‘What’s the worst sin you can commit if you’re in charge? Doesn’t matter if it’s business or government, family or a club.’
‘Is this a trick question?’ Camp asked while enjoying the first sip of his pint.
‘No, just asking, probably prompted by this Signal snafu (situation normal, all fucked up) group chat fiasco from last week where the top brass of the US, including the VP, the ex-fox news broadcaster and now head of the Pentagon, the Director of National Intelligence, a Hare Krishna offshoot cultist, the Secretary of State and various other bobbleheads mistakenly invited a journalist to their chat about a military operation in Yemen. Makes Hillary’s e-mail controversy look like a high school chat room.
‘Ok I get the point. So, the worst sin is surely incompetence if you’re in a position of responsibility or leadership.’
‘Anyone particular come to mind?’
‘You don’t want me to name names, do you? We all know who wins the prize for the most incompetent leader and we also know that people like that surround themselves with equal or worse practitioners of incompetency and mediocrity.’
‘How did this happen and how come these people get away with their feeble-minded righteous agenda and get to rule?’
‘I take it this is a rhetorical question,’ Camp said.
‘Now, we have a federal election coming up here in a month. Seems obvious to me who the best qualified and most sincere future PM should be.’
‘Yeah, once again, obvious to the two of us. Definitely not the one who never had a real job, never fixed, solved or organized anything on any level and has no international experience.’
‘He would fit right in with the present US administration. Another bobblehead.’
‘Again, we don’t need to mention any names. Suffice it to say that the candidate who wants to make Canada great again; who euphemistically refers to it as Taking Canada Back – from whom or wherefrom is anybody’s guess – is not the guy who we want in charge of the country at a time like this.’
‘Would you buy a Tesla today, Camp? I know you were romanced by the slick design and lifelong care-free promise of never having to stop at a gas station again.’
‘First of all, I cannot now and never could afford to buy a Tesla and certainly today I wouldn’t go near the car or the company. There is a new book available at my book store. The Tesla Files by the German investigative journalists Sönke Iwersen and Michael Verfürden. They gained access to the company data through a whistleblower. Former Tesla technician Lukasz Krupski copied more than 100 gigabytes of internal Tesla documents, secret emails, contracts, security protocols and court documents from the company’s servers and made them available to the book authors.’
‘So, what new insights do we learn from The Tesla Files?’
‘A lot of empty promises by Musk himself who announced that his Tesla would drive autonomously by 2018. Instead, the Full Self-Driving feature proves to be error-prone software that ignores traffic lights, triggers emergency braking on motorways and skids on rain-soaked roads. According to the US Department of Transportation, more than a dozen people died in the US alone due to Tesla software driving errors.’
‘I would never trust an autopilot in city traffic. Mind you, it sounded good as an easy way to get home after a few drinks at the pub,’ I said.
‘In Germany, the Berlin Regional Court stated: ‘An activated autopilot means danger on the roads.’ Tesla management has always been aware that the self-driving software does not work reliably, according to the whistleblower.’
‘I always thought Tesla were the safest cars on the road.’
‘The defects in Tesla’s Cybertruck, are downright dangerous: Incorrectly glued stainless steel panels can come loose while driving, brakes can fail, accelerator pedals can jam. Just yesterday 46,000 Cybertrucks were recalled in the US alone to fix an exterior panel that could detach while driving. Musk’s customers act as test drivers and guinea pigs of unfinished products, testing the cars in road traffic, the authors of The Tesla Files claim.’
‘We need a revolution Camp, an uprising; marching in the streets, shouting from the rooftops. We cannot let these crypto oligarchs take over the world and take away a century of functioning democracy.’
‘You’re right my friend, we need a revolution but it is the domain and prerogative of the young, not seniors and old farts like us. Where are the young who do not want to put up with a dictatorship by the super-rich?’
‘Busy staring at their little screens, texting, tik-toking and U-tubing? They seem to have no leader, no direction, no incentive.’
‘A revolution is needed when the rich oligarchs grab everything for themselves and leave the population floundering and poorer. That’s what’s happening in the USA thanks to the unprecedented, punitive trade war Trump has started, along with firing thousands of civil servants. He ignores one important fact: his own citizens are punished and paying for his wild and arbitrary tariffs and reciprocal countermeasures.’
