Irish Democracy North of the Border.

Bank runs in Canada, thanks to Trudeau.

First, a definition of Irish democracy: the term is a recent neologism and a good one. Reason Magazine defines it as “massive, passive resistance to governmental dictates and rules.” Your Tatler believes that encompasses nicely an unpleasant situation now occuring in Canada and not receiving much attention from mainstream media. Large numbers of Canadians are pulling their funds out Canadian banks and redepositing them in United States banks or other safer locales.

From PJ Media:

According to the Canadian financial blog Armstrong Economics, the emergency powers activated by Justin Trudeau to cripple the trucker protests have sparked panic among citizens, which could lead to a devastating financial crisis. On Feb. 14, Trudeau enacted the Emergencies Act, which enabled Canadian banks to freeze the assets of anyone who donated to protests against the vaccine mandates — without due process or any court action.

This is nothing new. Canadian banks have always been able to seize accounts without due process, something far more difficult to do in the United States, thanks to our Constitution (at least for now it is). What happened was the pretty-boy nitwit PM (one could say he’s a cute Joe Biden), with his ill-thought-out Emergencies Act of 14 February, spilled the beans and revealed to Canadians the virtually unlimited power their banks have over their own money. Naturally enough, a good many of thm, totally spooked, are withdrawing their money from those institutions. If the trend continues, it could create a major currency shortage in Canada, leading to all sorts of unpleasantness.

While your Tatler is of course sympathetic to panicky Canadians desperately trying to safeguard their life savings, we must remember a majority of them voted for the idiot responsible for this frightening debacle (the same applies to US voters dismayed with our turnip-brain President we may have put into White House). It should serve to remind Canadians in the next general election, they should look inside a pretty head first to see if there’s anything in it worth voting for.

Noted with Grim Satisfaction.

From the New York Sun:

“Watching, in real-time, the rape of the Ukrainian nation by President Putin should fill any well-meaning observer with a sense of shame. Particularly those at the helm of Western nations and others who could have done more but didn’t or who could do more but won’t.

[Ukraine President] Zelensky is right. We have left a young, emerging ally of the West alone to the wolves. We might well have invited this onslaught through months of diplomatic waffling and the promise of inaction.

Now, the best we offer the sons and daughters of sovereign Ukraine is a regime of modest sanctions, protestations of solidarity, dollops of humanitarian aid, hashtags, memes, and Ukrainian flags galore adorning a million social media profiles.”

Read it all. https://www.nysun.com/article/shame-of-the-west

Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Korea: Does Putin Know What He is Getting Into?

Since the 1945 United Nations Charter outlawing war (no guffaws, please), no major country in the world has legally declared war on another. That of course hasn’t stopped countries warring with one another, only from the legal nicety of formally announcing it and being careful not to use the word “war” in press releases. This has led to fuzziness and obfuscation from our political leaders and military when defining the objectives of fighting. In the last four major wars–oops, armed conflicts–the US has fought in, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, there was no declared goal of victory and surrender by the enemy, which led to them dragging on and on until the people, wearying of the body counts, had enough and we withdrew, with little or nothing to show for the years of carnage.

All of this is to preface the question in the header: does Putin really know what he is getting into? The situation in Ukraine bears a strong resemblance to those of countries this country has fought post-1945 (also to our own Revolutionary War). The Ukrainians have a strong and fierce fighting tradition; they despise the Russians, and, to quote Mr Churchill, they will never surrender.

Putin is facing a long, unwinnable guerrilla war with a brutal and dedicated foe, who will stop at nothing to drive the hated Russians out. War is hugely expensive. If (and that’s a big “if”) the US and NATO follow through with their sanctions, and if (a much smaller “if”) China doesn’t come to the rescue, Russia could run out of money, though Putin won’t.

In my last post I wrote Putin “is no dummy.” That was relative of course to our turnip brain in the White House. It may turn out he is not as clever as he thinks.

Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Korea: Does Putin Know What He is Getting Into?

Since the 1945 United Nations Charter outlawing war (no guffaws, please), no major country in the world has legally declared war on another. That of course hasn’t stopped countries warring with one another, only from the legal nicety of formally announcing it and being careful not to use the word “war” in press releases. This has led to fuzziness and obfuscation from our political leaders and military when defining the objectives of fighting. In the last four major wars–oops, armed conflicts–the US has fought in, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, there was no declared goal of victory and surrender by the enemy, which led to them dragging on and on until the people, wearying of the body counts, had enough and we withdrew, with little or nothing to show for the years of carnage.

All of this is to preface the question in the header: does Putin really know what he is getting into? The situation in Ukraine bears a strong resemblance to those of countries this country has fought post-1945 (also to our own Revolutionary War). The Ukrainians have a strong and fierce fighting tradition; they despise the Russians, and, to quote Mr Churchill, they will never surrender.

Putin is facing a long, unwinnable guerrilla war with a brutal and dedicated foe, who will stop at nothing to drive the hated Russians out. War is hugely expensive. If (and that’s a big “if”) the US and NATO follow through with their sanctions, and if (a much smaller “if”) China doesn’t come to the rescue, Russia could run out of money, though Putin won’t.

In my last post I wrote Putin “is no dummy.” That was relative of course to our turnip brain in the White House. It may turn he is not as clever as he thinks.

Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Korea: Does Putin Know What He is Getting Into?

