Slouching Towards Bethlehem

In what I think was an underreported story, Russian has announced the following:

Russia will make changes to its doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons in response to what it regards as western escalation in the war in Ukraine, state media quoted deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying on Sunday.

The existing nuclear doctrine, set out in a decree by President Vladimir Putin in 2020, says Russia may use nuclear weapons in the event of a nuclear attack by an enemy or a conventional attack that threatens the existence of the state. Some hawks among Russia’s military analysts have urged Putin to lower the threshold for nuclear use in order to “sober up” Russia’s enemies in the west. Ryabkov’s comments on Sunday were the clearest statement yet that changes would indeed be made. “The work is at an advanced stage, and there is a clear intent to make corrections,” state news agency Tass cited Ryabkov as saying. The decision was “connected with the escalation course of our western adversaries” in connection with the Ukraine conflict.

The above should not come as any real suprsie, given the proxy war currently being fought in the Ukraine between the U.S. and Russia. Nonetheless, it is a sobering start to the post-Labour-Day week, isn't it?

In other news,  a war of another kind looks increasingly likely after the next U.S. election. Peter Stone reports that Trump and his cabal are busy laying the groundwork for civil war.

Donald Trump and election denialist allies at Turning Point USA, True the Vote and other Maga stalwarts are spreading conspiracy theories about election fraud in order to lay the groundwork for charging the election was rigged if Trump loses, warn election experts and some veteran Republicans.

 John Giles, the Republican mayor of Mesa Arizona who spoke at the Democratic national convention in August in support of Vice-President Kamala Harris’s campaign for the presidency, said that former president Trump and his allies “will throw everything at the wall and see what sticks”, if Trump loses.

He added: “They’ll claim everything went wrong if they lose. I’d be surprised if Trump doesn’t try to foment insurrection if he loses the election.”

The endgame is in sight: 

“A lot of false claims are masquerading as efforts to change policy to improve election integrity when in actuality they’re just designed to sow distrust in our system if Trump loses,” said David Becker who leads the Center for Election Innovation and Research. “This is all designed to manufacture claims that if Trump loses, the election was stolen and to sow discord, chaos and potential violence.”

Voter suppression also is part of the plan:

Although they lack the resources of Kirk’s well funded operations, Texas based True the Vote has long played a role in pushing election conspiracies about voting fraud at drop boxes and other bogus charges, and the group is once more working to sow doubt in Wisconsin.

Catherine Engelbrecht, who founded True the Vote in 2009, in an interview on 30 July with Christian nationalist and self-styled prophet Lance Wallnau, said her group was partnering with a few sheriffs in Wisconsin to monitor drop boxes for voting fraud using camera equipment that the group plans to provide.

Given the general low level of awareness and intelligence that exists in the U.S., expect anything but a smooth transition should Kamala Harris and her party succeed in November.   

 

 

UPDATED: The Endless Cycle

Recently, I finished reading a book called The Failed Promise: Reconstruction, Frederick Douglass, and the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson, by Robert Levine. The American Civil War and its aftermath are topics I find of great interest, not just because of their long-lasting impact on American society, but also because those echoes of history continue to reverberate today.

As vice-president, Andrew Johnson succeeded to the presidency upon the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Although he showed initial promise in the struggle for Black rights, (indeed, he fancied himself as "the Moses of the Black people") he turned out to be a raging racist who hid his myriad prejudices behind rhetoric that suggested he was concerned about moving too quickly on things like Black citizenship and Black male enfranchisement lest it lead to racial strife and danger for the Black people, 

Johnson revealed his nature in many ways, including how he pandered to Southern fears that enfranchisement of Black males would dilute the voice of white people, making them a 'minority'.

A pity we don't know history better, because if we did, we would know that Johnson's rhetoric was merely an early version of  the Great Replacement Theory, the idea that immigrants are changing the complexion of Western nations, supplanting 'old stock citizens' and thereby disempowering them in pursuit of a political agenda. You may or may not be surprised that it also has some traction in Canada.

If you read David Climenhaga's post, you will know that Alberta premier Danielle Smith recently dined and chatted onstage with Tucker Carlson, the erstwhile Fox 'commentator' who was let go because he criticized his bosses. He found open-arms in Ms. Smith, however, pictured below with a couple of other attendees you might recognize:

It was at this gathering that Carlson, knowing he had a receptive audience, vented his spleen, as discussed by Shree Paradkhar:

"They're taking away your voting power by changing the population of your country, but nobody's talking about that," he said. "Canada has the highest immigration rate in the world per capita. ... If you change the population of the country, you change the country. And you dilute the voting power of the people who are vested in that country who have lived there long term. Who understand the history and culture of the country. All of a sudden, their vote means much less."

There are certainly rational discussions one can have about immigration levels, as Paradkhar points out. However, there will be be those Canadians who see the world only in black and white, absolutist terms. They of untutored minds, limited education and a paucity of critical thinking skills will lend a credulous ear to the likes of Carlson's racist nonsense, and without doubt will feel he is speaking their 'truth'. 

And others are listening as well.

Immigration is emerging as a top issue in the 2024 U.S. elections. Donald Trump, who in 2016 so charmingly called Mexican immigrants rapists and said "they're bringing crime," has now upped his toxicity to say immigrants "are poisoning the blood of our country."

In Germany, the far-right Alternative für Deutschland expanded its base in recent regional elections, riding on the fear sparked in German voters by the sudden burst of asylum-seekers.

 But as Paradkhar points out, theymiss the poimt that immigration is necessary.

If Carlson had only spoken to Ontario Premier Doug Ford, he would have learnt in 2021 that there was a labour shortage and that "We’re in such desperate need of people from around the world."

But rationality is rarely appreciated, and thus the endless cycle of history prevails. 

UPDATE: Michael de Adder captures Tucker rather nicely, don't you think?