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An RFP for a Made-in-Canada drone communications system has crossed my desk, and although there's no NDA, it's obviously intended as a proof-of-concept for military use.  Somebody in the chain of procurement has been spooked by something.

Movement away from the American sphere is in progress everywhere, both overt and otherwise.  How tangled up we still are when the Anschluss commences, remains to be seen.

I don't yet believe an Anschluss is inevitable, but I'm a hopelessly naive optimist.

An Anschluss implies at least the appearance of a referendum.  That's not going to happen.

I suppose not, although there is a small and loud contingent of Albertans that want that referendum.

Also, and trust me on this, you can't build weapons fast enough.

But it is also worth mentioning that frontage equations require 81 infantry divisions to MINIMALLY garrison Canada.  We have 12.

In an invasion of Canada, I expect the US would very quickly take the critical centers (Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, etc.), and then be free to bomb the rest of the population relatively unimpeded.  Ukraine has a lot of difficulty with air defense; our problem would be worse.

Any attempt at a large-scale ground occupation, however, would make Vietnam look like a garden party.

Realistically, though, a war between Canada and the US would end with revolution or collapse internal to the US, not because of anything Canada could do.

I could see that ending up with the US annexed by Canada, because we'd made such a mess of ourselves and they're the most viable option to work on cleaning it up.

[Only Republican Disqualified From Senate Race in Democrat-Led State]

I've never see, or heard of anything like this every happening in any state:

Only Republican Disqualified From Senate Race in Democrat-Led State

As per this article:

"New Mexico will have no Republican on the ballot for the U.S. Senate race after GOP candidate Christopher Vanden Heuvel was disqualified for failing to submit enough valid signatures to qualify, New Mexico's secretary of state press team told Newsweek."

And, as per further along in this article:

""I am writing to inform you that you did not qualify as a candidate for the office of United States Senator, pursuant to the express requirements of the New Mexico Election Code," a letter obtained by Newsweek signed by Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver sent to Heuvel.

The letter continued, "To qualify as a candidate for this office, a prospective candidate must submit a declaration of candidacy and the statutory minimum number of nominating petition signatures at the time of filing."

Oliver said that after review, the office determined that he "failed to reach the required 2,351 signatures in accordance with NMSA 1978, § 1-8-33.""

Now, perhaps requirements like this vary widely from state to state. But, requiring only 2,351 signatures to get a candidate for the U.S. Senate on a political party's ballot for their primary election sounds to me like a really low bar to jump. (Although in my state it's only 2,000 signatures, a $200 filing fee, and signatories must be members of the candidates political party.) Yet, the Republican Party of New Mexico (RPNM), couldn't qualify a single candidate. Not one.

Weird, New Mexico is pretty purple.

That was part of it but she was also continuing very tried and tested voice of the establishment that Biden had represented, there's no appetite for that.
Its the reason AOC had a chance and Harris would have none

AOC was not on the ballot seeking the nomination of the Democratic Party for POTUS in 2024. Joe Biden won the majority of the pledged delegates during the party's primary process, easily beating two (2) other already long forgotten male contenders. But, Biden ended his campaign for reelection before being officially nominated. Then, as per Rule 13J of the party's delegate selection rules, pledged delegates were left free to vote for whoever they wanted to be their candidate. And, after the delegates negotiated among themselves, Kamala Harris was nominated to run for POTUS, without a second national level Democratic Party primary vote being held. So, I'm unaware of any serious possibility where "AOC had a chance" to run for the office, much less become the current POTUS.

But, let me get this straight:

On Tuesday, Election Day, November 5th, 2024, 77,303,568 'Mericans had the choice between a very old, unhealthy looking, white, male, boorish, misogynist, racist, Putin lovin', pedophile friending, twice impeached, economy sinking, COVID-19 pandemic denying, 2020 election losing, failed January 6th insurrection leading, convicted felon, and adjudicated rapist, that was on the ballot with an 'R' after its name, and Vice President Kamala Harris. And, each of those voters said to themselves something to the effect of, "Oh, hell yeah, baby! Gimme some more of that first one! I don't want no "very tried and tested voice of the establishment" politician runnin' no gubernment of mine!