‘Have you noticed that our language is changing almost daily and that new terms and words replace the ones we were used to for most of our lives. Take the term ‘illegal migrant’ for example. They used to be called immigrants or refugees, meaning that they were escaping violence, persecution, famine, disasters and wars. Nowadays they are called illegal migrants,’ Camp said.
‘Which makes them quasi criminals, since they are illegal,’ I said. ‘Not deserving of refuge or compassion or dignity. It’s a mean new world.’
‘This narrative is driving most of the right-wing movements and parties from Hungary to the US, from Austria, Germany to England. It’s called nationalism and it’s rearing its ugly head, its philosophy of exclusiveness, righteousness and hatred all over the world.’
‘And the MAGA crowd is about to wreck America and much of the world order as we’ve known it since the last world war. Enemies are suddenly friends and friends have become the enemy. Based on faulty info, Canadians are being punished for being Canadian and the real estate hustler is suddenly the smartest person in the room, surrounded by sycophants and acolytes.
‘Yes, it’s a bizarre time. Many see it already as the beginning of the end, the apocalypse, if not the end itself.’
‘Remember George Carlin? He was the master of words and his monologue on euphemisms from twenty years ago is still relevant.
We don’t call it what it is. A gangster is now president, conservatives are conspirators and biology and gender is now a binary condition ordained by the new Christian right. We are living in a mirror world where reality has become the nightmare and lies are the truth.’
‘And the self-proclaimed deal-maker becomes the biggest deal-breaker in a spectacular loss of face and dignity during Zelensky’s visit to the White House. ‘
‘I’m sure this was a set up. Good cop Vance, then bad cop Trump who completely lost his shit, lashing out at his guest like he was an apprentice on his reality TV show.’
After an almost balmy and mostly sunny January we are now back to the usual westcoast weather. Leaden skies, drizzly, dark days with the occasional glimpse of blue sky. But the days are getting longer.
I look forward to my regular get togethers with Camp, even though it’s doesn’t happen every week as it used to. We still regurgitate and distill the discouraging barrage of news and politics, rumours and philosophical musings with a couple of pints and are always glad for the few things that haven’t changed like our corner table on the glassed-in veranda by the shore and also our steadfast servers Vicky and Rosy, who have been our compass to reality more than once in this ever changing world.
‘I hate to bring this up again and again but the issue isn’t going away Camp. TikTok and Co. are undermining traditional media at an ever-faster pace, especially amongst young people. For example, as I read in my Swiss newspaper, 46 percent of Swiss people now hardly read the news, more than double of the 21 percent in 2009.’
‘No surprise there. It’s a generational reality where the young don’t subscribe to the New York Times or the Guardian but get their updates on their silly phones. So, if we want to continue reading about research and analyses in the future, then maybe it’s time to ask ourselves this question. Is it really necessary to permanently take refuge in the illusory world of social media?’
‘What do you think about Trump imposing 25% tariffs across the board including 10% on energy and then giving us a thirty-day grace period in return for a fentanyl Tsar and untold millions to beef up the border security?’ I asked Camp when he sat down. He seemed weary and somewhat off. ‘Are you alright?’ I asked.
‘Yeah, I’m ok but I am worried about anybody in business in Canada that exports and imports across the US border and there are millions of people dependent on our integrated trade that has been a boon for both countries for decades. To answer to your question is quite simple. Trump hates Canada, our way of life, our healthcare system our liberal views, the fact that we have a better primary education system, that we have all the water and oil, the minerals and the landmass, including the gateway to the arctic. As he said after his election. If he can’t annex Canada, he will destroy us by economic means. He’s a misanthrope, a hater of humanity and a bully.’
‘Do you really think a trade war is possible? It would be the consumers on both sides of the border that would pay for it. There would be no winners.’
‘This trade war threat is certainly the worst kind of betrayal of a longstanding partner and friendship. It’s a flagrant and mean-spirited breach of trust and will set the tone for any future collaboration with the US. With one stroke of his golden pen, we are now the enemy, treated worse than any other country, except maybe the other neighbour, Mexico. Why us? I don’t get it,’ I said.
‘As I pointed out, Trump hates us and everything we stand for and he has imperialist ambitions, right out of Putin’s playbook. What I don’t understand is the deafening silence from the people and the other elected officials; from Congress and the Governors of the States adjacent and integrated with their Canadian counterparts.’
