The train has left the station - On Disinformation

[Vlad Drkulec]

One of the discounted books on BookBub today is "On Disinformation" by Lee McIntyre at the price of 1.99.

A perusal of the available preview and promotional information and the reviews makes it clear that this is another Trump Derangement Syndrome exercise in futility.

They do not cover the Russia Collusion Hoax, The Hunter Biden Laptop Denial Hoax, the Joe Biden runs circles around his staff hoax, the Border is secure hoax, the Inflation Reduction Act Hoax and so many other hoaxes of the left, some of which can lead to prosecution in Canada if the pending legislation ever gets passed by the Senate.

I spent my $2 and more on some new releases of Carl Justav Jung's writings instead.

You could have forked over an additional dollar and got Hanna Arendt's, "On Totalitarianism" an excellent book which McIntyre quotes in his introduction. I had already purchased this book some time ago.

Alternatively, "Open" by Andre Agassi is also available today for $1.99. I have this book in hard copy but it is definitely worth a look as a very thoughtful book by someone who reached the top of his sport. There are lots of applications to chess training going from memory.

" Creative Intelligence" by Bruce Nussbaum is also an intriguing alternative investment, also at $1.99.

If literature is your thing, "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro at $1.99 would also be a better investment than rehashing old propaganda.

Another book which is on sale is Daniel Coyle's "The Culture Code" for $2.99. I really like him as an author. His books are a bit short but usually packed with good ideas. "The Talent Code" and "The Little Book of Talent" are full of nuggets of wisdom that are quite applicable to chess training.

Going back to disinformation, the topic of the original book, the left lost the thread because they went so far over the top that Everyone was able to see that they were either delusional or were deliberately lying to us. The pendulum has swung for now. Lets see what Trump and his crew do with it.

[Bob Armstrong]

I truly fear what the absolute GOP Government is about to do to the USA - they have 2 years free reign until the mid-terms......and the courts, leaning right as Trump appointees, will not provide the usual court protection to the vulnerable.



Helms Deep 24/12/26 Update

Bob A (Hunkering Down during the Devastation)

P.S. Re: Canada: And it is going to slop over into the Canadian electorate relatively soon.......the Liberal minority government days are numbered.....and Pierre looms large on the horizon.

[Dilip Panjwani]

I truly fear what the absolute GOP Government is about to do to the USA -

Which of these do you fear the most? : 1. Stopping the illegal immigrants from bringing down the wages earned by the not-so-rich USA workers.
2. Making government more efficient (including eliminating the duplication of 'State' responsibilities like Education), thereby lowering the taxes for USA workers.
3. Tariffs on imported goods, so that increased local production of the same stuff leads to more USA jobs, in turn leading to higher USA wages.
4. Invitation to Canada to become the 51st State.
5. Something else making you so fearful.

[Bob Gillanders]

I truly fear what the absolute GOP Government is about to do to the USA - they have 2 years free reign until the mid-terms......and the courts, leaning right as Trump appointees, will not provide the usual court protection to the vulnerable.

Bob A (Hunkering Down during the Devastation)

Hey, Bob A., hope you had a Merry Christmas. Relax, don’t worry too much about Trump’s 2^nd administration, you’ll just give yourself an ulcer. Instead, grab the popcorn, and watch as history unfolds.

The American electorate wanted nothing to do with a Trump Biden rematch, but that’s what they got. The Democrats did the unforgivable sin of hiding the mental decline of their candidate, while the Republicans decided to give the worst President in history a shot at a second term. When you reflect on that, it isn’t surprising the voters chose the new MAGA party. A protest “burn the house down” party and a leader with a “bull in a China shop” attitude. They are going to break a lot of dishes.

But Donald has made a lot of promises. To the working class MAGA base: a return of manufacturing jobs, a return to lower grocery prices, a cap on credit card interest rates, etc. etc. and paying off the national debt. To his new billionaire friends: less regulations, no environment restrictions, lower taxes, and who knows what else on a personal level to the dozen billionaires in his cabinet. When in conflict, who will he favour?

The in-fighting has already begun a month before inauguration. This will have to play out, the electorate chose chaos out of spite, anger, and/or desperation. While we await the outcome, Democrats need to get their own house in order.

As for Canada becoming the 51th state, nonsense.
We should summon the US ambassador to parliament hill and demand an apology.

[Dilip Panjwani]

As for Canada becoming the 51th state, nonsense.
We should summon the US ambassador to parliament hill and demand an apology.

https://www.thefp.com/p/the-canadian...to-be-american

[Bob Armstrong]

My View:

Effective Integration



We accepted being the 51st state, effectively, in 1992 (Effective Jan. 1, 1994), with PM Brian Mulroney (Conservative Party) successfully negotiating NAFTA.

NAFTA stands for North American Free Trade Agreement, a treaty between the United States, Canada, and Mexico that created a free-trade zone in North America. The agreement was signed in 1992 and took effect in 1994.


NAFTA's goals were to:

• Eliminate tariffs on most goods produced by the three countries

• Gradually remove most barriers to cross-border investment and the movement of goods and services

• Open up the three countries' markets

• Ensure that future laws would not create barriers to doing business

• Give North American producers preference over goods not originating in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico

Some say that NAFTA led to an era of free-trade agreements that brought cheap goods to consumers and wealth to investors, but also increased income inequality and weakened labor unions.