Come on?! Seriously?! Are you really going to go with that?!

You're missing the option that most people picked, which was "none of the above" That's what happens when the choices are "the bad you're used to" and "worse"

[The Democrat James Carville thinks is worth watching in 2028 will surprise you]

November 7th, 2028 is  a long way off, and a lot is going to happen between now and the U.S. Presidential Election. But, at the time of this posting, I think James Carville knows what he's talking about:

The Democrat James Carville thinks is worth watching in 2028 will surprise you

"Carville says Kamala Harris 'has no chance' in 2028 Democratic primary"

As per this article:

"Asked about whether he could see Harris as the party's standard-bearer in 2028, Carville responded, "She has no chance."

Harris replaced then-President Joe Biden as the Democrats' 2024 presidential nominee after Biden dropped his bid in July of that year, a month after a disastrous debate performance against Trump. Harris ended up losing the general election to Trump, who narrowly swept all seven key battleground states.

"No Democrat wants anything to do with anybody that had anything to do with 2024," Carville emphasized, as he reasoned why Harris couldn't win the 2028 nomination. He also questioned whether Harris, the nation's first female and first Black vice president, had the ability to energize the Black community if she launched another White House run.

Carville said that the Democrats' mantra heading into 2028 is "just win," and argued that "if we nominate two white males, nobody's going to give a s---.""

And, I couldn't agree more.

The candidate's race and gender matter a lot less than their positions.  If we nominate Newsom and Buttigeig they'll repeat Harris' losing strategy of attempting to pursue GOP voters while ignoring progressives and the left.  At this point a candidate that campaigns on cutting off Israel, and dismantling ICE can win, one that supports genocide and retaining the American Gestapo isn't going to be able to out fascist Vance, or whoever the GOP puts up, but they will be able to alienate a huge portion of their base.

My preference would be for a working class patriot who wants to take down the pedophiles and the system that enabled their predation.  I haven't seen a candidate like that yet, but I'm sure there are some out there.  I know that would resonate with not only the left, and the mainstream Democrats, but also QAnon types and a lot of the folks who voted for Sanders and Trump, or Trump and Mamdani.

There needs to be a lot more of this.

In Nazi Germany the two strongest forces of resistance to the Brownshirts were the jazz fans. Jazz was one of the first things the one balled arsehole banned as it was black music. (Echoes of this in the Bad Bunny fiasco at the Super bowl) Kids took wind up gramophones to parks & beaches to dance in overt acts of public rebellion. They fought running battles with Hitler Youth & SA units. Often utilising those gramophones as weapons.

Florida kids have taken up the cudgel. Don't be like the German parents were & let them stand alone against tyranny.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/2069178570572909

You said two, and then only named one, who other than the Jazzy Jermans?

[Bill and Hillary Clinton refuse to testify on Jeffrey Epstein]

Bill and Hillary Clinton refuse to testify on Jeffrey Epstein

"House Oversight Chair James Comer said the committee would launch contempt of Congress proceedings against the former president, who skipped his deposition on Tuesday."

This is an absolutely brilliant political move by the Clintons!

There's a lot of MAGAtry out there right now in positions of power who don't know whether to shit of go blind over this move! So, check your popcorn supply! This is going to be good!

Could you explain why you see this as such a good move?

I usually hear "crossing the rubicon" as doing a big thing, that can't be taken back.  I've never heard it as specifically heroic, although sometimes it is, in context.  I also don't hear it in specific context as ending a republic, or anything else about the results of the action, that's specific.  it's always just a big, irrevocable, act that commits someone to a conflict in a way they can't take back.

Invading Greenland would be Trump crossing the rubicon, destroying NATO and whatnot. 

I've been taking a look at conservative spaces because I'm interested to see what their opinion of the last year has been like and I've come to a realisation, they are divided on a lot of issues, critical of things like the tarrifs or this 2000 rebate they are planning.
The thing is they are willing to compromise as long as some or most of their issues are addressed.

