Keep in mind that your president and country are making economic and territorial threats against Canada. What might feel wearisome to you is existential for us. I don’t spend much time analyzing America or Trump in my work—in fact, this Substack post is the only one to date. I understand that you find my perspective provocative, but that’s not going to stop me. What I’m curious about is what you plan to do about your country's apparent descent into chaos and violence.
Regarding the convoy protests in Ottawa, perhaps you don’t have all the information. Yes, it was a broad-based movement with legitimate concerns about lockdowns and mandates. However, there is documented evidence that some of the organizers were allied with the U.S. alt-right movement, which played a role in funding and organizing the protests. Frankly, we don’t want that influence. The fact is, protesters occupied Ottawa for three weeks, setting up tent encampments, defying police orders, and making life miserable for residents—including families with children—by constantly blasting 18-wheeler horns. Do you think your president would allow this on the White House lawn, at the Washington Monument, or blocking access to U.S. government institutions?
I also find it ironic that your Supreme Court just upheld a law restricting homeless people’s ability to sleep in public spaces, yet you might believe convoy protesters here had a legitimate right to set up permanent encampments at the Canadian Parliament.
Canada has a long history of peaceful protest, but we also have a responsibility to ensure this right is not cynically hijacked by people whose only agenda is to tear everything down—whether from the left or the right. As a longtime environmentalist—an ethos I believe is synonymous with being a herbalist—I’ve done plenty of protesting. I was even arrested in your country for protesting nuclear weapons testing in Nevada. But when I protest, I do so peacefully and respectfully, following in the tradition of nonviolence championed by Mahatma Gandhi and others.
I support your right to free speech and look forward to President Trump’s agreement with Trudeau to secure the border for the safety and security of all. And an even more anticipated free trade agreement and equitable way of using our taxpayer’s hard earned dollars. For the first time in my decades long life, we have a common sense ACTION. BASED leader and we, more than 77 million of us, can’t wait to make America great again. This is going to be a Herculean effort with many challenges, and things might get tough before they get better, but Americans are exhausted by the gratuitous influence peddling payouts that produce zero return. A trade war has been in effect since your country has already tariffed our farm products and won’t permit our banks to do business there. The USA protects Canada militarily. This is nothing new and I’m confident your country and ours will survive the future. It’s about time we put our own country first. All the best.
Since the second world war, along with its allies (e.g. Canada), the US has agreed to lead the world order, exerting both hard and soft power (e.g. military, humanitarian aid) to preserve the peace, which has given it enormous economic advantage. The fact that it owns the world’s reserve currency gives Americans enormous purchasing power, and is one reason among that by many metrics the US is the wealthiest country in the world. And yet, so many of your people live in such misery: in neighbourhoods with crumbling infrastructure, rife with poverty and crime - how is this even possible? I can tell you one thing: it’s not because of a lack of wealth. Maybe do some thinking on why that might be?
Regarding tariffs, if the US puts at 25% tariff on Canadian goods, the US importer pays that tax: not us. The net effect on Americans is that your costs go up—and inflation, which was coming down—starts creeping back up. This is already happening.
Tariffs are a 19th century practice to encourage domestic production. It’s a zero-sum game where one side is trying to win…. literally an economic war. But for the Canada and the US, with our highly advanced and integrated economies, tariffs make no sense. The fact is that many products are exported and imported back and forth across the border because of this high level of integration. Tariffs simply escalate costs.
For example, the US has oil refineries that are specifically built to refine heavy Canadian crude. There is no US source. Putting a 10% tariff on this crude is guaranteeing that your gas prices will spike another 10%, and because of the reverberating effect, is going to drive prices and inflation.
Another one: a 25% tariff on Canadian potash, a key element in fertilizer. It is absolutely going to increase agricultural input costs in the US, and hence, increase food costs. There are so many more examples of this. In this day and age, tariffs are literally cutting off the nose to spite the face.
Honestly, I don’t think Trump can actually follow through because he will crash your economy. It’s what happened with the Smoot Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 that led to the Great Depression. I think he would be stopped but honestly him and his advisors seem hell bent on this. Project 2025. The cynic in me thinks that they’re crashing the economy to buy up all the distressed assets on the cheap. In fact, it seems so obvious! Your president is a conman, deadbeat and scam artist. Bankrupt 6-times, adjudicated rapist and convicted felon (by jury), and someone that sold a crypto meme coin before the inauguration followed by a rug pull… it is a crying shame.
