I’s taken me over a week nearly three weeks almost a month a long fucking time to write this post. I’d type hundreds of words only to delete them and start over again.
I finally decided to edit this down to a few short paragraphs so it may appear a little disjointed.
It’s difficult to speak clearly when you’re emotional.
You’ve probably noticed my very quick pivot towards untangling myself and my family from the web of Big Tech. You may have also noticed this started in February.
I figure anyone and who reads my blog1 and is aware of what’s been happening in the world right now, namely when it comes to the United States2, has probably already added the proverbial twos.
Very simply, I do not want to be involved with, or beholden to any entity that is involved in, beholden to, and/or supports the current US Administration and its ilk.
For those who don’t know, the current Administration3 of the Untied States a Clown Show Chaos Machine™ hell bent on destroying Western democracy which includes threatening peaceful neighbors and longtime allies.
Like most every one else up here in Canada, I’m angry. And I don’t think the US as a whole understands. I mean, sure, some do. I have friends and colleagues in the States who completely understand why the anti-US sentiment to the north of them has reached a steady simmer.
While it’s difficult to completely move away4 I can say that, like everyone else up here, I’m doing my best. I will continue to support the independents, the open source, the hippies, the anarchists, the pirates, and those who resist, but I won’t be afraid to drop them at the first sign of capitulation. There are alternatives.
There are always alternatives.
As I mentioned earlier, this has been hard to write because it’s so very emotional. In the past, any bluster coming from our Southern Neighbour could be waved off with a shrug and a chuckle but not anymore. The fifty-first state thing started like that crusty relative who says shitty/insulting things to you as a “joke”. But like crusty relatives do, they keep at it until you snap and fight back and then Uncle Asshole is shocked and appalled at your “unreasonable outburst” because it was just a “just a joke”.
We’re past the point of this being a “joke” and Uncle Asshole just isn’t stopping. We can’t keep up with the chaos and the flip flopping and the lies. Oh, the lies.
I had written some pretty hefty paragraphs about parallels and history including the US Civil War, WW2, Nixon, and Reagan but I ended up shitcanning it all because don’t think I have to explain the parallels between what the US Administration is doing and what “strongmen” in other parts of the world have already done. I also don’t need to start a history lesson. Like the kids say: “If you know, you know”.
And a lot of us up here know.
We’re tired. We’re stressed. We’re worried. But more than anything, we’re fucking angry.
While I’m sure I’ll have more to say about all of this in the coming months, like everyone else, I don’t know how this will play out or how it will end.
What I do know is that, no matter what happens, I will stand with my country.
Elbows Up, Canada!
- There are a few of you. Hi! ↩︎
- If there is anyone out there over the age of 12 who doesn’t know then damn, I envy you. ↩︎
- I’m not saying his name. Unless you live under a rock, you know who I’m talking about. ↩︎
- For example: A hosting company may be Canadian, but they use AWS or Azure. GrapheneOS is Canadian but the underlying code is Google and it’s only supported on Pixel devices, etc. Just keep at it, investigate all possible alternatives, sweat the small details. ↩︎