Jill Scott

[MaggieMay 🇨🇦🇪🇺🇮🇪 @CailinasEirinn]

Big fucking mistake ⁦@POTUS⁩

Big fucking mistake.

[Global Edmonton @GlobalEdmonton]

For years, Alberta separatist leader Jeff Rath controlled two First Nations’ settlement trusts and drained millions from them, allegedly without consent. Now court orders, asset freezes and an investigative receiver are closing in — forcing him to account for tens of millions of dollars in disputed trust money.

https://t.co/AjPMz9iqjL

[Jill Scott @JillMScott]

@Mimiiben1 98

[𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒌 @xvipxp]

😚🤍

[Occupy Democrats @OccupyDemocrats]

BREAKING: MASTERCLASS! Dr. Abdul El-Sayed goes on Fox News and DOGWALKS Jesse Watters on one hot button issue after another — and even gets the far-right hack to laugh at prominent Republicans.

He went into the lion's den and came out with a new fur coat...

"You'd give them back their Air Force, their Navy?" Watters asked El-Sayed about Iran.

"No, I'd go back to the time when we were at peace and we actually had nuclear containment," El-Sayed said. "Now Jesse, you like to, I mean look, I understand selective memory about history, but we had a JCPOA that was well negotiated, that actually had nuclear non-proliferation far more securely than what we have right now after having gone to war for the better part of six months."

This is an absolute bullseye of a point. Obama's Iran deal was ironclad and ensured that Iran wouldn't obtain nuclear weapons. Trump tore it up because he hates everything related to our first Black President and Republicans cheered him on as he did it. Now, we find ourselves embroiled in a failed war to supposedly destroy Iran's nuclear program, even though our own intelligence agencies concluded that they were not pursuing such a weapon.

Obama used diplomacy to score an unprecedented win. Trump used military force and it ended in a historic defeat.

"Yeah, I like the fact that the nuke program is buried under a mountain of rubble, they can't even get access to it, but that's me," said Watters, trotting out a childish White House talking point. "I think we'll figured [sic] it out. The thing you said about—"

"Let me just stop you right there," said El-Sayed, refusing to let him pivot.

"Sure. Go ahead," said Watters.

"I understand you're not good at math. I get that. I'll give you that," said El-Sayed. "But science, we gotta talk about science, okay? You understand that like nuclear material doesn't just go away because you buried it under a mountain of rubble. You understand they can still go back and bury it out, right?"

"Yeah, we're watching it from Space Force," said Watters.

"So we're not any more secure than we were back then," hammered El-Sayed.

"Okay, let's move on," said Watters, unable to defend his point. He then asked El-Sayed about his claim that Republicans attacking Sharia law is a tendril of white supremacy. Once again, El-Sayed crushed him.

"So getting rid of Sharia law is white supremacy? Can you explain that one?" said Watters.

"Do you know what canon law is, Jesse? I assume you're Christian, right?" said El-Sayed.

"Yeah, tell me," said Watters, who clearly had no idea what canon law is.

"All right, so canon law is the name for Christian law," explained El-Sayed. "I don't begrudge you your right to practice your faith as you choose. I don't know why the idea that I could practice my faith as I choose is a problem. Nobody is trying to push Sharia law on anyone else. Just like, I hope, nobody is trying to push canon law on anybody else, because we live in an America where you should have the freedom of your religion."

"So the idea that you have somebody like Tommy Tuberville, who barely was good at coaching football," said El-Sayed, causing Watters to laugh at the ignorant MAGA senator's expense, "is out here trying to ban Sharia law when there's less than 1% of the Muslim community in America, as if somehow Muslims are out here trying to push Sharia law, that seems to me to be deliberately targeting the Muslim community because they're different."

"And I'm just saying that I have no issue with people practicing their faith," El-Sayed said. "In fact, I would never want somebody to push their faith on me, and I would never want to push my faith on somebody else."

"Good, because no one wants you to get rid of your religion. No one wants that," said Watters, who is part of a political party that absolutely wants to get rid of Islam.

"But when people preemptively go out there and start preemptively passing laws to ban something that's not happening, what you're trying to do is target a very small community because they're different, and this operates. I mean, look, I'm just going to say there's statistical evidence that the President and the Vice President want to target me simply as a function of my faith," said El-Sayed.

We have to just stop and applaud El-Sayed for this particular point. This man went on Fox News — the most Islamophobic network in the entire country — and proudly defended his Muslim faith. That takes serious courage. And he wasn't done there...

At one point, El-Sayed referred to his MAGA opponent in the Michigan Senate race as a "beta," causing Watters to laugh once again.

This guy is so damn charming, even a Fox News hack like Jesse Watters isn't immune.