You are losing your country while being told it is being saved. It is 1984. War is Peace. Poverty is Wealth. Evil is Good. MAGA! The Great American experiment seems to be over. Your abdication of global leadership guarantees the ascendancy of China and Russia: you lose your reserve currency status, your infrastructure crumbles further, and all of your neighbours will hate you. Such a shame you blew it all away on the second-rate lies of a first rate liar.
I am so not going to publicly debate you on your bully pulpit blog. I admit I am out of my league on this debate with you, quite frankly. Perhaps YOU should run for PM of Canada, Todd. Y’all deserve and can use a better leader. I’ve learned something in my life that has served me well; never have I seen or experienced one episode where I’ve successfully changed someone’s opinion to mine through public bullying. It seems I’ve touched a raw nerve!
There is a good notable reason why Americans rose up HISTORICALLY against business as usual, and for now, we humbly ask you to be good neighbors, not just geographically connected neighbors. These are challenging times we live in and for me, I’ve returned to divine faith and trust in God - I shudder to think what you might have to say about that! Mistakes will be made, leaders can fail us, etc. but truth will always win out.
And forgive me for repeating again but please mind your business and use your wonderful, highly informed opinions to make Canada great again. Every country deserves a leader that puts its citizens first. Consider courageously entering politics, Todd. Leadership is more than diatribe.
When you support an administration that spews rhetoric that undermines Canadian sovereignty while engaging in a hubristic trade war, maybe don't be surprised at the push back. Also, telling me that you're "...not going to publicly debate" me while you proceed to do so, while likewise saying that I should "mind my own business" on MY substack no less... I mean, I should be gobsmacked, but I'm not, because it's exactly this lack of self-awareness that so accurately characterizes the ethos of your nation. But how about this: let's check back in four years and LMK if you think you and your country are better off.
Hello Todd, The answer to bad bacteria in raw milk,- has been for thousands of years,- the acidification of it via Kefir and Yogurt,- from way back-when milk was carried in yucky leather stomach bags to keep and transport it. I have yogurt starter cultures that have sat out for years, no refrigeration, and no putrification like pasturized milk... And they are still alive enough if a bit added to fresh milk.to restart it..
Mine were passed down from another lady,,, but I also found they are available
free from the wind. I got at leasts 3 different kinds of cheese starters that way!!
We need to look to the past for the health of the future :) Ann
Thanks for chiming in. Yes of course, inoculating the milk with a bacterial culture is one strategy for consumption, although in India they still pasteurize the milk before adding the starter to get a more reliable result. As fresh milk really should be thought of a seasonal food (since its not ideal to milk your cows over winter), preservation is an important way to ensure access to dairy-products year round. And in places like India, traditionally without access to refrigeration, almost everyone consumed dahi (fresh, sweet yogurt) rather raw milk for the practical reasons you mention.
If anyone is more interested in the pros and cons of pasturized milk, I recommend the
fascinating little book called Pottengers Cats, a classic, where they tested heated VS
raw milk and meat, for different pens of cats! And watched those eating the cooked
food degenerate in a generation.
I had not known about how they use milk in India.
Here where it gets really cold in winter, I only really craved milk in the winter for the
extra protein and cream fat. And all the grass hay is mowed and saved over from summer mowing, for winter,, so then the goats had good Vitamin A in the dry grass!.
While you make some interesting and provocative points, Todd, I’m weary of Canadian citizens weighing in on Americans. Please stay in your lane. I’m still gobsmacked on how your government treated the convoy of truckers (and the kind citizens who supported them with basics) a few years back. We don’t have healthcare here, but we have EXPENSIVE, awful sick care. I don’t trust it and that’s why I study and practice Ayurveda and rely mostly on self care. I’m not overly impressed with Canada’s socialized healthcare (in fairness, I haven’t experienced it personally and only know what I’ve studied) and saying it’s “free” oversimplifies, agreed? Let’s agree to mind our country’s business in the future. You have some wonderful topic opportunities for Substack.
Hey Carol, thanks for your comment.
