Author: jmn

“Lies, violence and the American state”

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Marc Elias is one of many American lawyers engaged in litigating the lawless actions of the trump regime. He began an independent newsletter a number of years ago when he saw the mainstream media supporting the lies of the regime. Today’s piece is definitely worth reading – my title is his title. Today’s piece is based on Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s push back against the Soviet authoritarian lies:

When violence bursts onto the peaceful human condition, its face is flush with self-assurance. It displays on its banner and proclaims: “I am Violence! Make way, step aside, I will crush you!” But violence ages swiftly. A few years pass — and it is no longer sure of itself. To prop itself up, to appear decent, it will without fail call forth its ally —Lies. For violence has nothing to cover itself with but lies, and lies can only persist through violence. [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn]

Elias continues:

“But as Solzhenitsyn predicted, the violence we are witnessing every day in Minneapolis and elsewhere has proven deeply unpopular. It is indecent, arbitrary and cruel. Its tactics violate our rights as Americans to protest our government. Its purpose violates our moral conscience as human beings.

As a result, that violence has quickly required the support of lies to perpetuate itself.

Donald Trump is an infamous liar. He has lied his way through business, law and politics. The movement he built is based on lies — lies about the economy, immigration and crime. But its most important lie — the Big Lie — is about democracy itself.

Trump abhors democracy because it allows ordinary Americans to reject his lies. Even worse for Trump, it allows us to reject him.

When voters did exactly that in 2020, he responded with more lies — lies in court, lies in the media, and lies to his supporters. On Jan. 6, 2021, those lies turned into violence.”

Elias ends his piece with:

“his (Solzhenitsyn) prescription for resisting authoritarianism remains sound. We must combat lies in every way we can. It is not enough to condemn the violence and protest it; we must also condemn the lying and resist it.

Regardless of the risk or the sense of futility, we must commit ourselves to bearing witness to the truth and proclaiming it to anyone who will listen:

  • Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.
  • Renée Good was shot in the face while trying to turn her car and leave.
  • Alex Pretti was beaten by six federal agents and then shot and killed.
  • The federal government is violating the constitutional rights of its citizens.
  • Trump and the DOJ are violating federal law by refusing to release the Epstein files.
  • Trump and the GOP are preparing to subvert the 2026 election.

Solzhenitsyn lived the next two decades in exile until the lies of the Soviet Union led to its collapse. His campaign against the lies in his country proved prophetic. He taught us that authoritarianism prevails not because people stop believing the truth, but because they stop saying it aloud. If we wish to remain free, we must refuse that silence.”

These are the facts that the trump regime wants to bury.

These are the facts that matter in the US. But we, in Canada, must also be on the watch for the lies – for our government leaders, on both sides of the aisle, are prone to lying to us, too; not so loudly, not so ferociously, perhaps not so frequently, but there are lies – or, if not lies, conflicting decisions that undercut the values on which we try to base our civil society. We need to be alert for the lies and evasions, ready to call out our government and our parliamentary opposition when they obfuscate or outright lie.

The truth matters here as well as in the US. We, too, must refuse silence.

I think I count 9 flowers on my Amaryllis today – both stalks are almost in full bloom. Each stalk has 6 flower buds, I don’t think I will see all six on both stalks open at the same time, but it sure is close today!

Amaryllis

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This was my Amaryllis yesterday – three blooms opening, with three more coming on that one stalk, and six more on a second stalk!

It was slow to send up the flower stalks, but the wait has been worth it! I will have many days to enjoy the flowers on this plant.

I’ve been quiet…

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I’ve been quiet for quite a while – I mean, what can anyone say about the insanity and chaos each new day brings?

Well this week I’ve seen a couple of items I want to share.

First, a video “The Hungry Giant” from the Greenland Defense Fund. You may have to watch it a couple of times because the Greenlander singing has a strong accent in English, but the subtitles help. It sums up how Greenlanders are feeling about trump’s threatened takeover of their island!