Predictably, Watters eventually tried to turn the conversation to the topic of transgender athletes. When he did, El-Sayed gave one of the best responses we've ever seen to the bad faith talking point.

"Again like Jesse you have not asked me one time about the issues that people actually care about in Michigan," said El-Sayed.

"You don't want to talk about gas prices."

"You don't want to talk about groceries."

"You don't want to talk about healthcare."

"You don't want to talk about this stupid trade war that's about to destroy Michigan's economy."

"You don't want to talk about the actual war that's destroying our military."

"You don't seem to want to talk about any of those things. You want to bring up all this culture war that you know I'm not here to fight a culture war," he added.

Watters sputtered a response and whined that it was his interview so he got to choose the questions. He then asked a question about trans athletes. El-Sayed refused to take the bait.

"I'm running for U.S Senate and in Michigan, as the next U.S. senator in Michigan, I'm interested in getting money out of politics, putting money in your pocket, and passing Medicare for All," said El-Sayed.

Watters refused to drop it, and kept driving for a sports-related soundbite.

"At the end of the day the decision of who gets to play what sports ought to be decided by the people who govern sports. I'm running for U.S. Senate!" said El-Sayed. "Jesse it's insane, I'm out here trying to take on like the healthcare crisis and Big Pharma and you're asking me about who gets to play what sports?"

"I don't know. It's kind of a big thing if you've been following the news recently Abdul," said a desperate Watters.

Towards the end of the interview, Watters called El-Sayed "naive" and that said some Democratic policies are "wacky." Once again, El-Sayed had the perfect response.

"You know what's wacky, though? Can I just tell you, you know what you didn't ask me about?" said El-Sayed. "We've got a President of the United States who cares more about the drapes in a ballroom that shouldn't be built than he cares about the war he just got us into, or that he cares about the affordability crisis.

"That seems to me to be a little bit wacky. If we want to have a serious conversation about what Michiganders are feeling, I'd love to come back on and talk about getting money out of politics, putting money in your pocket, passing Medicare for All, because I'm telling you, none of that is whacky, and that's what Michiganders want."

"We'll do it again, Abdul," said Watters.

"It was a good conversation. Thank you so much," said El-Sayed.

This is how it's done ladies and gentlemen. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is going to make one hell of a senator.

Please ❤️ and share if you're a fan of El-Sayed!

[A Fine Whine @justheragain]

I don’t know about the rest of you, but this Canadian is absolutely exhausted. The dangerous incompetents in the American government are running the entire world into the ground 🍁

[Diane Ellison @DianeEllison]

Some info for those wanting to replace Procter & Gamble's US cleaning and personal hygiene products.
Note: I haven't used them, so I cannot speak to their effectiveness, but they are 🇨🇦 products.

[Dean Blundell🇨🇦 @ItsDeanBlundell]

Today, Canada is giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Michigan to Lake Epstein as we won’t be doing business with pedophile rapist presidents any longer.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. - DB

[Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx @CraigBaird]

During the Klondike Gold Rush, Donald Trump's grandfather Frederick operated a tent restaurant that sold horse meat along Dead Horse Trail.
He then opened the Arctic Restaurant and Hotel, which doubled as a brothel.
When the government cracked down on prostitution, he left the Klondike.

[Brittlestar @brittlestar]

LATE NIGHT CANADA: US Trade War

[Old Canada Series @oldcanadaseries]

212 years ago today, on August 24, 1814, forces from present-day Canada serving the British Empire burned the White House in retaliation for the American attack on York — now Toronto — during the War of 1812.

[Mark Carney @MarkJCarney]

Built in Canada, by Canadian workers, with Canadian steel.

[RC deWinter @RCdeWinter]

Air Force One crashed in a field in Nebraska.
Panic stricken, the local sheriff mobilized his deputies and descended on the farm in force. When they got there, the disaster was clear. The aircraft was totally destroyed with only a burned hull left smoldering in a tree line that bordered a farm.

The sheriff and his men entered the smoking mess but did not find the remains of anyone, including the President. They spotted a lone farmer ploughing a field not too far away as if nothing at all happened. They hurried over to the man's tractor.

"Hank," the sheriff yelled, panting and out of breath. "Did you see this terrible accident happen?"

"Yup. Sure did," the farmer said, cutting off his motor.

"Do you realize that is the airplane of the President of the United States?"

"Yup."

"Were there any survivors?"

"Nope. They's all kilt straight out. I done buried them all myself. Took me most of the morning."

"Oh my god. President Trump is dead?"

"Well," the farmer grumbled, restarting his tractor. "He kept a-saying he wasn't... but you know what a liar he is!"

