Canada: The Labradoodle of allies

[KJG] Five-year-old Labradoodle Juno is a nationally recognized dog-blogger who lives with her Mawpaw and Pawpaw in Summerland in the BC Okanagan. Her numerous blogs on many topics remain a popular feature of takenote.ca. Today, she digs into US politics. Enjoy.

[Juno] Jon Stewart, you nailed it. You have mended my broken heart, an organ rent apart by your president’s feckless and reckless leadership, a mean-spirited attack on all that is noble, good, and true. In your opening Today Show monologue on Tuesday, February 4 (at 4:40 in the video) you named my country, Canada, the home of my Mawpaw and Pawpaw, the land over which my canine colleagues and I roam and romp daily, in a single word you brought healing and comfort to my troubled soul.

Never before has the relationship between Canada and the United States been so eloquently and appropriately described. You wondered aloud how and why the United States launched an economic war on its most trusted trading partner. You said, and I quote:

“Canada, Kan-a-ta, we’re picking a fight with our most reliable and pleasant friend, the Labradoodle of allies? Have we no friends left?”

I shall commission someone to write a musical setting of these poignant words, the “Labradoodle of allies.” I will invite artists to create visual displays, even murals on walls. I will ensure that social media (those we can still use with a clear conscience) is peppered with these words and accompanying images. “Labradoodle as ally.” Like it. Love it. Live it. Makes me smile.

Born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz, November 28, 1962, Jon Stewart is an American comedian, writer, producer, director, political commentator, actor, and television host. The long-running host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central from 1999 to 2015, Stewart has now returned to the satirical news program in 2024. We need you Jon. We salute you. We love you.

And look what you have started.

All across Canada Canadians are “buying Canadian” as never before.* At grocery store checkouts fact checking about Canadian products is lively and detailed. People are boycotting fast-food restaurants like MacDonalds. At travel agencies, citizens in our currently chilly country are cancelling cruises and hotel bookings. Many are searching for other destinations to spend our hard-earned vacation cash. Australia currently floods my Facebook feed; Canadian clothiers send me sale after sale opportunity. 3XL please.

Good news Jon, in your country some folks are speaking up. They are embracing risk for the sake of truth and justice, in some cases at great personal cost.  “The movement to impeach the president has already begun,” said Representative Al Green on the House floor on Wednesday. In other news, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other Democratic lawmakers spoke at a rally outside the U.S. Treasury Department after tech billionaire Elon Musk was granted access to its payment system and sensitive government databases. Resistance to the obscene idea of handing Gaza to America in order to construct a Middle Eastern “Riviera” is swift and strong. Rightly so.

Sure Trump is fast evolving into a demented sociopathic lunatic. Dr. Strangelove has returned, this time without the wheelchair. (Please keep the missile access codes away from this monster.) I say, don’t wast time trying to figure him out. We all wonder though who really pulls the strings behind the puppet. Oh, before I forget, how about those White House Press briefings. New York Times is out and Breitbart Media is in, all to watch that nauseating, smirking, self-righteous White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. (And I thought Kellyanne Conway was bad enough in 2016.) My bark is way worse than my bite—in fact I have never bitten anyone and don’t intent to start now. But if I did . . .

Well back to you Jon. You nailed it. Canada is a Labradoodle-type ally. This is the best news I have heard all day.

Woof

* Look for the “Product of Canada” Label: This label means at least 98% of the product’s ingredients, processing, and labor are Canadian. It’s one of the strictest labelling standards in the world. “Made in Canada” labelling requires at least 51% of total direct costs (including manufacturing, labor, and materials) to be Canadian. Watch for “Made in Canada” with a Qualifier: If a product was processed or manufactured in Canada but contains some imported ingredients, it’ll say “Made in Canada with domestic and imported ingredients.” Read more here.