Bothered Boy

So Whole Foods (which is owned by Amazon and Jeff Bezos) banned their employees from wearing the poppy in the lead up to Remembrance Day here in Canada. The uproar and backlash was swift, to the point it got a mention in Parliament. Though they swiftly reversed their decision, the fury continues and while I'm mad at it, there's another aspect to this story that has flown under the radar, and that bothers me...

"Remember remember, the Fifth of November..." Except that people have completely forgot. There's a reason why Guy Fawkes is burned in effigy by Brits every autumn, and he also provides a weirdly relevant lesson (and perhaps a grave warning) for those of us living in the present and in the wake of the contested US Presidential election.

So it's the worst-case scenario: a contested election. I thought Biden was supposed to provide a clear landslide? Where are all those coveted centrists, moderates, and disaffected Republicans? It's a record turnout, and yet the result is contested. So now I ask the Democratic Party, was all this really worth it?

It's finally the night. The terrible, terrible night. How did it get to this? How has this become "accepted" by American society? This isn't normal, nor should it be. How did it get like this? Who or what is to blame? Is there any hope? Who will win? Which creepy old man is better or worse, Trump or Biden? It's all a disgusting farce, and it's deeply bothering me today.

We're 24 hours away from the US Presidential election of 2020, and there's a palpable tension in society. There has also been concerning news about an unscalable wall being built around the White House, and Trump admitting he may try and steal the election. This is on top of other concerning news like Amy Coney Barrett being confirmed to the Supreme Court, polling sites and ballot boxes being limited, defunding of the USPS, voter suppression, voter intimidation, and more. I think between all of this and a lack of enthusiasm for Biden, that Trump wins.

And so our series on French involvement in the African continent through the centuries, and the ongoing economic and geopolitical exploitation of Africa comes to a close. I find the French fly under the radar in this regard, and I wanted to bring attention to them, and the systems and powers that keep African nations locked into the struggles they continue to face. And yet, we blame them for it when it is not entirely their fault.

Every year, there's a bunch of conservatives on the internet who will use Halloween as an excuse to rag on socialism, despite Halloween being a fairly socialist holiday. I'm sure you've seen posts from these people like "gonna teach my kid about socialism and take 95% of their candy and give it to someone who didn't go out."   

Beyond this being wild in the sense of being a dick to your kid to score brownie points with strangers on the internet, it also ignores the fundamentals about Halloween; dressing up, and giving candy that you bought to any and all costumed kids who come to your door for free and without expectation of anything other than a "thank you" and "Happy Halloween."

Happy Halloween, everyone. I hope you all stayed safe and found some joy in these difficult times.

So at the end of the day, what is driving the exploitation of African nations? We've focused on the French and their sense of entitlement, but this also applies to the British, the Americans, and now even the Chinese. So what's REALLY going on here under the surface?

I suppose it's time to finally reveal what passes for my "plan." Yes, I know it is incomplete and far from being as robust as I would like, nor have I had the time or energy to put it together in a PDF document that could be shared. But with the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court and with dark times ahead, I felt the need to get this out there. Though imperfect, it's a start. And sometimes that's all we need.