Keep in mind that your president and country are making economic and territorial threats against Canada. What might feel wearisome to you is existential for us. I don’t spend much time analyzing America or Trump in my work—in fact, this Substack post is the only one to date. I understand that you find my perspective provocative, but that’s not going to stop me. What I’m curious about is what you plan to do about your country's apparent descent into chaos and violence.
Regarding the convoy protests in Ottawa, perhaps you don’t have all the information. Yes, it was a broad-based movement with legitimate concerns about lockdowns and mandates. However, there is documented evidence that some of the organizers were allied with the U.S. alt-right movement, which played a role in funding and organizing the protests. Frankly, we don’t want that influence. The fact is, protesters occupied Ottawa for three weeks, setting up tent encampments, defying police orders, and making life miserable for residents—including families with children—by constantly blasting 18-wheeler horns. Do you think your president would allow this on the White House lawn, at the Washington Monument, or blocking access to U.S. government institutions?
I also find it ironic that your Supreme Court just upheld a law restricting homeless people’s ability to sleep in public spaces, yet you might believe convoy protesters here had a legitimate right to set up permanent encampments at the Canadian Parliament.
Canada has a long history of peaceful protest, but we also have a responsibility to ensure this right is not cynically hijacked by people whose only agenda is to tear everything down—whether from the left or the right. As a longtime environmentalist—an ethos I believe is synonymous with being a herbalist—I’ve done plenty of protesting. I was even arrested in your country for protesting nuclear weapons testing in Nevada. But when I protest, I do so peacefully and respectfully, following in the tradition of nonviolence championed by Mahatma Gandhi and others.
I support your right to free speech and look forward to President Trump’s agreement with Trudeau to secure the border for the safety and security of all. And an even more anticipated free trade agreement and equitable way of using our taxpayer’s hard earned dollars. For the first time in my decades long life, we have a common sense ACTION. BASED leader and we, more than 77 million of us, can’t wait to make America great again. This is going to be a Herculean effort with many challenges, and things might get tough before they get better, but Americans are exhausted by the gratuitous influence peddling payouts that produce zero return. A trade war has been in effect since your country has already tariffed our farm products and won’t permit our banks to do business there. The USA protects Canada militarily. This is nothing new and I’m confident your country and ours will survive the future. It’s about time we put our own country first. All the best.
Since the second world war, along with its allies (e.g. Canada), the US has agreed to lead the world order, exerting both hard and soft power (e.g. military, humanitarian aid) to preserve the peace, which has given it enormous economic advantage. The fact that it owns the world’s reserve currency gives Americans enormous purchasing power, and is one reason among that by many metrics the US is the wealthiest country in the world. And yet, so many of your people live in such misery: in neighbourhoods with crumbling infrastructure, rife with poverty and crime - how is this even possible? I can tell you one thing: it’s not because of a lack of wealth. Maybe do some thinking on why that might be?
Regarding tariffs, if the US puts at 25% tariff on Canadian goods, the US importer pays that tax: not us. The net effect on Americans is that your costs go up—and inflation, which was coming down—starts creeping back up. This is already happening.
Tariffs are a 19th century practice to encourage domestic production. It’s a zero-sum game where one side is trying to win…. literally an economic war. But for the Canada and the US, with our highly advanced and integrated economies, tariffs make no sense. The fact is that many products are exported and imported back and forth across the border because of this high level of integration. Tariffs simply escalate costs.
For example, the US has oil refineries that are specifically built to refine heavy Canadian crude. There is no US source. Putting a 10% tariff on this crude is guaranteeing that your gas prices will spike another 10%, and because of the reverberating effect, is going to drive prices and inflation.
Another one: a 25% tariff on Canadian potash, a key element in fertilizer. It is absolutely going to increase agricultural input costs in the US, and hence, increase food costs. There are so many more examples of this. In this day and age, tariffs are literally cutting off the nose to spite the face.
Honestly, I don’t think Trump can actually follow through because he will crash your economy. It’s what happened with the Smoot Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 that led to the Great Depression. I think he would be stopped but honestly him and his advisors seem hell bent on this. Project 2025. The cynic in me thinks that they’re crashing the economy to buy up all the distressed assets on the cheap. In fact, it seems so obvious! Your president is a conman, deadbeat and scam artist. Bankrupt 6-times, adjudicated rapist and convicted felon (by jury), and someone that sold a crypto meme coin before the inauguration followed by a rug pull… it is a crying shame.