‘This will poison cross border relationships for years to come and it will not make anybody better off.’
‘What about all this talk about fentanyl and migrants crossing into the US from Canada?’ I said. ‘Isn’t it their job to stop drugs and illegals entering their country?’
‘Did you see Musk’s imperial Roman salute, later adopted by Hitler? Do you think it was on purpose, to send a signal to the world that he wants to be in charge?’ I asked Camp after we toasted out health at our usual watering hole.
Camp shrugged his shoulders. ‘It doesn’t really matter since its evident that Musk is a genius with the personality of an adolescent, probably somewhere on the spectrum. Not that this excuses his outrageous behaviour towards people less rich than himself.’
‘What about 1500 rioters, including the leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, that Trump set free. Both those organisations have sworn revenge whoever that includes.’
‘Well, my friend, I hate to repeat myself but as we both know, the stage is set for an America that resembles a dictatorship more than any other democracy on the planet. Welcome to Trump Land and good luck to you through the next four years if you’re a migrant, a transgender person or even a liberal democrat. Hate is on the program as are detentions and incarcerations. Families will be torn apart and criminals and people smugglers will thrive since the price for drugs and illegal migrants has just increased.’
Mike sent me this perfect little allegory for these times we’re living in. Maybe it will help to get us through the next few days, weeks or even years. With the coronation, sorry inauguration, just a couple of days away we need every bit of sanity to keep on going.
The donkey told the tiger, “The grass is blue.”
The tiger replied, “No, the grass is green.”
The discussion became heated, and the two decided to submit the issue to arbitration, so they approached the lion.
As they approached the lion on his throne, the donkey started screaming: ′′Your Highness, isn’t it true that the grass is blue?”
The lion replied: “If you believe it is true, the grass is blue.”
The donkey rushed forward and continued: ′′The tiger disagrees with me, contradicts me and annoys me. Please punish him.”
The king then declared: ′′The tiger will be punished with 3 days of silence.”
The donkey jumped with joy and went on his way, content and repeating ′′The grass is blue, the grass is blue…”
The tiger asked the lion, “Your Majesty, why have you punished me, after all, the grass is green?”
The lion replied, ′′You’ve known and seen the grass is green.”
The tiger asked, ′′So why do you punish me?”
The lion replied, “That has nothing to do with the question of whether the grass is blue or green. The punishment is because it is degrading for a brave, intelligent creature like you to waste time arguing with an ass, and on top of that, you came and bothered me with that question just to validate something you already knew was true!”
The biggest waste of time is arguing with the fool and fanatic who doesn’t care about truth or reality, but only the victory of his beliefs and illusions. Never waste time on discussions that make no sense. There are people who, for all the evidence presented to them, do not have the ability to understand. Others who are blinded by ego, hatred and resentment, and the only thing that they want is to be right even if they aren’t.
The new year is starting to evolve in a political direction none of us thought possible just a few years ago. I’m referring to the ongoing slide towards the extreme right, not just in Venezuela and Nicaragua or Russia but in stalwart democracies like Austria, Germany, France, Italy and in the USA. Canada is also being blown off course by stiff and cold winds coming from the right and the south.
I met Camp at our usual watering hole by the harbour and voiced some of my concerns once again about the dire outlook for democracy and inclusiveness, virtues we have come to accept as unassailable principles in modern, western societies.
‘Well, my friend, we are in a different world now, a world where memories fade into history and atrocities and events that we accepted as facts are being revised, reworded and even denied. Like the holocaust or the Tiananmen massacre, the Landing on the Moon or the January 6th Insurrection attempt. And the lie will become the truth as Orwell predicted.’
‘Not exactly an uplifting and inspiring assessment Camp but I’m afraid you’re probably right.’
‘Hey Camp what’s woke? How has wokeness taken over the political and social discourse?’
‘The way I understand it is that minorities demand recognition and impose rules and behavior norms while disrespecting the majority. It used to be majorities making the rules while respecting the minorities. Wokeness has imposed and forced verbal and grammatical changes to words and concepts on us as well as redefined gender and pronouns while insisting on equal treatment. In fact, some minorities who feel disadvantaged and discriminated against now demand privileges and recognition beyond and above what ordinary people can expect.’