The left with its ever tightening purity tests or moral outrage instead of criticism of their own parties never stood a chance in the last election, and it won't in the next either unless it takes a mature approach to selecting and supporting a candidate

I think that maturity will have to include a change in leadership and strategy.  The DNC is led by old, out of touch, rich white people.  They can put up a relatively young, charismatic woman of color, like Harris, and still lose, because they're running the campaign completely wrong.  Zohran Mamdani is an example of the kind of campaign they need to be running if they want to actually win.

They folded on everything right? AMA funding is gone right?

yes,  I can't see that being a good thing for Republicans.  A lot of people are not going to have medical insurance now, and any of them that have been paying attention will know that's the Republicans fault.

the funniest option would be Pacifica or the New Callifornia Republic, or whatever we end up calling it, proposes an EU-style American Union that includes pretty much every nation in the North and South Americas, EXCEPT the US.

That would be awesome.

So I quit the biz.  I took a job as the facilities director at a mental hospital (who didn't see THIS coming), partly because I was getting bored, and partly because of The Thing getting loose, which severely tarnished (read: the vultures are circling) the company I was working for.

Also because I have turned over a new leaf.  I am a new man (You will politely ignore that I still have a consulting side gig in the biz).  No more shiny new war crimes, now I'm gonna HELP people.  So everyone stop screaming.

All I have to do is recruit a certain someone away from his gig in Connecticut and this will be perfect.  I start Monday.

We are going to do great things.  For crazy people.

I can see this going very well, or very badly, but more likely both, at the same time, in ways that are currently hard to imagine but will be indelibly etched on our minds, once you regale us with the stories of your adventures.

[Trump Finally Responds To 'No Kings' Protests, Takes A Giant Sh*t All Over America]

Trump Finally Responds To 'No Kings' Protests, Takes A Giant Sh*t All Over America

And, that's why he's the POSOTUS.

That kinda amazed me, it felt a bit like Caligula marrying the horse.

It begins the outward normalisation of the transition from republican party, to white nationalist party, they want people to know, they want to get to the point that that they can come out of the closet with that.

Fortunately I think they're rushing that a bit.  All the MAGAts I've talked to are still opposed to nazis, and the KKK. 

[Democratic troop pay bill blocked in House amid shutdown]

I'm filing this one under "How to Not Win Friends and Negatively Influence People:"

Democratic troop pay bill blocked in House amid shutdown

As per this article:

"A Democratic effort to pass a bill paying active-duty military members during the government shutdown was blocked on the House floor Friday by the GOP.

The presiding Republican, Rep. Mike Bost of Illinois, gaveled a brief pro forma session to a close before Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.) could make a procedural move to try to pass the legislation by unanimous consent."

I suspect a few of the Republicult's™ opportunistic elected officials will temporarily break ranks over this particular issue.

This seems like it will make declaring martial law more difficult, now if Trump sends in the troops not only will some refuse the unlawful order, others will say "fuck you, pay me"

I'd rather be part of Canada

We don't want you.  You screwed up your country, we don't need you screwing up ours, too.

Yeah, he'd vote for the greens to benefit the conservatives or UCP because the liberals aren't pure enough for him.

And it's not just Pergamos in particular, or the people like him, we don't want any seceded states trying to join up.

Even the bluest of your blue states is politically very toxic, and we've already got at least two toxic provinces.  (I'm living in one of them).  It's enough.  Individual Americans who want to immigrate or seek asylum is one thing, but your systems are pure poison.

There is a lack of understanding south of the border about exactly how much hate has accumulated up here over the last several months.

Good,  I've seen a lot of talk about the West coast joining Canada and WA and OR have a lot of work to do to be up to Canadian standards, California meanwhile has a lot of work to do to be up to Mexican standards.

Now you have a problem with Mexico?

You're just a bundle of laughs, aren't you?

Nope, no problem with Mexico, some problems with California. 

You made it sound as if Mexico has very low standards.

Guess what?

I said California has a lot of work to do, to be up to Mexican standards.  I suppose I could see how you see that as implying those standards are lower than Canadian ones, but I was talking about geographic proximity.  I wasn't trying to imply that either Mexican standards are lower than Canadian ones, or that California is worse than Washington and Oregon, just that it makes way more sense for California to rejoin Mexico than to join Canada.