AI Overview

Then the integration of Canada into the USA continued on July 1, 2020, with the successor tripartite agreement, USMCA. This United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement replaced NAFTA.

Past Can. PM, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, father of the current PM, Justin, had it right when he expressed grave concern about a mouse sleeping with an elephant.

The Trade Evidence

The United States and Canada have the world's largest trading relationship, with the two countries exchanging billions of dollars of goods and services each day. The trade relationship between the two countries is important to both nations' success, and supports millions of jobs in each country.

Here are some details about the trade between the United States and Canada:

• Goods and services
  In 2023, the total trade between the two countries was $923 billion, with the United States exporting $441 billion and importing $482 billion.

• Investment
  The United States is the largest investor in Canada, and Canada is the fourth-largest investor in the United States. In 2022, the United States invested $438.8 billion in Canada, and Canada invested $589.3 billion in the United States.
• Trade balance
  Canada has had a trade deficit with the United States in every year since 1985, excluding services.
• Trade in specific products
  In 2022, energy products made up one-third of Canada's exports to the United States, and motor vehicles and parts made up nearly one-fifth of the United States' imports from Canada.
• Trade across the border
  The trade across the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan, is equal to all trade between the United States and Japan.

AI Overview

Conclusion

Seems to me Trump & the current Trudeau have it wrong. Canada becoming the 51st State of the USA (Or USA becoming Canada's 11th Province) is not some future event.......it is currently in process.......bye, bye sovereignty (What I said in 1992, if people care to look).

Bob A

P.S. I am also posting this under the "Canada & Conservatism" thread, where it also belongs.

[Dilip Panjwani]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhA_J8STYuQ

[Vlad Drkulec]

I don't think that it would be to Canada's benefit to disappear as a nation and certainly not as a single state in the U.S. I don't think it would be good for either Canada or the U.S. nor for the peoples of the two countries.

[Tom O'Donnell]

Amazon.com: Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again eBook : Tapper, Jake, Thompson, Alex: Kindle Store

Jake Tapper co-wrote a book about Biden's cognitive decline. He figured it out only five or six years after a number of people on this website. He would have learned about it quicker if he had spent his time, instead of spreading dis/misinformation, doing some investigative journalism.

[Tom O'Donnell]

Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos has some thoughts:

"I shared this note with the Washington Post team this morning: I’m writing to let you know about a change coming to our opinion pages. We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets. We’ll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.

There was a time when a newspaper, especially one that was a local monopoly, might have seen it as a service to bring to the reader’s doorstep every morning a broad-based opinion section that sought to cover all views. Today, the internet does that job. I am of America and for America, and proud to be so. Our country did not get here by being typical. And a big part of America’s success has been freedom in the economic realm and everywhere else. Freedom is ethical — it minimizes coercion — and practical — it drives creativity, invention, and prosperity.

I offered David Shipley, whom I greatly admire, the opportunity to lead this new chapter. I suggested to him that if the answer wasn’t “hell yes,” then it had to be “no.” After careful consideration, David decided to step away. This is a significant shift, it won’t be easy, and it will require 100% commitment — I respect his decision. We’ll be searching for a new Opinion Editor to own this new direction. I’m confident that free markets and personal liberties are right for America. I also believe these viewpoints are underserved in the current market of ideas and news opinion. I’m excited for us together to fill that void.

Jeff"

This is all fallout from Trump winning and I for one welcome this change.

[Dilip Panjwani]

What Bezos is saying is: No interference by the government! (except of course the enforcement of the Natural Law)

[Vlad Drkulec]

Amazon.com: Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again eBook : Tapper, Jake, Thompson, Alex: Kindle Store

Jake Tapper co-wrote a book about Biden's cognitive decline. He figured it out only five or six years after a number of people on this website. He would have learned about it quicker if he had spent his time, instead of spreading dis/misinformation, doing some investigative journalism.

He actively was part of the cover-up. They had a clip where he shut Lara Trump down while bringing up Joe Biden's decline circa 2021 or so. The left fortunately has learned nothing from their humbling in the 2024 election. They are doubling down on all the things that lost them the election. Now they are complaining about the transparency in the DOGE revelations of government corruption, waste and profligate spending.

[Peter McKillop]

What Bezos is saying is: No interference by the government! (except of course the enforcement of the Natural Law)

What Bezos is really saying is: No interference from the serfs while the klepto-/auto- cracy is busy raping the country and its citizens.

[Vlad Drkulec]

What Bezos is really saying is: No interference from the serfs while the klepto-/auto- cracy is busy raping the country and its citizens.

What Bezos is really saying is: I'm afraid of the loose cannon that is Trump. The media toed the line when the Dems were in charge. Now it looks like they will toe the line with Trump in charge. They defended an open border, unchecked crime, and a senile president in Biden but they never really believed in it. Just as they don't believe in an enforced border, deportations, reduced crime, rooting out government corruption, now but it is best to leave sleeping dogs lie particularly when the are particularly surly like this big dog.

[Dilip Panjwani]

... while the klepto-/auto- cracy is busy raping the country and its citizens.

This cannot happen in a Libertarian government, which would be exclusively devoted to enforcing the Natural Law...