‘Isn’t woke awareness supposed to be socially and racially sensitive?’
‘I guess as wokeness pervades our western societies we can expect more limits and restrictions on word choices as in extremes like birthing person instead of mother. I guess it started with gender neutral descriptions like fishers instead of fishermen.’
‘Ok Camp, here is one of my pet peeves. Every restaurant and pub somehow believe that we all want to listen to loud classic rock’ n roll. Look around. What’s the demographic? I bet you it’s barely south of pension age. In other words, people like you and me who just want to have a quiet beer, hear each other talk and enjoy the atmosphere.’
‘I feel your pain brother. Worse than restaurants and pubs are the grocery stores. Why do I have to listen to Pink Floyd, who I like but not while I’m wandering around the vegi section. The other day it was ‘Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer at full volume while I’m standing at the deli counter. Is that really necessary? I asked nobody in particular and the woman beside me just shook her head in resignation. I try not to listen, she said.’
‘Honestly I’m not going back to certain restaurants because not only does their choice of music not fit the menu but it’s way too loud,’ she said and I had to agree.
‘Camp, did you hear about the 25cent banana taped to a wall with duct tape that was auctioned off by Sotheby’s in Manhattan as absurdist art? The bid was won by Justin Sun, a crypto entrepreneur, for 5.2 million US dollars plus more than one million in auction-house fees.’
‘You’re kidding, right? A banana? Duct taped?’
‘Yes, and this is not the first time Mr. Cattelan exhibited and sold a banana, bought a at a local fruit-stand and taped to a wall at an art exhibit.’
Camp just shook his head. ‘And I have trouble selling books for a few dollars which took years to write and produce.
‘Clare recently went to a Paint Party hosted at the Legion and attended by a score of amateurs. The class included paint, brushes, a canvass and they followed an instructional video by Bob Ross, all for $ 38. She came home with a painting of a woodland theme, proud as a peacock.’
‘Is it art?’
‘It was fun and she learned about painting.’
‘A painting by Emily Carr from 1912 that was hanging in a barn in the Hamptons and sold for $ 50 and then fetched $ 350’000 at a recent auction in Toronto. Now that is a rare piece of genuine art with a good story and a history.’
‘What is the definition of art or is there a consensus of what art is?’ I asked Camp, sure that he would be offering an opinion.
‘Here is a definition by Merriam Webster: Art is the conscious use of a skill and creative imagination in the production of aesthetic objects.’
‘Why is a banana taped to a wall considered art? It doesn’t meet any of these criteria and yet somebody paid five million bucks for it just to eat it for breakfast.’
‘Beats me,’ Camp said. ‘In my opinion art has to inspire. It has to induce a feeling either of joy or controversy; reactions of wonderment or distaste or spurn on a controversy. It can be spontaneous like graffiti or live for centuries like a sculpture or a painting. Take the Lascaux’s prehistoric cave paintings in the Dordogne, France that have been there for 20’000 years or the more recent sculpture of the Gates of Hell by Rodin at the Kunsthaus in Zürich. Both fantastic to behold and yet so different.’
‘What about dance or acting. Is that art?’
‘Of course. Ballet is an artistic interpretation of stories and fables, as are modern and contemporary dances. Music is art, and so is acting.’
‘What about bad or good art, is there such a thing?’
Camp had to think about that one. ‘I believe it’s up to the beholder or consumer to be the judge of that. Some art like Michelangelo’s David is good art because it is beloved by all as are many paintings and ballets. But a 5million-dollar banana that rots in two days?’
‘How about two empty glasses of beer on a glass table in front of a scenic harbour view? Could that be an art installation?’
When Vicky brought about two full foaming mugs of golden liquid, we both agreed that they were pleasing to the eye and inspired pleasure, leisure and comfort.
‘Did you know that a banana taped to a wall is considered art and has just sold for millions of dollars?’ I asked Vicky.
‘Why do I get the feeling you want to sell me something?’
‘We’re not selling. We’re buying. Liquid art in a glass.’
‘You two are totally bananas,’ she said, shaking her head.