Second is a post by William A. Finnegan following Carney’s speech at Davos, yesterday.

For those waiting for the moment in history when someone finally shouts “The British are coming!” — when the signal is unmistakable and the decision obvious — this is as close as it gets.

Not because anyone raised their voice.

But because someone who understands how the system actually works stopped pretending.

Mark Carney’s address at Davos was not a speech in the conventional sense. It was a declaration delivered calmly, to an audience that did not need it explained.

“We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition.“

I thought the critical comment came near the end of his speech:

“If we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.“

[If you prefer to read Carney’s speech, you can get to it here.]

Today, trump called us (Canadians) ingrates for not accepting US dominance as generosity. What he doesn’t understand is Canadians, for the most part, are prepared to call out bullies and stand up to them. We’re going to be called upon to do that more and more in the coming weeks and months.

That gets me to CUSMA. I haven’t seen a way forward with CUSMA since trump was inaugurated a year ago! There is no way trump will negotiate any deal that is anything other than a total shakedown of our economy!

Call me a pessimist, but it’s economic warfare! It’s blatantly obvious! The cost to each of us in Canada is going to be real, and we’re going to have to support our federal government however this plays out.

At some point, in the not too distant future, we’re going to have to stand and fight! It’ll be costly but what price our identity and our democracy? Eh?

We’re On The List

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Here’s Charlie Angus’ take on what the invasion of Venezuela by the US portends for Canada. I think Canadians need to heed his “heads-up” warning!

https://charlieangus.substack.com/p/venezuela-the-lesson-for-canada

And then came Trump.

He has issued sanctions against a Canadian jurist working to investigate the war crimes. He has aligned the United States with the crimes of both Putin and Netanyahu. And he has deliberately targeted the Western alliances with threats of invasion in Greenland or arbitrarily moving the Canadian border.

With the attack on Venezuela, he has upped the ante through invasion and kidnapping. Venezuela puts the world on notice, and Canada must be ready.

We played a key role in establishing the International Criminal Court. We helped establish the Statute of Rome, which laid out key protections against state violence.

Canada has a long history of defending the international rule of law. We are now dealing with a regime that will kill people in the water, seize ships on the high seas, invade other countries, and kidnap their leaders. All bets are off.

This is the age of gangsters. And Canada must be ready to rise to the threat.

Heads-up Canada! Pay attention! We may not be next on the list – BUT WE’RE ON THE LIST!

Jan 4, 2026

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My 83rd birthday was on Friday. For several reasons I chose to hold the party on Saturday, yesterday. So I was busy the whole day picking up food, setting up the room, welcoming and enjoying my guests, cleaning up afterward. I had a lovely day. I had no time to see what was happening in the world.

It wasn’t until evening that I looked at the news and discovered the US moves on Venezuela. I didn’t see the trump “victory” press event (I wouldn’t have watched it, anyway). This morning I have read two reactions that offer a sense of what will now transpire.

Michael Cohen explains what will happen in court on Monday when Maduro and his wife are brought before the judge there. https://substack.com/home/post/p-183424483

This case will not be decided by press conferences at Mar-a-Lago or chest-thumping rhetoric about “illegitimate rulers.” It will be decided motion by motion, evidentiary hearing by evidentiary hearing, under the watchful eye of a judge who has already demonstrated he will not allow the executive branch to trample constitutional boundaries; no matter how politically popular the target.

Maduro will plead not guilty. His wife will plead not guilty. And then the real work begins.

Trump may have wanted a trophy. What he got instead was Judge Hellerstein.

And trust me; having been on the receiving end of his rulings when the government overreaches, that’s not the outcome this administration thinks it is.

In other words, he explains, a long drawn out circus that now begins.

