United we stand divided we fall.

YHBR
For me....death holds no fear, but I pray for those I will leave behind, in this world.
You can throw blame at me if you want, for what terrible things that happened in the past, but I certainly don't wish to be blamed in anyway, for the atrocities happening right now, in my lifetime, for which I don’t wish to be a party of.
That is why I try to draw attention to matters I feel strongly about. I am not offended by your choice of words, but feel deep pity for your state of mind....JB

 

Strange coming from a person who previously told me I seem very educated (and I never paid you to write that! )

You can write anything you want about me as I don't care a toss. What you write becomes relevant to me only if I choose to accept it - and I don't. You can't get inside my head - no-one can.

So write a billion negative and nasty words - I JUST DON'T CARE.

 

To be honest John, yes I agree that we stand united. At the same time though, in my home country The Netherlands we have a province called Friesland, where they have and cultivate their own culture and language (Frisian). I am quite convinced though that if ever the Frisians would want their independence (unlikely), then the rest of The Netherlands in large majority would wish them good luck. If the UK says the will of a few thousand in the Falklands to remain British should be respected then if Scotland and/or Wales were to decide they want out then that should be respected as well?

As for the Brexit thing, it won't surprise you that I think it wasn't wise. It has cost both the UK and the EU in economic terms, and even in humanitarian terms (long term expats getting in trouble because they missed some deadline with paperwork). It is too late to turn back the clock, but not too late to apply for membership again, or to hook up to Canada's associate member wagon. The "special relationship" the UK thought they had with the US has been buried by the orange clown without anyone's consent, so there's no alternative for a close bond with European neighbours anyway. Going it alone in the current geopolitical landscape seems to me an invitation to get trampled on.

 

It will be interesting to find out what an associate member is. All I know is the less we Canadians rely on the US the better. For 80+ years the US and Canada had a stable trade relationship. There were constant battles over softwood lumber and dairy tariff, that will likely never change.

Canada has made some major mistakes. Go along to get along may have lead to the interdependence between the countries. One of the hardest hit groups from the trade war is the auto sector. Some of the car assemblies were built in Canada. Vehicles would cross the border several times before there was an actual saleable car. Tariffs are being applied. Some car plants in Canada are now closed. It seems logical that some US plants had to close as well. Nobody is winning in that situation.

Hubris will be the downfall of the Orange Taint. He thinks he can bully his way to success. I have a little bully story.

In an upscale neighborhood in Canada this guy built a beautiful clay brick fence. The fence was 1 inch over the property line. The guy next door (the bully) demanded it be moved. The guy that built the fence offered monetary compensation, tried several things to appease the bully. No way, not going to work. The bully knew his rights and was going to have that fence moved. So the guy that built the fence agreed to get the offending fence off the bully's property. On a Monday morning a crew arrived with jackhammers. Two inches was chiseled off the face of the fence and they went home. Job done. The guy bully wanted the fence owner to finish the fence because it was an eyesore. He got told go #$%& yourself. A perfect example of FAFO. The Orange Taint seems to be a slow learner.

 

Why is the homeowner whose property was stolen made out to be the bad guy (the bully)? Perhaps there is an unexplained reason for calling the guy next door (the bully) but it doesn't exist in the story. It's like saying Greenland is (the bully) when Trump takes it. Even if there is a different historical reason to call the neighbor (the bully), the neighbor is not in this case. The owner of the wall took someone else's property then behaved badly when they couldn't bribe their way out of it. Not accepting compensation after the taking does not make the neighbor (the bully). I can't take your car first then offer you money for it, but only if you complain, otherwise it's a freebee. But it was only an inch? Give an inch and they will take a mile. Canada should build the most beautiful boarder wall 1 inch onto American soil then offer the bully Trump a few Loonie after he complains. Better yet, Trump should build a golden boarder wall 1 inch inside Canada, then Canada can be (the bully).

 

I think the brick wall stands as an example of how lack of communication or understanding can cause trouble.
In the UK, the owner who built the wall could be legally forced to take it down.
The owner having paid for the wall, would then look for compensation from the planning officer, if they are at fault
The builder would be paid three times, once for building it, secondly for dismantling it, then thirdly rebuilding it.
Hence, the only real winner is the builder.

 

I choose the word bully, A$$hat would be more appropriate but might get me banned.
There is some missing background. The fence owner and the bully didn't really know each other. It was a new subdivision. I don't think the was even sod down yet. The bully watched the fence being built on his property for 3 weeks and said nothing. The bully could have told the fence owner but chose not to. The bully actually had a legal obligation to mitigate the damages,
The contractor installing the fence made a mistake there was no intention of the fence owner to "steal" one inch of the bully's property.

I think the wall owner was in trouble due to an error that was not of his making. He was trying to rectify the error. The bully thought he held all the cards and was going to make the fence owners life miserable.
My point was you can be right but when you try to push people around it can backfire.
As for the US taking parts of Canada, all I can say is we will be building a privacy hedge. If Trump keeps up his BS the hedge will be prickly.