November Storms and resulting power outages are normal for this time of year here on the Pacific Northwest Coast. Not like we’re back in the stone age. Still, it’s unsettling when all the lights go out and the house becomes very quiet. No fridge, no heaters, no fans. Also, no TV, no Wifi. We have a wood fire, candles a bbq and each other. Actually, it’s almost a welcome pause from the incessant noise all around us. But it’s not the November winds that make me shiver, it’s the cold wind blowing up from the south., all the way from Florida and Washington D.C.
When I walked into our pub Camp was already at our usual table, intent on his silly phone, nursing a pint.
‘What’s the latest Camp?’ Did I really want to know?
To top off the November blues, the short dark days and frequent rains, there is now the stunning re-election of Trump, defying all polls which are notoriously wrong.
‘Well Camp, what was your reaction?’
‘Stunned, dismayed but not surprised. Fact is: Americans want Trump with all his faults, lack of integrity, character and respect. They got what they deserve.’
‘But what about the rest of the world? Is that it, Camp. Simple as all that?’
Camp shrugged his shoulders. ‘I looked at the demographics of the electorate where we see that Trump gained especially amongst Hispanic men, up 18% from 2020 while the Democrats lost 15%, even amongst Latino women Trump gained 7%. Young voters, the GenZ, shifted away from Harris towards Trump by 7% and from those who never attended college Trump gained 8% of the votes. And the glass ceiling is stronger and made of sterner stuff then everybody thought.’
‘It wasn’t just a squeaker but a decisive victory. Trump even won the popular vote. It’s what you call a slam dunk.’
‘Yeah, I think he even surprised himself. The good news is: There is now no need for any street violence, and no need for insurrection or lawsuits to challenge the election. He’s won this time around in a secure and legal election and we’re all suffering from a mental shock. And the stock markets are going up.’
‘But people will die because of Trump,’ I said. ‘Ukrainians, Palestinians, pregnant teens. Families with undocumented members will be torn apart. Project 25, Bannon’s baby, will tear down the guard rails of institutions. Obama care will be eliminated leaving millions of people without healthcare. But hey, there are already a lot of people who think that Trump is not as bad as we made him out to be, that it’s the democrats that have to look in the mirror, change their ways.’
‘You may be right. I also think he’s trouble for the world. It’s good vs. evil. It’s not just the Donald but the people gathering around him like at a royal court, curtsying and licking his boots.’
‘Not just his boots, I think. Bring on the jesters and troubadours.’
They can now do whatever they want since they flipped the senate, will most likely regain the house of representatives and have the presidency, as well as the Supreme Court.’
‘We’ll see if he does what he said. Like impose massive tariffs on everything that enters the US; demolish and dismantle the country’s intelligence agencies, part of what he calls the deep state; mass deportations of the undocumented which will send a wave of asylum seekers north to Canada. And of course, he said he would end the war in Ukraine and the Middle East with a few phone calls within 24 hours.’
‘There will be internment and deportation camps, trans national agreements will be ripped up and business will not be as usual between Canada and the US.’
‘Let the speculations begin. We’ve already entered a new aera of polls and surveys, predictions and possible outcomes.’
‘Makes me want to get off this never ending merry-go-around.’
‘Or get involved with our local politics. Don’t forget, we have a conservative tsunami building right here in Canada with a leader, Poilievre, who is more like an Avatar than a flesh and blood human being. As Obama says: Do something!’
‘Here in Canada the colours are reversed from the US. The conservatives are blue while the liberals are red. One thing is for sure. Trudeau has overstayed his welcome and is past his expiry date. He needs to step off the stage before he gets swepted off by a blue wave.’
‘I don’t think he knows how to step out of the limelight. Growing up in the prime minister’s household, surrounded by the trappings of power, he’s never known anything different then being the center of attention.’
‘Maybe the Trump doctrine will shock Canadians enough to reconsider a lurch to the right. Mind you we already have our homegrown reactionary conservatives in Alberta and just narrowly avoided a right-wing takeover here in British Columbia.’
‘It’s a crazy world and we’ll head into some interesting times.’
Our beers were empty and Vicky was spot on with our refills.
‘What do you think of Trump’s win?’ I wanted to know.
‘I think it’s sad. I was rooting for Harris but the bully has won.’
‘The difference between the two main parties has never been this great and the chasm that separates their world view never that deep. What’s going to happen next week, after the US election?’ I asked Camp who ambled in, deposited his coat over the chair and took a load off his feet. Must be tiring standing on your feet all day long I thought.
