi Jin\u00adping and win is just a plain fool. It\u2019s not trade deals as such that Cana\u00adda needs. Canada\u2019s prod\u00aducts will go where the mar\u00adket for them is, and our polit\u00adi\u00adcal lead\u00aders will nev\u00ader have much influ\u00adence on where that will be. What mat\u00adters is with whom one has sol\u00adi\u00addar\u00adi\u00adty, with whom one reli\u00adably keeps a two-way flow of infor\u00adma\u00adtion, and keeps cul\u00adtur\u00adal\u00adly con\u00adnect\u00aded to. This was the basis on which Cana\u00addi\u00adans act\u00aded in the eco\u00adnom\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly chal\u00adleng\u00ading 1930s, and then again in the pros\u00adper\u00adous 1950\u2019s and 60\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Econ\u00ado\u00admist Intel\u00adli\u00adgence Unit calls upon an impres\u00adsive pool of jour\u00adnal\u00adis\u00adtic, aca\u00add\u00ade\u00adm\u00adic and polit\u00adi\u00adcal sources to com\u00adpile it\u2019s annu\u00adal glob\u00adal Democ\u00adra\u00adcy Index. It ranks and clas\u00adsi\u00adfies coun\u00adtries as Full Democ\u00adra\u00adcies, Flawed Democ\u00adra\u00adcies, Hybrid Regimes, and Author\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan Regimes, using 60 indi\u00adca\u00adtors, any of which might be debat\u00adable for some rea\u00adson, but which alto\u00adgeth\u00ader are accept\u00aded as rea\u00adson\u00adable by most peo\u00adple with a seri\u00adous inter\u00adest in the progress or regress of democ\u00adra\u00adcy. The Econ\u00ado\u00admist table does not try to mea\u00adsure any\u00adthing as neb\u00adu\u00adlous as \u201cfree\u00addom\u201d and does not at all depend on the obscene notion ped\u00addled by ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgists that \u201ceco\u00adnom\u00adic free\u00addom\u201d can be con\u00adcep\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly sep\u00ada\u00adrat\u00aded from \u201cpolit\u00adi\u00adcal free\u00addom\u201d. It con\u00adcerns itself strict\u00adly with the bricks and mor\u00adtar of polit\u00adi\u00adcal insti\u00adtu\u00adtions that are rel\u00ade\u00advant to democ\u00adra\u00adcy. Coun\u00adtries drift up and down in this tal\u00adly, and it is alarm\u00ading\u00adly sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant that, for the first time, the Unit\u00aded States has slipped down into the Flawed Democ\u00adra\u00adcies cat\u00ade\u00adgo\u00adry. This does not appear to be the prod\u00aduct of any sim\u00adple-mind\u00aded cul\u00adtur\u00adal anti-Amer\u00adi\u00adcan\u00adism, which the EIU<\/span> has nev\u00ader, to my knowl\u00adedge, been been guilty of. The decay of Amer\u00adi\u00adcan demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic insti\u00adtu\u00adtions is appar\u00adent to every\u00adone who is obser\u00advant, includ\u00ading most thought\u00adful and patri\u00adot\u00adic Americans.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are coun\u00adtries that have con\u00adsis\u00adtent\u00adly remained in the top tier of the Full Democ\u00adra\u00adcies cat\u00ade\u00adgo\u00adry: Cana\u00adda, Aus\u00adtralia, New Zealand, Ire\u00adland, Ice\u00adland, Nor\u00adway, Den\u00admark, Swe\u00adden, and Fin\u00adland. Nor\u00adway rou\u00adtine\u00adly holds first place, with a rep\u00adu\u00adta\u00adtion for painful\u00adly hon\u00adest gov\u00ader\u00adnance. All these coun\u00adtries have fair\u00adly long his\u00adto\u00adries of sta\u00adble demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic insti\u00adtu\u00adtions. All of them are wealthy coun\u00adtries with pro\u00adduc\u00adtive, inno\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive economies and strong social safe\u00adty nets. All of them have sophis\u00adti\u00adcat\u00aded telecom\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adtions infra\u00adstruc\u00adtures, access to the sea, and mar\u00aditime tra\u00addi\u00adtions. Among them, only Den\u00admark and Aus\u00adtralia can be impli\u00adcat\u00aded in over\u00adseas colo\u00adnial\u00adism. Den\u00admark\u2019s hands-off rela\u00adtion\u00adships with its depen\u00adden\u00adcies, Green\u00adland and the Faeroes, have not trig\u00adgered crit\u00adi\u00adcism or com\u00adplaint. Aus\u00adtralia has some embar\u00adrass\u00adments con\u00adcern\u00ading Papua-Niug\u00adi\u00adni, but is now well-behaved. All but two have some his\u00adtoric expe\u00adri\u00adence of being colonies or depen\u00addents. None have ever pre\u00adtend\u00aded to be world pow\u00aders or thrown their weight around. All have expe\u00adri\u00adence in deal\u00ading with minori\u00adties. Three have been long-term immi\u00adgra\u00adtion-based soci\u00adeties. All have accept\u00aded refugees. All have high stan\u00addards of edu\u00adca\u00adtion. Cana\u00adda has rou\u00adtine\u00adly co-oper\u00adat\u00aded with all these coun\u00adtries in var\u00adi\u00adous ways. Togeth\u00ader their pop\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion amounts to about a hun\u00addred mil\u00adlion peo\u00adple, which is con\u00adsid\u00ader\u00adably more than either Ger\u00admany or France.<\/span><\/p>\n