You are losing your country while being told it is being saved. It is 1984. War is Peace. Poverty is Wealth. Evil is Good. MAGA! The Great American experiment seems to be over. Your abdication of global leadership guarantees the ascendancy of China and Russia: you lose your reserve currency status, your infrastructure crumbles further, and all of your neighbours will hate you. Such a shame you blew it all away on the second-rate lies of a first rate liar.
I am so not going to publicly debate you on your bully pulpit blog. I admit I am out of my league on this debate with you, quite frankly. Perhaps YOU should run for PM of Canada, Todd. Y’all deserve and can use a better leader. I’ve learned something in my life that has served me well; never have I seen or experienced one episode where I’ve successfully changed someone’s opinion to mine through public bullying. It seems I’ve touched a raw nerve!
There is a good notable reason why Americans rose up HISTORICALLY against business as usual, and for now, we humbly ask you to be good neighbors, not just geographically connected neighbors. These are challenging times we live in and for me, I’ve returned to divine faith and trust in God - I shudder to think what you might have to say about that! Mistakes will be made, leaders can fail us, etc. but truth will always win out.
And forgive me for repeating again but please mind your business and use your wonderful, highly informed opinions to make Canada great again. Every country deserves a leader that puts its citizens first. Consider courageously entering politics, Todd. Leadership is more than diatribe.
Hey Carol,
When you support an administration that spews rhetoric that undermines Canadian sovereignty while engaging in a hubristic trade war, maybe don't be surprised at the push back. Also, telling me that you're "...not going to publicly debate" me while you proceed to do so, while likewise saying that I should "mind my own business" on MY substack no less... I mean, I should be gobsmacked, but I'm not, because it's exactly this lack of self-awareness that so accurately characterizes the ethos of your nation. But how about this: let's check back in four years and LMK if you think you and your country are better off.
Thanks Todd, nice choice of soundtrack. This is America for sure!
Well thought out and delivered. Appreciate your stand here.
Hello Todd, The answer to bad bacteria in raw milk,- has been for thousands of years,- the acidification of it via Kefir and Yogurt,- from way back-when milk was carried in yucky leather stomach bags to keep and transport it. I have yogurt starter cultures that have sat out for years, no refrigeration, and no putrification like pasturized milk... And they are still alive enough if a bit added to fresh milk.to restart it..
Mine were passed down from another lady,,, but I also found they are available
free from the wind. I got at leasts 3 different kinds of cheese starters that way!!
We need to look to the past for the health of the future :) Ann
hey Katy!
Thanks for chiming in. Yes of course, inoculating the milk with a bacterial culture is one strategy for consumption, although in India they still pasteurize the milk before adding the starter to get a more reliable result. As fresh milk really should be thought of a seasonal food (since its not ideal to milk your cows over winter), preservation is an important way to ensure access to dairy-products year round. And in places like India, traditionally without access to refrigeration, almost everyone consumed dahi (fresh, sweet yogurt) rather raw milk for the practical reasons you mention.
If anyone is more interested in the pros and cons of pasturized milk, I recommend the
fascinating little book called Pottengers Cats, a classic, where they tested heated VS
raw milk and meat, for different pens of cats! And watched those eating the cooked
food degenerate in a generation.
I had not known about how they use milk in India.
Here where it gets really cold in winter, I only really craved milk in the winter for the
extra protein and cream fat. And all the grass hay is mowed and saved over from summer mowing, for winter,, so then the goats had good Vitamin A in the dry grass!.
While you make some interesting and provocative points, Todd, I’m weary of Canadian citizens weighing in on Americans. Please stay in your lane. I’m still gobsmacked on how your government treated the convoy of truckers (and the kind citizens who supported them with basics) a few years back. We don’t have healthcare here, but we have EXPENSIVE, awful sick care. I don’t trust it and that’s why I study and practice Ayurveda and rely mostly on self care. I’m not overly impressed with Canada’s socialized healthcare (in fairness, I haven’t experienced it personally and only know what I’ve studied) and saying it’s “free” oversimplifies, agreed? Let’s agree to mind our country’s business in the future. You have some wonderful topic opportunities for Substack.