‘No matter who wins it will be chaos. If Trump wins, the groan of defeat will be heard all over the world. If Harris somehow squeaks in, the thumping and yelling, the lies and the shouts of anger from the MAGA crowd will be deafening.’
‘You think there will be violence? Will the defeated take up arms, smash their way into the news and TV screens into our homes?’
‘Well, the Trump crowd will not go quietly into the night. They will cry foul with their chief cheerleader the loudest. With Harris, she will be magnanimous, knowing there will be another day and she will have another chance in four years. What scares me is that windsock J.D. Vance, one cheeseburger and one heartbeat away from the presidency, should Trump somehow win this crazy contest.’
‘I’m almost afraid to watch,’ I said. ‘Maybe we’ll just tune in to another episode of ‘Murder in a small Town’, the L.R. Wright TV series that was filmed here last year. It shows up Gibsons just like it is and we like the main characters.’
‘Yeah, I haven’t had a chance to watch. Puts our little town on the map. Should be good for tourism. I could sure use more customers at the store.’
We both looked out at the grey, blustery water for a beat.
‘I have a confession to make,’ I said, hoping that Camp would be easy on me.
We’re on the cusp of Hallowe’en, the bizarre celebration of ghouls, monsters, skeletons and ghosts. Mostly the event is for kids who go door to door filling their bags with candies and sugar treats while their parents attend costume parties and dress up in weird and funny ways.
‘Any chance Camp that you’re out to the Legion dance this Halloween? Maybe dressed as a book seller?’
‘Not a snowball’s chance in hell,’ Camp retorted. It’s enough that I have to stock books about grisly murders, Walpurgis night witches’ dances and Day of the Dead but I refuse to decorate my store with spider webs and skulls. ‘
While Hallowe’en celebrates fantasy horror and zombies, ‘the real horror show is playing out in today’s elections: from B.C. where the two parties are deadlocked to the nasty campaign of Trump and his cultish followers against common sense, decency and democracy.’
Camp shook his grey curls. ‘It is hard to fathom that Trump might be president again, despite his lousy record the first time. He oversaw the 3rd biggest debt increase of any president; he mismanaged the pandemic; he courted dictators like Putin and Kim Jong Un and when he lost the next election to Biden, he denied that he lost and then attempted to overthrow the government and prevent the certification of the vote. I know I’m ranting here but hell, he is the real ghoul that is haunting my dreams.’
Camp is away this week but since we’re a month away from a great show piece of democracy – an election by the people for the people – I elect to ponder what it is that we are fighting for. So here it goes.
Ordinary people everywhere want what western democracies offer. Freedom of movement and association, freedom of the press and a judiciary based on principles and the common law, progressive education, equality and liberty. No refugees elect to flee to Russia or China, even though they have plenty of room but do not offer assistance and access to social services as we do nor do they tolerate freedoms like we are used to. Nobody wants to immigrate to China or Russia. Democracies share and assist, support and elevate. Autocracies like Russia and China, Venezuela, Iran and North Korea suppress and restrict, marginalize, reject and punish free thinkers, free speech and critics.
Democracy needs journalism based on fact and integrity not propogandists masquerading as reporters. The population needs to be informed and not lied to. The pod casters, writers and reporters need to tell the factual truth, report scientific findings and expose falsehoods, mis- and disinformation and support the common good and have a heart. Hate, fear and demonization are not part of a democracy but honesty, respect, tolerance, openness and respect are. If this sounds idealistic then that’s because it is. We need to believe in and foster altruism, communal thinking, universal access to healthcare and education and support the common welfare of all people. Only together will we succeed in building a better world for our children; alone we will fail and there will be nobody to clean up the mess.
Summer is over and fall is in. ‘How quick the seasons chase each other,’ I said to Camp when we both got comfortable in our corner, looking out at the grey water of the harbour.
‘Yes, it’s a cliché that time flies faster, the older you get.’
‘If it wasn’t for the rest of the world going to the dogs, I would be quite happy with the summer. Business was almost back to before Covid and Muriel and I are planning a holiday in the sun in January.’
