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Canada/US border must remain closed
e-KNOW Editorial
By Ian Cobb
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is refusing to head to Washington D.C. today (July 7) for a two-day ‘celebration’ of the finalizing of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Despite pleas from Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to join him in Washington, Trudeau is staying home in Canada, saying he’s got work to take care of and he doesn’t wish to subject himself and his staff to a 14-day quarantine upon their return to Ottawa.
The snub, as it will surely be taken by President Donald Trump and his administration du jour, is the latest stinging indictment of America’s current state of affairs.
In short, the nation Trump said he was going to make great again is dying before our eyes – and not from COVID-19, though they can claim “USA number one!” in the deaths count world-wide.
The divisive, hateful, blowhard President who has lured white supremacists (see also: Nazis) from the shadows of America’s bulbous white underbelly during his 3.5 years of MAGA rule (make America gross again), who has inspired the hateful and violent cops among said ranks to ramp up executions and abuses, many now being recorded by cellphone owners, has ignited the worst racial unrest since 1968.
Trump and company have weaponized the fight against this pandemic in another feebly obvious attempt to distract his increasingly shrinking base of supporters ahead of the November 3 election, which will determine the immediate fate of the ‘free world.’
His latest lunacy is to demand all schools re-open in August or he will pull funding from education programs. His nation is buckling to its knees with 133,000 dead from COVID-19 and counting rapidly (record paces in some states). As a result, America’s economy is being stomped to death by greedy, selfish tools demanding their ability to make a living is more important that medical officials’ advice about trying to stop the spread of more killings.
The way Trump and company ignore the advice of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases the past 36 years, is like watching a high school scene play out before our eyes.
The bully blowhard who pays someone to take his SATs for him, and his sycophantic pals, surround tiny, bespectacled and brainy Tony and while twacking the backs of his ears chant that he’s a geek and a book worm and they laugh their guts out at him.
In short, thanks to Trump’s stunning ignorance and disregard for human life beyond his own, which has inspired like-minded sorts (small-minded haters who find weird solace by hating in packs), has sent America spiralling down the bunghole. There is something entirely creepy – almost Khmer Rouge-y – about the Trump administration.
Add its mind-bendingly erroneous way of approaching medical health, the willy-nilly 50 state approach to dealing with the pandemic and the simple fact that Americans are coming unglued all over the place because they’re being denied access to Chilis or Applebees, and you’re wondering why Trudeau is staying home?
All that said, I ask our esteemed future spending Prime Minister to quit dithering and declare the Canada/US border closed for a few more months, at least.
A recent poll shared by CTV noted 86% of Canadians want the border to remain closed, while 36% of Americans want it to remain shut. Dare say a whole bunch of the 64% of Americans who want the border re-opened want to flee the incoming tsunami of despair that will grip America, ala the 1930s as it continues to stumble along.
Unless of course it explodes into civil war again.
America needs enemies. It’s only spent 16 of its 244 years not involved in a war or wars of some kind.
Surely with the twisting knives of Vlad Putin, ‘re-elected’ to office until 2036, America is now turning on itself thanks to a president who foments division and violence. It’s not just Republican versus Democrat. It’s educated versus uneducated; white versus black; state versus state etc.
Medical health has actually become a political weapon in America, whereas in Canada, the right and left, educated and uneducated etc. have mostly stood together, listened to the best advice of our experts and have done the right thing for the greater good. Yes, some of our warts and scars have become evident during all this, but it’s Joseph Creek compared to the lower Mississippi River.
It pains me to demand the continued closure of our border. I have a child living in the US, as well as many friends, as so many of us do. My son is extremely worried about his work situation and frets constantly at the growing vulgarity and heights of anger spewing from so many Americans right now.
And as much as it will continue to harm local, provincial and national tourism industries, we’re all better off if we beat this damned coronavirus to death through vigilance, discipline and collective wisdom and effort. We are so close it is almost painful. And we must continue our efforts at social distancing, wearing masks and hyper-hygiene as we start to expand our bubbles and explore our province as the travellers among us seek fixes.
Knock on wood, if this pandemic was a contest among the world’s nations, Canada would be either on or near a podium finish while our American cousins would be flirting with a DNF.
And that alone should be enough to convince Trudeau and his cabinet to slam closed the border with the USA until that nation starts to show it wants to be re-admitted to the adult part of the world order.
Mr. Prime Minister, you have made your decision, likely a wise one despite likely economic impacts to Canada as Trump lashes out at your snub. Now make that call for the rest of us so we can dodge an American-style slide-back and languish in this surreal malaise longer than is necessary.
– Ian Cobb is owner/editor of e-KNOW
