If you think things are bad now, then, brace yourself: it is about to get a whole lot worse. If you are alarmed at the speed with which the Trump administration has set about dismantling every institution of American government and every pillar of the international order, you must understand that this is not just the initial burst of activity, the “shock and awe” phase after which things will settle down: if anything, the pace will continue to accelerate.
The world has never before been faced with such a threat. The United States has handed the nuclear codes to a madman, a criminal, a would-be dictator and a moron, all in the same person. Whatever the purpose to which he directs these powers – to impress his dictator friends, to further enrich himself and his cronies, to seize absolute power or just to watch the world burn – we must hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
Who want to invade and are cheering it on? His followers will agree with anything he does, obviously, but who else?
Once “support our troops” kicks in and Canadians become those people who fight against heroic American soldiers, I fear the majority of the USA will support crushing Canada. A country doesn’t need to have done anything for it to play out this way in the USA. There’s a vast reservoir of “we’re the best in the world” to tap into.
American Exceptionalism will be the death of us all
The “support our troops” movement went right into the shitter around the Iraq War. A majority of Americans do not approve of our military operations or expenditure.
And that was when the operations in question were across the entire world almost as physically far from the US as it is possible to be. If the government tries to start a war in our literal backyard you’re going to see a different side of Americans.
I wish you’d see it without having to come to that, but, unfortunately, I do share a lot of your views about our inaction. We’ve never had to deal with something like this before. We don’t know what to do about it. The obvious solution could cause even more problems that we can’t foresee, and would guarantee the complete destruction of whatever hero carries it out. Most people aren’t willing to die for their political beliefs unless they’re backed against the wall. We are very swiftly approaching that wall though.