‘We’re still debating if we should go back to our Caribbean paradise after it was devastated and destroyed by hurricane Beryl in July. The rest of the world didn’t really notice but the 8000 inhabitants of the island were severely impacted and traumatized by the vengeance of the storm. Hundreds of buildings impacted and flattened; palms and trees stripped of their foliage; mangroves uprooted and dozens of boats beached and destroyed.’
‘If it’s not an impending war, it’s bad weather and if it’s not the weather it’s bad news from the political front. What is one to do?’
‘Clare says to ignore the noise and concentrate on winterizing the garden,’ I said.
‘She has a point and yet I cannot close my eyes and ears and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East keep me awake at night,’ Camp said. ‘Or the spectre of another Trump presidency.’
‘The war in Ukraine is pretty well black and white. One aggressor, one dictator and invader who could halt the whole misadventure with one word: Stop! The escalating war between Israel and its neighbours is more complicated. Hezbollah, Hamas, Iran and radical Islamists want Israel annihilated and wiped from the face of the earth. Israel on the other hand does not recognize its neighbours – the Palestinians – as a legitimate people with equal rights to homeland and security. An unresolvable situation unless someone on both side offers a hand instead of a fist. And have you noticed that all the islamist fighters are men; angry young men driven on by old bitter men.’
‘That’s why a woman US president would be such a welcome outcome in November but I fear that common sense and decency are being pushed to the wall by hate and misogyny, by lies and deceit. To what end I ask? What is the endgame? Where is the love?’
‘Indeed, where is the love? Where is the joy and where are the laughs? We should all celebrate the achievements of humanity, the fact that most of us are living better and more comfortable lives than our forefathers, the fact that we are making progress in many facets of life like education, mobility, connectivity and information. Of course, all of these can be abused and misappropriated but the fact remains: We are an advanced civilization and we can make this world a better place for all.’
‘Worthy sentiments Camp but why do I have the feeling that we’re on the brink of a world war? That all the good we have achieved is taking a dive towards fascism, segregation and vengeance.’
‘You must stop reading the headlines and listening to the sound bites. Go home and help your lovely wife in the garden is my advice.’
‘You’re probably right but I fear the worst and hope for the best.’
‘As you know, hope dies last and is not a pro-active and pragmatic strategy.’
I was staring into my empty beer when Vicky, like a ray of sunshine, dropped two fresh ones in front of us.
‘Are you going to vote in the upcoming BC election?’ Camp asked.
‘I actually will and not be for the reality deniers.’
‘You mean the neocon conservatives?’ Camp said.
‘Cheers,’ is all she said with a wink in my direction.
‘The summer holidays have only just ended, and already the tragedy continues as a 14-year-old shooter shot and killed two classmates, two teachers and injured nine people at the Apalachee High School in Georgia,’ I said to Camp as soon he sat down. According to Education Week, this marks the 23rd school shooting in the US in 2024.
‘Yes, it is very sad indeed or as Sheriff Jud Smith said: Pure evil. while Trump writes on Truth Social: Actions of a sick and disturbed monster, blaming the shooter and not the insane proliferation of guns and assault rifles in the US.’
‘At a campaign meeting in New Hampshire Kamala demanded: ‘We must end the epidemic of gun violence in our country once and for all.’ And so it goes. ‘Fact is that one cannot accept these school shootings as normal,’ I said.
‘In America’s schools alone, the Washington Post has counted 416 such attacks with firearms since the 1999 massacre that left 15 dead at Columbine High School in Colorado. The numbers become even more monstrous when it goes beyond schools. In total, the Gun Violence Archive Portal has registered 385 mass shootings and 23 multiple murders in 2024 so far. In the past ten years, there have been 370,000 shootings. A mass shooting is any incident in which at least four people are murdered with a gun.’
I could just shake my head in disgust. ‘As a rule, in the US, bullets kill well over 40,000 people every year, about half of whom commit suicide. Weapons are easy to get but two months before the election this national catastrophe is not the dominant topic.’
‘That’s because many people, mostly Republican, refer to the Second Amendment, passed at the end of the 18thCentury, which still guarantees the right to own weapons such as AR-15 assault rifle which was used in this latest school shooting,’ Camp said.
‘These same people consider weapons an expression of freedom and self-defence except I never heard of a defense-rifle. It’s called an assault rifle,’ I pointed out.
