A friend sent me a card recently and thanked me for reminding them to 'keep going'. Since then the current US president has threatened my country with all kinds of economic hardship while suggesting that our entire country (with a land mass larger than the US) be 'annexed' and become the 51st state.
This kind of aggression has not sparked the response the president was expecting - like some USians he assumes everyone secretly wants to be USian - which I understand. I love my country, too. I don't assume everyone wants to *be* Canadian though. We are not 'perfect' and we have a number of issues that we need to address - and becoming the 51st state of the US is not going to solve those problems.
There is a great deal of angst running rampant, in *both* countries. It is exhausting, never having stability, never knowing what bone-headed thing the governors (sic) of a country are going to float, like a lead balloon. Never knowing if you will have personal safety, or if your life will be turned over by an over grown toddler having yet another melt down. And meanwhile a private citizen and his minions are rifling through citizens private information and doing what with it?
There are people who are trying to bring accurate information to the US citizenry. And there are things individuals can do - phone your representatives and state your objections to the destruction of necessary government pages, for example. If you don't feel safe/secure enough to be public, you can fund groups who are doing the work. You can join protests - again, if you feel safe. Some people are less secure than others.
I'm no expert in protesting government actions, especially in a different country, just trying to remind people that they *do* have some power (for now) and it's time to use it.
As for Canadians, Ontario has an election this month. Please do NOT vote for Ford, who has already done a 180 and instead of standing up against a potential national security threat, he has dug the contact with Starlink out of the garbage (if he ever threw it away or just waited for a bigger back handed sweetener) and the over blown contract with Musk is back on. This is *your* time - get rid of Ford.
In the meantime, do what you need to do to keep sane in this unstable time. Do what makes you happy, be that taking long walks in the woods (before the wildfires begin again), have long soaking baths, spin/knit/crochet/weave or whatever. Whatever creative energy you can put out into the world, the better.
Take time to shut off the 'news' and work creatively, even if all you do is give what you make away.
Buy supplies from small suppliers. They are really *really* hurting. Avoid Hobby Lobby, etc.
Encourage each other. Give them hugs, real or virtual. If you have a little money, maybe help someone who has just lost their government job (because they were female, or black, or disabled - and considered a DEI hire.)
Canadians, please look at what the leader of the Conservative party is saying - the lack of actual substance, and the over abundance of threats and lies and the blame game, played over and over again. Is that kind of person who you really *want* to run the government of Canada? Show me your solutions, not point at more people to blame!
In the meantime, Canadians have the opportunity to join Charlie Angus' initiative - the Canadian pledge. I'm not generally someone who signs petitions and pledges, but these are not 'usual' times. If people are going to pay attention to polls, let us make this the biggest poll response ever!
Link is: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/pledge-for-canada-petition
For now I am heading back to the loom. The current towels are not 'perfect' but I'm pleased enough with them. I should have them ready before the 30 day pause in tariffs ends, and who knows, some other things may catch the president's eye and he'll forget about the tariffs.
But in the meantime, we will be ready.
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