[Admiral James Stavridis, USN, Ret. @stavridisj]

Fact: Canada has a brave and professional military. It has deployed into combat with us many times, including D-Day. Canadian troops, under my NATO command, faced intense fire in Afghanistan where many were killed in action. I honor their memory and salute them. 🇨🇦 https://t.co/9kkvWXHTub

[Gandalv @Microinteracti1]

Trump wanted Canada to remember who the big boy next door was. Instead, Canada looked across the Atlantic and discovered Europe.

And not for a weekend fling. Canada is now the first non-European country inside the EU’s €150 billion defence procurement programme, while the two sides are knitting together trade, defence, energy, technology and critical minerals. That is an increasingly integrated economic and security relationship covering nearly half a billion people.

And here is the bit Trump’s legacy will never escape. Carney has said the old relationship is not coming back.

Imagine explaining this in twenty years.

“You had one of the richest, friendliest countries on Earth sitting literally next door. It bought your products, shared your continent, fought beside you and trusted you. What happened?”

“Well, we threatened it with tariffs.”
And Canada went to Europe. For fuck’s sake.

What an absolutely monumental idiot.

[derek guy @dieworkwear]

🇨🇦 CANADIAN SHOPPING GUIDE 🇨🇦

Want to support Canadian companies? Here are some Canadian businesses that sell high quality menswear. Some also carry womenswear. 🧵

[Occupy Democrats @OccupyDemocrats]

BREAKING: Prime Minister Mark Carney trolls Trump right in his ego as Canada hits back hard against his MAGA trade aggression.

There's a new leader of the free world now...

"Prime Minister Carney, the Davie shipyard is the linchpin of the ice pact between Canada, Finland, and the United States. It will be the savoir-faire of this shipyard that will help the U.S. recapitalize its own Coast Guard with icebreakers. Does the most recent round of tariffs put that into question, especially considering that the tariffs around steel and aluminum necessary to make these icebreakers?" Justin Ling of the Toronto Star asked during a presser.

The icebreakers in question are large, powerful vessels that are used to do exactly what their name implies. They are absolutely crucial for keeping shipping routes open in Arctic regions and the United States relies on Canada to do just that.

Of course, Trump doesn't know these basic facts. He foolishly started this new trade war with Canada, our closest ally, because it allows him to look tough to his xenophobic base. It's an incredibly stupid move on the White House's part, and will only result in higher prices for an American public already struggling with the economic fallout from the Iran War.

The trade talks between the U.S. and Canada broke down on Friday. Trump announced 50% tariffs and Carney responded in kind. Canada is not intimidated and they are not backing down.

"Well, first off, thank God that Davie — and it's not thank God, it's through good work of Minister Lightbound, Minister Drainville, and the leadership here at Davie, that the steel for these ships is Canadian," Carney responded to the reporter. "They'll come from Algoma. It'll come from Brennan. It'll come from Seagrass."

"So, that's a core advantage. And it's a reminder to us of the strategic advantage of producing what we need. Nothing about what's happened over the last week affects this program," Carney said, with the confidence of a man who holds all the chips. "In fact, what it does is reinforce it."

"And I thank you for your question, because it's a reminder of one of the many, many, many things that the United States needs from Canada," Carney added.

"This expertise, you know, the United States has a handful, and I'm being generous, of icebreakers. We have twenty. Yeah, one. Yeah, I was being generous. Okay, I didn't want, yeah. I rounded up. They have a habit of doing that there," he said, taking an obvious jab at Trump's penchant for lying and exaggerating.

"And we have twenty," said Carney. "We're building the best in class, across all classes, with the expertise here."

This is exactly the kind of trolling that gets under Trump's skin. He hates being bested in anything and the fact that Canada has a much larger icebreaker fleet will make him feel weak and impotent.

During the same press conference, Carney also announced that Canada will soon begin "intense discussions with the European Union to "build a much stronger and deeper economic and security partnership." Translation: our northern neighbor no longer trusts us, so they're going to bring their businesses elsewhere.

Once again, we see the American people losing because our President is too stupid to game out the very obvious consequences of his own impulsive decisions.

Please ❤️ and share if you stand with Canada!

[Daina Janitis @DJanitis]

Our former Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien, turned 91 today. This is HIS "post":

