A surprisingly fun issue this week, as Alek has provided us another one of his larger-than-life tales which I’d typically write off as humour reporting, except that he’s got the pics to prove it.  Pics, they say, or it didn’t happen.  Well, right here is proof that it indeed did happen, and a reminder that life doesn’t care how outlandish something seems.  Against all odds is not a declaration of certainty, it’s just notice that we need to value the crazy things that happen, because the same thing probably won’t happen again.

Also this week, two of our newer writers make an appearance, with Emily Nicholls diving into AUSU’s Welcome and Orientation night, bringing you details on what you may have missed if you were too busy or simply didn’t know about it, and Megha Shah taking a look not just at global warming but also at one of the growing number of start-up companies that are attempting to find ways to deal with the effects of climate change.

But much of this week’s talk has been about the recent debate, how well Ms. Harris played Mr. Trump and whether her decisive win in the debates will actually translate into any sort of movement in the polls.  At the moment, the polls do seem to be swinging away from Mr. Trump, and perhaps the republican party as a whole, which could lead to a sort of sea change in the U.S. government, something that is sorely needed, because remember, sitting in the background is that recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that paves the way for a dictatorship to ensue.  After all, it’s easy to get a constitutional amendment to get rid of elections when you can legally threaten any opposition with military imprisonment for being an enemy of the state, and can’t even be questioned as to your motives.  The most interesting thing about that scenario is that, if it happened, it would mean the US will have been one of the very few countries to enter into a dictatorship without a violent uprising being required to do so.

But the unlucky reality is that people in the US have already been preparing the faithful to see any loss on F…ormer President Trump’s (and there’s a phrase that took on a new meaning in the debate) part as simply evidence of corruption and evil within the governance apparatus of the U.S., one that requires violet revolution to combat.  And you can be sure that those who do will be quoting Thomas Jefferson’s line of the tree of liberty needing to be refreshed with the blood of patriots and tyrants.  What will stop them is if the tide swings to such an extent that those determined faithful are forced to realize that there is no silent majority they are fighting for.

But if we’re not that lucky, then we here in Canada will need to be prepared for the economic and immigration turmoil such a revolution will cause.  To me this is especially concerning when members of the government are calling for halts to immigration as opposed to providing incentives to better deal with the housing crisis, such as resuming federal housing projects or providing better tax incentives to landlords who choose to rent for below market value.  What happens if we try to put a pause on accepting refugees and suddenly find a good number of the people of the United States trying to desperately get out to avoid being embroiled in a civil stupidity war?  Just something to stew on.

Enjoy the read!