Left Jabs

   Here’s a look back at a piece from last January, with stuff that’s highly suggestive of today’s headlines. It touches on Canada. It zeroes in on Venezuela, in the wake of Trump’s now-quaint invasion of that poor abused country. It then moves on to things like how the military reacts to stupid orders from stupid people. The only revision needed is that the breakeven oil price of $82/barrel was deemed a far-off fantasy then, back when the price of crude was $58. Now, at $117, Trump is pretending Venezuelan oil is the magic bullet that solves all the world’s energy needs. Spoiler alert, it isn't. The timeline for restoring Venezuela’s petroleum infrastructure remains at least ten years, and still makes no economic sense to anyone but Trump. When I wrote this, little did I know that what was really bad then would turn spectacularly worse, and no less stupid, soon enough.   Turns out, one of the hardest parts of watching my country descend deeper and ...

   When Mark Carney shut down the so-called “trade talks” last week, the apparent reason was that US negotiators threw in several intolerable — and indeed insulting — provisions at the last minute. I have no trouble believing this, no matter what lies the regime tells. But to me, that last-minute bait-and-switch was simply rancid icing on a poison cake. The real outrage is that anyone needed to “talk” at all. There was already a major trade agreement, in force for years, not perfect but perfectly workable. There was nothing that needed negotiating. There were no disagreements in any real sense, only the feigned grievances and warped ambitions of a single malignant narcissist with no impulse control. This was never a trade talk, it was a shakedown. It was Trump in mob-boss mode, the playground bully stealing your lunch money. Most people I know hate bullies, so it’s especially upsetting to see my country acting like one. The US came to the table in bad faith,...