"A gift to Canada from Jean Chrétien on his 91st birthday. LOVE this guy!!!
"Jean Chretien is 91 today and he gave himself a birthday present. He told Donald J. Trump to piss off in the The Globe and Mail. Here's his column:
* * *
Today is my 91st birthday.
It’s an opportunity to celebrate with family and friends. To look back on the life I’ve had the privilege to lead. And to reflect on how much this country we all love so much has grown and changed over the course of the nine decades I’ve been on this Earth.
This year, I’ve also decided to give myself a birthday present. I’m going to do something in this article that I don’t do very often anymore, and sound off on a big issue affecting the state of the nation and profoundly bothering me and so many other Canadians: The totally unacceptable insults and unprecedented threats to our very sovereignty from U.S. president-elect Donald Trump.
I have two very clear and simple messages.
To Donald Trump, from one old guy to another: Give your head a shake! What could make you think that Canadians would ever give up the best country in the world – and make no mistake, that is what we are – to join the United States?
I can tell you Canadians prize our independence. We love our country. We have built something here that is the envy of the world – when it comes to compassion, understanding, tolerance and finding a way for people of different backgrounds and faiths to live together in harmony.
We’ve also built a strong social safety net – especially with public health care – that we are very proud of. It’s not perfect, but it’s based on the principle that the most vulnerable among us should be protected.
This may not be the “American Way” or “the Trump Way.” But it is the reality I have witnessed and lived my whole long life.
If you think that threatening and insulting us is going to win us over, you really don’t know a thing about us. You don’t know that when it came to fighting in two world wars for freedom, we signed up – both times – years before your country did. We fought and we sacrificed well beyond our numbers.
We also had the guts to say no to your country when it tried to drag us into a completely unjustified and destabilizing war in Iraq.
We built a nation across the most rugged, challenging geography imaginable. And we did it against the odds.
We may look easy-going. Mild-mannered. But make no mistake, we have spine and toughness.
And that leads me to my second message, to all our leaders, federal and provincial, as well as those who are aspiring to lead our country: Start showing that spine and toughness. That’s what Canadians want to see – what they need to see. It’s called leadership. You need to lead. Canadians are ready to follow.
I know the spirit is there. Ever since Mr. Trump’s attacks, every political party is speaking out in favour of Canada. In fact, it is to my great satisfaction that even the Bloc Québécois is defending Canada.
But you don’t win a hockey game by only playing defence. We all know that even when we satisfy one demand, Mr. Trump will come back with another, bigger demand. That’s not diplomacy; it’s blackmail.
We need another approach – one that will break this cycle.
Mr. Trump has accomplished one thing: He has unified Canadians more than we have been ever before! All leaders across our country have united in resolve to defend Canadian interests.
When I came into office as prime minister, Canada faced a national unity crisis. The threat of Quebec separation was very real. We took action to deal with this existential threat in a manner that made Canadians, including Quebeckers, stronger, more united and even prouder of Canadian values.
Now there is another existential threat. And we once again need to reduce our vulnerability. That is the challenge for this generation of political leaders.
And you won’t accomplish it by using the same old approaches. Just like we did 30 years ago, we need a Plan B for 2025.
Yes, telling the Americans we are their best friends and closest trading partner is good. So is lobbying hard in Washington and the state capitals, pointing out that tariffs will hurt the American economy too. So are retaliatory tariffs – when you are attacked, you have to defend yourself.
But we also have to play offence. Let’s tell Mr. Trump that we too have border issues with the United States. Canada has tough gun control legislation, but illegal guns are pouring in from the U.S. We need to tell him that we expect the United States to act to reduce the number of guns crossing into Canada.
We also want to protect the Arctic. But the United States refuses to recognize the Northwest Passage, insisting that it is an international waterway, even though it flows through the Canadian Arctic as Canadian waters. We need the United States to recognize the Northwest Passage as being Canadian waters.
We also need to reduce Canada’s vulnerability in the first place. We need to be stronger. There are more trade barriers between provinces than between Canada and the United States. Let’s launch a national project to get rid of those barriers! And let’s strengthen the ties that bind this vast nation together through projects such as real national energy grid.
We also have to understand that Mr. Trump isn’t just threatening us; he’s also targeting a growing list of other countries, as well as the European Union itself, and he is just getting started. Canada should quickly convene a meeting of the leaders of Denmark, Panama, Mexico, as well as with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, to formulate a plan for fighting back these threats.
Every time that Mr. Trump opens his mouth, he creates new allies for all of us. So let’s get organized! To fight back against a big, powerful bully, you need strength in numbers.
The whole point is not to wait in dread for Donald Trump’s next blow. It’s to build a country and an international community that can withstand those blows.
Canadians know me. They know I am an optimist. That I am practical. And that I always speak my mind. I made my share of mistakes over a long career, but I never for a moment doubted the decency of my fellow Canadians – or of my political opponents.
The current and future generations of political leaders should remember they are not each other’s enemies – they are opponents. Nobody ever loved the cut-and-thrust of politics more than me, but I always understood that each of us was trying to make a positive contribution to make our community or country a better place.
That spirit is more important now than ever, as we address this new challenge. Our leaders should keep that in mind.
I am 91 today and blessed with good health. I am ready at the ramparts to help defend the independence of our country as I have done all my life.
Vive le Canada!
(Article shared by Steve Paikin) See less"