To the editor,
It seems strange that after a lifetime of considering Americans as the good guys, one man has obliterated such long-held beliefs with unwarranted arrogance, broken promises and disdain. It would seem that the world according to Trump consists of only one opinion that matters, as he exerts every effort to make a new friend out of a longtime enemy and enemies out of old friends The logic behind this course of action is truly twisted; however, the expression ‘don’t confuse me with facts when my mind is made up’ was never more apt than when applied here.
Following the founding of the American nation every state that has since joined the union has done so voluntarily. Trump’s ambitions with regard to his mooted 51st state would certainly not follow this tradition. Canada is a proud nation of 10 provinces and 3 territories, none of which wish their association with the U.S.A. to be more than friendly, as it indeed was up to 2025.
While other nations have no right to either criticize or interfere with the erratic internal doings of the current U.S. government, however draconian they may be, they have every right to demand respect and fair treatment for themselves when it comes to American foreign policy.
The world order that existed prior to Trump’s accession to power may have been far from perfect, but the actions we have seen from the first few weeks of his second presidency are certainly not going to improve things.
This is not the first time that Trump has played the tariff card. His efforts in that regard during his first presidency did not work out too well. Repeating this failed policy while expecting a better result is hardly going to create confidence in his judgment.
The ‘Make America Great Again’ slogan goes hand in hand with his other slogan ‘America First.’ So far this has proved to be inaccurate and in order to truly conform to his policies should be amended to ‘America Only.’
Garry Bradford, Nanaimo
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To the editor,
Canada is in crisis and our very survival is in jeopardy. In addition to poverty, the drug crisis, housing affordability and unsustainable cost of living, our economic and political sovereignty is now threatened by the U.S.
We need drastic action to crawl back from the brink. I suggest we dump the monarchy and the Commonwealth since neither body has even given lip service to siding with us against a U.S. takeover. We should resign from NATO since it seems incapable of any meaningful action even in the face of Russian aggression. Besides, if it decides to take action, it will be to defend the European Union and not Canada. We might consider resigning from the UN for similar reasons, and re-examine our foreign aid commitments.
I am not xenophobic, as I’m sure I will be accused of being. But when Canada as an entity is under such serious threat, we need firm action. The term ‘circling the wagons comes to mind. Our usual strategy of waiting passively while we rely on the goodwill and military support of others just won’t cut it.
We need to channel serious dollars into our military, increasing its size and equipping it with up-to-date technology and weapons. We need to build bases in the Arctic and deploy significant resources to protect our claim to one of the richest areas of the world, rather than watching as the three most rapacious countries in the word, the U.S., Russia and China conquer and divide it.
Mike Provencher, Nanaimo
The views and opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the writer and do not reflect the views of Black Press Media or the Nanaimo News Bulletin.
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