I also read Timothy Snyder – a look at some similar US incursions where the outcomes were not what they hoped for. He implies this time is likely no different. https://snyder.substack.com/p/venezuela-the-precedents?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-restack-comment&r=cgren&triedRedirect=true

The point of these four comparisons is not that history repeats. It is that history reveals. It can help us see around corners, into possible futures. Each of these examples, I hope, provides a useful perspective: that American imperialism is a tradition; that removing something or someone does not lead to predictable results; that dispensing with international law is not only wrong but undesirable; that foreign military actions can be about domestic regime change. What we see we can stop; what we understand we can change.

Snyder has a broad understanding of fascism and dictatorships – the focus of his scholarship. It’s worth reading his piece to understand trump’s play here and what some of the unexpected consequences might be.

Phillips P. Obrien yesterday (written before it was clear what precisely had occurred in Venezuela) points our gaze to Cuba and some unexpected consequences of the US military operation in Venezuela.

If this military operation is for real, getting rid of Maduro might be the easiest part of it. He will not be mourned by the Venezuelan people and already his ability to secure capital was under threat. I’m sure everyone around is calculating whether now is the moment to cut and run—or even turn him over. 

However its what comes after that will determine this. If the Venezuelan people are allowed to establish a free and democratic country, with control of their own natural resources, this will be a good thing. However, very few of the outside actors seem to have prioritized this. The USA has made a claim to Venezuelan oil itself, and the Trump administration prefers dictators/autocrats to democrats. The Cubans will also not want a democratic Venezuela in charge of its own destiny and we can assume that some members of the Venezuelan security forces will prefer another strong-man to keep control and spread around the corrupt takings. Sorry if I sound cynical.

So, no tears for Maduro, but do not assume that what comes after will be better or that this will be over soon. And watch the Cubans.

Ann Telnaes sums all of this up as well as anyone: https://substack.com/home/post/p-183299999

Just after the release of former special counsel Jack Smith’s deposition where he unequivocally states that Trump “engaged in a criminal scheme” to overturn the 2020 election, Trump changes the conversation.

Some Good News…

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To start 2026 – a synopsis of some of the many positive things that happened in 2025. It’s a long read but worth the time – it will help you reframe and see all the doom and gloom differently.

The restored Apollo Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Credit: NASA/Architectural Digest
https://fixthenews.com/p/the-telemetry?r=46219&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true

I recommend you read it.

I have to share this one…

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I start though my pile of email this morning and near the top is Michael Cohen’s daily newsletter. I know about his history as trump’s fixer. He’s carrying a lot of bitter baggage. But boy can he write. Lovely shaped pieces of prose, with flow, and punch, and always a sharp, clear ending statement.

I don’t always agree with him. I just enjoy reading him.

I have to share today’s piece: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/p/peace-over-a-piece-of-pie?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-restack-comment&r=cgren&triedRedirect=true

This was the second paragraph – I could see the political cartoon by someone like Steve Brodner or Ann Telaes so clearly, I burst out laughing!

Let me put it plainly: this is what happens when you replace competence with cronies and let self-interested acolytes cosplay as statesmen. You don’t get diplomacy. You don’t get strategy. You don’t even get common sense. No; what you get is a surrender plan so lopsided, so humiliating, so cosmically stupid that even Zelenskyy, a man fighting for the literal survival of his country, had to politely pretend not to bang his head against the nearest wall.

I could copy the rest of the diatribe – that’s what it is – but just check the link above and read it. It’s stark. It’s angry. It’s funny. And he’s hit the nail on the head!

Nobody’s Looking At You…

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If you’re not a TV personality
If you’re not a rock star
If you’re not a winning athlete
If you’re not an important politician
If you’re not a TikTok influencer
If you’re not an insecure teen…
Then you need to know, NOBODY IS LOOKING AT YOU.

You worry about what to wear to your friend’s birthday party – you try on several different combinations of garments, nothing feels right; you may even shop for something new.

All wasted effort and energy.

Because when the event is over, nobody will remember what you wore! Nobody paid any attention to what you were wearing. Likely, if asked, they probably can’t tell you what colour your eyes are!

I don’t remember when I realized I was mostly invisible. In part, my invisibility is the result of my age – 82 is pretty old and nobody pays any attention to old women. However, nobody’s paid any attention to how I look for quite some time.