Since the 1945 United Nations Charter outlawing war (no guffaws, please), no major country in the world has legally declared war on another. That of course hasn’t stopped countries warring with one another, only from the legal nicety of formally announcing it and being careful not to use the word “war” in press releases. This has led to fuzziness and obfuscation from our political leaders and military when defining the objectives of the fighting. In the last four major wars–oops, armed conflicts–the US has fought in, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, there was no declared goal of victory and surrender by the enemy, which led to them dragging on and on until the people, wearying of the body counts, had enough and we withdrew with little or nothing to show for the years of carnage.

All of this is to preface the question in the header: does Putin really know what he is getting into? The situation in Ukraine bears a strong resemblance to those of countries this country has fought post-1945 (also our own Revolutionary War). The Ukrainians have a strong and fierce fighting tradition; they despise the Russians, and, to quote Mr Churchill, they will never surrender.

Putin is facing a long, unwinnable guerrilla war with a fierce a brutal and dedicated foe, who will stop at nothing to drive the Russians out. This, combined with a cash flow problem if (and that’s a big “if”) the US and NATO follow through with their sanctions. War is hugely expensive, Russia may run out of funds, even if Putin doesn’t.

In my last post, I wrote Putin “is no dummy.” That was relative of course to the turnip brain in the White House. It may turn out he is not as clever as he thinks he is.

here are many bad things that can be said about The Bomb of course, but one possibly overlooked consequence of it is, since the end of Second World War, wars as they were known throughout the ages, i.e., Country A declares war on Country B, the two sides battle it out until one of them surenders, the winner declares victory and life goes on.

The United States, via Congress, last officially declared war 80 years ago on 5 June 1942 against the Axis powers (the last of three war declarations made by the US in WW2). 75 years have passed since the Japanese surrender and the US entered “peacetime,” yet that hardly ushered in war-free era. This country since has fought countless conflicts, some mere skirmishes, other having the look and feel of real war, the latter responsible for the death of over 100,000 American troops, nearly a quarter of those lost in WW2. Yet not once has Congress been asked to declare war in these instances. Why?

Ostensibly, war is illegal; under the United Nations Charter of 1945 war is officially outlawed. As we all know though, UN dictates are, as the Bard would say, honored in the breach, as the header above shows. No rational person would argue the Vietnam and Korean conflicts weren’t wars, off course they were (

Much sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Just how bad are things going for the wishy-washy, directionless Biden administration? So bad, even mainstream media is having at the Administration, as nicely illustrated in this clip of Norah O’Donnell of CBS(!) hammering Secretary of State Blinken over Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Blinken is a study in weakness. His endless repetition of the “swift and severe” sanctions to be levied against Russia before, during and after the invasion is almost comical and certainly lame. So much so, O’Donnell, obviously frustrated, bluntly asks Blinken if the “swift and severe” sanctions have failed. Not at all, replies Blinken, they’ve “unified” our NATO allies, for all that’s worth (Ukraine doesn’t belong to NATO) and besides, he’s got even swifter and severer sanctions at the ready, if needed. (I’d love to play poker with this pathetic, four-flushing fool.)

It’s a pity O’Donnell didn’t point out to Blinken an obvious fact concerning the “swift and severe” sanctions. Putin is no dummy and he obviously considered all the penalties to be incurred should he invade and decided he and his fellow Russians could live with them. Since Russia is not a democracy it makes no difference to Putin whether or not the Russian people suffer over his actions (I bet Biden’s handlers are green with envy over that). He certainly won’t suffer, having billions of plundered dollars tucked away in various safe locales. We can bet President Xi of China and the mullahs of Iran long ago determinated similarly and have been cooling their heels until the appropriate zero occupied the White House. I think we may safely conclude their moment as come. Taiwan and Israel are likely thinking so as well.

A Sudden Change of Mind Regarding the Masks.

New Mexico’s Governor Finally Lifts the Mask Mandates.

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham unexpectedly removed most state mask mandates at the close of her press conference on 19 February. The Governor’s reason for this sudden reversal (just two weeks after she announced the mandates would continue indefinitely) is not, I am certain she would insist, that her ratings are tanking in internal polls, with Election Day looming.

No, the Governor claims, it is because of the decline in cases of the Omicron edition of the COVID-19 virus, a horrific scourge known for causing in the vast majority of those to whom it afflicts moderate cases of the sniffles.

While many, if not most, New Mexicans are rejoicing not having to wear the wretched masks anymore, for which are still no credible studies proving their effectiveness, there are politicos in Taos appalled by the Governor’s decision. One of them had the brass to complain that without the Governor’s mandate in place to “back em up” [sic] . . . things could become volatile in government buildings and private businesses if customers are asked to don masks.”

So much, then, for the notion of public servants: ours seem to want to continue the mandate not to protect themselves or others from the virus, but merely to protect themselves from getting yelled at by their employers.

Thus continues an old New Mexico tradition: bureaucrats high and low, as well the clerisy in the nice neighborhoods and the academy, ignoring the moods of all those other people in our state known as the general public.

Introduce Yourself (Example Post)

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

  • Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
  • Because it will help you focus your own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

  • Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
  • What topics do you think you’ll write about?
  • Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
  • If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.

Introduce Yourself (Example Post)

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

  • Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
  • Because it will help you focus your own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

  • Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
  • What topics do you think you’ll write about?
  • Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
  • If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.

Introduce Yourself (Example Post)

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

  • Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
  • Because it will help you focus your own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

  • Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
  • What topics do you think you’ll write about?
  • Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
  • If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.