‘After a shooting in Iowa in January, Trump said: ‘We have to get over it and move on.’ A month later at an NRA meet in Pennsylvania he promised that: ‘Nobody will touch your firearms and I’m your best friend in the White House.’ And don’t count on the arch-conservative Supreme Court to do anything about this crisis that cost the lives of 120 Americans every single day.’
‘And now Republican lawmakers like Marjory Taylor Greene and Mike Collins are asking for prayers for the dead – not a ban on assault rifles. Tayler Green had a poster of herself with an assault rifle, finger on the trigger, promising to ‘blow away the socialists’ while Mike Collins fired at a polling box in an election advertisement, renewing Trump’s election lie and saying that Georgians had had enough of spineless politicians who don’t want to fight for Trump. The box exploded during the shot.’
‘The pointing of fingers at the shooters and perpetrators reminds me of the opioid crisis. The Sackler Family who owned Perdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, the main culprit, to this day deny any culpability in the death of thousands of ordinary citizens, claiming it’s the addicts and their behavior who are to blame not the drugs,’ Camp said.
‘Switzerland has a pretty strong gun culture don’t they,’ Camp said.
‘Yes, and every able-bodied conscripted soldier has a semiautomatic rifle with ammunition at home. Just this coming weekend there is the big ‘Knabenschiessen’ a shooting tournament for boys and girls and it is one of the biggest folk festivals in Zürich. Look it up if you don’t believe me.’
‘It’s always about education,’ Camp said. ‘Knowledge is power – not gun ownership.’ This calls for another round, a round of beer I mean.’
‘We’ve tackled this issue before Camp and the problems and solutions are not any different from the one previously addressed. I’ve just read a report in the Globe & Mail about the recent trends, needs and promises in housing. Also, how several levels of governments have failed to adequately foresee and solve the housing crisis despite plenty of demographic and economic indicators over the last couple of decades.
‘Who needs housing?’ Camp asked. I thought it was a rhetorical question and didn’t respond. He then went on to answer his own query. ‘It’s the young who want to start or have a family, the newcomers, migrants and immigrants who cannot find adequate and affordable shelter, the ones unable to organize their own lives and hold down a job and the drug addicted and mentally ill. All of them found in the catch basin of the homeless or the euphemistic ‘unhoused’.
‘Wasn’t the lack of housing always like that Camp? It’s a question of supply and demand except these days the demand outstrips the supply which is unaffordable and out of reach, even for working class people.’
‘Yes, and housing may be the most obvious component of a healthy life but to supply an apartment or house to those who cannot maintain them is futile. In the old days those who fell through the ever-widening weave of the so-called safety net were either institutionalized or taken care of by their families. Neither of those solutions seem to be available nowadays. Take those camped out in parks and the woods in makeshift shelters, tents or even cars and campers. They don’t only miss proper housing, many of them don’t have the ability to maintain a house, meaning paying the bills, fixing and repairing their dwellings or even shopping and cooking their own meals. Many of these living on the margin of our complicated society cannot lead a life regulated by routines and responsibilities.’
‘Yes, there is also the discrepancy of those not wanting to work and those who are unable to hold down a job. Nobody wants to be a plumber, a welder, a pulp-mill worker or work in an abattoir or on a farm or a restaurant. No young Canadians dream of working in the service industry; they want to be computer programmers and work from home in their pyjamas,’ I said.
‘That’s a bit crass but you’re right. On one hand we have an unaffordable housing crisis, on the other we have all these unfilled physical and menial jobs; jobs that don’t pay enough to rent or even buy into this lopsided real estate market.’
‘Tell me this my friend, why do insurance companies, banks, pension plans and municipalities not build and own co-op housing as they do in Switzerland and Scandinavia? Thousands of people live in very nice and affordable co-ops; housing stock that is rent-stable and not for sale and outside the real-estate bubble that is so prevalent in North America?’
‘I don’t have the answer to that but it would make total sense. Here it is still everybody’s existential dream to own a home, even if the banks own it and only lend the money to buy it.’
‘Unless you own your home free and clear the only difference between owning and renting is the fact that you have to fix and repair your own home while the tenants just call the landlord if something goes wrong.’
When Vicky brought around our second round, I asked her about her rental situation. ‘I’m living with my mom who takes care of my son when I’m at work or school. If not for her I would be out on the street or asking you two if you’d take us in.’
Bruno's point of view 