I remind people when they mither about what to wear, “Nobody is looking at you!”

That doesn’t mean I should take no pains to be reasonably well put together – but I shouldn’t be dressing in some interesting way because I want the approval or the attention of the people around me – because they aren’t paying attention.

I could commandeer attention the way the late Iris Apfel did – you have to admit you couldn’t miss her. And I bet she had great fun dreaming up outfits with great panache! (I never met her. Just came across photos from time to time.)

Iris Apfel

My wardrobe is conservative.
But I have a knit sweater collection with unusual bright patterns
I have several unique quilted jackets I’ve made
I even own some bright neckwear (I do love Iris’ collection of necklaces – the question is how does she manage the weight of it all?).
But I’m most comfortable in a turtleneck with a light wool sweater and a simple pair of pants.

I dress for comfort.
I don’t dress to be noticed.
That’s because I know no-one is looking at me!

Done!

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#6

I finally finished the sixth pair of socks last evening. Done. Completed.

A friend asked to make 6 pairs of socks for her daughter and granddaughter for Christmas sometime in June (July, August, September, October, November, December – 6 months) – enough time to make 6 pairs of socks.

But the “job” felt like it was taking over my life. This wasn’t relaxed knitting. I felt compelled to knit at least 20 rows every evening, if I was to meet this deadline. I have knit a pair of socks in 2 weeks, but that was because the TV program I was watching was particularly interesting, or my knitting stamina was better at that particular time. While relaxed knitting it probably takes me closer to 3 weeks, maybe even 4 – although I knit most evenings, some evenings I might not.

Even though I actually had enough time, I felt the pressure. It was a relief, last evening, to finish the toe on the final sock!

Now I can return to the socks I put aside when I started these 6 pairs.

BABA!

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Buy Anything…But American!

This was an image from Charlie Angus’ Substack post today: https://charlieangus.substack.com/p/canadas-people-power-movement-deals?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2946092&post_id=176364927&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=cgren&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

Perfect for a small patch for the windshield (or a bumper sticker)

I know I shouldn’t have done it (copyright and all), but I couldn’t resist – I turned that sign into a logo I can use.

Charlie’s piece: Canada’s People Power In Action is about the negative economic impact our grassroots boycott of US products is having in the US and the positive impact it’s having here in Canada.

…new statistics reveal the staggering impact that Canada’s boycott is having on the United States. The American liquor industry is reporting an 85% drop in sales to Canada. That is a staggering hit.

We need to remind ourselves to keep this going! There are alternatives in the grocery stores – from Mexico, Peru, France, … and if you can’t find one, maybe this isn’t the week to buy that particular item.

This boycott matters!

Much of the response in the US is that we’re mean, they’re the victims, innocent bystanders…

The United States still doesn’t get it.

Our feelings aren’t bruised. We are deeply offended by the attack on our sovereignty as a nation and the disintegration of the rule of law south of the border. The response has been a national campaign of grassroots resistance.

This is people power in action.

We have been using our purchasing power to strengthen the Canadian economy – we can definitely do that in a more focused way.

The boycott may be disastrous for the MAGA economy, but it is creating a unique opportunity for Canada. We need to seize the moment.

Now to find our voices and make our political leaders understand together we need to build Canadian economic independence – not based on projects like the Keystone XL pipeline (which does nothing to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, even if it was offered to trump as an inducement to engage in trade talks – a waste of time – his fickle decisions are no guarantee of economic stability for us – not worth the paper they will be written on!).

We have to find ways of increasing our spending and investing here at home in projects that establish new industries which support (rather than degrade) our environment, which build a different kind of military (let’s learn from Ukraine and Finland – warfare is changing very fast), which strengthen our Canadian cultural activities and showcase all Canadians.

There’s lots of work to be done – let’s get going!

Me, I’ve printed out the “sticker” above, it’s going in the corner of my windshield, today.