Speaking with a couple of people from outside the city reminded me of the fleetingness of the press, with both asking me about the water situation here in Calgary. For those other people wondering, things are going about according to plan, which is no doubt why news coverage in other areas dropped off completely. We remain under advisement to try to conserve water because after nearly a month of one of our two pumping stations having to run at maximum capacity non-stop, some needed maintenance is being done. But the coverage is a reminder that it’s called news because it generally doesn’t bother to report on things that happen as expected.
I wonder if this is part of the reason so many people feel overwhelmed and willing to support ideas, any ideas, that make it seems like the problem has a solution. It’s the politicians, the liberals, the conservatives, the woke, the racists, the godless, the religious, the trans, the karens, the hippies, the fascists, the alternative media, the mainstream media, the oil cartel, the greens, the something that if we could only get rid of it all of our problems would be solved.
But what if it’s none of that. What if it’s just that we’re presented with an endless litany of things that haven’t gone as expected. Which, most of the time, means things that have gone wrong. Could our divisions be as simple as the 24 hours news channel? In a way I hope not, because, at least in the US things have gone so far now that their Supreme Court has made their president a king. It’s made a ruling that a President of the United States should be able to operate without any fear, whatsoever, of any consequences for their actions while in the presidency. How this ends without violence in the United States I don’t know. The ruling is one of the Supreme Court. It can’t be appealed. It’s a ruling based, supposedly, on the constitution, which means no law can be passed that would contradict it.
There are only two ways this ruling can be removed. The first is by the Supreme Court itself at some point turning around and making a ruling that it was in error previously. The second? The second is by use of force.
The United States is entering a turning point and an extremely dangerous time. If Mr. Trump wins, given his previous actions and statements, it will likely be the last free election for President that the United States will hold before having a second civil war. I honestly don’t know whether he will win or not. The disaffected, the frightened, the ones who see others gaining equality as themselves losing privilege, will likely still support him. And even if Mr. Trump doesn’t win, it is only a reprieve. Sooner or later a person will be elected who will use these new rights conferred by the Supreme Court to their fullest extent. And the worst thing is, here in Canada, we can do little but watch. So if you’re feeling a little bit overwhelmed, a little bit more anxious these days, perhaps just stop watching. Read this week’s issue in full instead. It won’t make the situation any better, but it will at least give you the opportunity to think about something else when there’s little you can do anyway.