All these coun\u00adtries have resist\u00aded the trend of increas\u00ading income dis\u00adpar\u00adi\u00adty (though Cana\u00adda is per\u00adhaps the weak\u00adest exam\u00adple). They demon\u00adstrate the false\u00adhood of the ide\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal snake-oil which claims that increas\u00ading income dis\u00adpar\u00adi\u00adty is nec\u00ades\u00adsary for pros\u00adper\u00adi\u00adty. They are all liv\u00ading lab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adto\u00adries that show that Neo-Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive [or \u201cNeo-Lib\u00ader\u00adal\u201d, as it is absurd\u00adly called in Europe] eco\u00adnom\u00adic the\u00ado\u00adry is a crack\u00adpot fraud, in exact\u00adly the same way that Marx\u00adist eco\u00adnom\u00adic the\u00ado\u00adry is a crack\u00adpot fraud. The two fraud\u00adu\u00adlent \u201csys\u00adtems\u201d in fact share many false assump\u00adtions and oper\u00adate in much the same way, jus\u00adti\u00adfy\u00ading the ascent of an aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy and the exploita\u00adtion and loot\u00ading of the peo\u00adple under a pre\u00adtense of \u201cequal\u00adi\u00adty\u201d. Both are pro\u00adfound\u00adly collectivist.<\/span><\/p>\n

But most impor\u00adtant, these coun\u00adtries have been rel\u00ada\u00adtive\u00adly free of the plague of author\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan, racist, leader-wor\u00adship\u00ading, immi\u00adgrant-hat\u00ading, theo\u00adcrat\u00adic, vio\u00adlent, lgbt-per\u00adse\u00adcut\u00ading and mys\u00adti\u00adcal nation\u00adal\u00adist polit\u00adi\u00adcal move\u00adments that are cur\u00adrent\u00adly cir\u00adcling like vul\u00adtures to destroy exist\u00ading democ\u00adra\u00adcies and advance the agen\u00addas of exist\u00ading tyrannies. <\/span><\/p>\n

These nations should form a mutu\u00adal asso\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtion explic\u00adit\u00adly com\u00admit\u00adted to main\u00adtain\u00ading and pro\u00adtect\u00ading the demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic prac\u00adtices that have put them in that top tier, explic\u00adit\u00adly reject\u00ading author\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan polit\u00adi\u00adcal move\u00adments and the eco\u00adnom\u00adic and social the\u00ado\u00adries asso\u00adci\u00adat\u00aded with them, self-mon\u00adi\u00adtor\u00ading and mutu\u00adal\u00adly mon\u00adi\u00adtor\u00ading each oth\u00ader for signs of cor\u00adrup\u00adtion, pro\u00adtect\u00ading sys\u00adtems of uni\u00adver\u00adsal pub\u00adlic edu\u00adca\u00adtion and pub\u00adlic health, and pro\u00admot\u00ading the laws and reg\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtions and prac\u00adtices that pro\u00adtect these high stan\u00addards. There should be no need for such nations to lec\u00adture oth\u00aders or engage in moral cru\u00adsades out\u00adside their bor\u00adders. The best teach\u00ading is by exam\u00adple, and the best argu\u00adment the fait accom\u00adpli<\/em> of peace and prosperity.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

If the top tier of Full Democ\u00adra\u00adcies acquires a col\u00adlec\u00adtive iden\u00adti\u00adty and vis\u00adi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty, it may be the clar\u00adi\u00adon that turns the tide. Every\u00adthing that clar\u00adi\u00adfies the dis\u00adtinc\u00adtion between effec\u00adtive demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic gov\u00ader\u00adnance and cor\u00adrupt\u00aded democ\u00adra\u00adcies-in-name-only will be cru\u00adcial to the sur\u00advival of the demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic idea. The Unit\u00aded States is in no posi\u00adtion to do this, and will be \u201coffline\u201d for some time to come. Democ\u00adra\u00adcy has been on the run around the world, and unless it turns around and fights, the whole world is in dan\u00adger of sink\u00ading into bar\u00adbarism. We will have a plan\u00adet of Xis and Putins and Trumps clink\u00ading cham\u00adpagne glass\u00ades while they dance on the rot\u00adting corpse of civilization.<\/span><\/p>\n

I am tempt\u00aded to send a copy of Eyr\u00adbyg\u00adg\u00adja Saga<\/em> to U.S. Spe\u00adcial Coun\u00adsel Robert Swan Mueller. He may just be Amer\u00adi\u00adca\u2019s Snor\u00adri \u00deorgr\u00edmsson.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Accord\u00ading to the Eyr\u00adbyg\u00adg\u00adja Saga, when the Ice\u00adlandic penin\u00adsu\u00adla of Sn\u00e6fell\u00adsnes was plagued with ghosts and zom\u00adbies (specif\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly Thorir Wood\u00aden-leg and his undead com\u00adpan\u00adions) dis\u00adrupt\u00ading dai\u00adly life and harm\u00ading the econ\u00ado\u00admy, Snor\u00adri \u00deor\u00adgr\u00edms\u00adson solved the prob\u00adlem by tak\u00ading them to \u2026<\/p>\n

Read more \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,1494],"tags":[1033,1040,1041,1039,1043,1031,1042,1030,1036,1037,1034,1032,1035,1038],"class_list":["post-6899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-blog","category-ai-blog-2018","tag-aluminum-industry","tag-america-first","tag-america-firsters","tag-canadian-economy","tag-economist-intelligence-unit","tag-eyrbyggja-saga","tag-glass-steagall","tag-iceland","tag-icelandic-sagas","tag-smoot-hawley","tag-snorri-thorgrimsson","tag-snaefellsnes","tag-thorgrimsson","tag-trump-tariff"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6899"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6899\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7290,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6899\/revisions\/7290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}