A Low Budget Remake Flops?

Justin Trudeau’s attempt to use police violence in Ottawa for a low budget remake of the Odessa Steps has flopped. He’s announced he is pulling the plug on the Emergencies Act.

The original Odessa Steps sequence is part of Serge Eisenstein’s propaganda masterpiece Battleship Potemkin. In the end, it appears that Trudeau’s propaganda efforts did more to expose the true nature of his Potemkin village government than anything else.

I’m Not Making This Up, You Know

Justin Trudeau has announced the following in response to Russian activity in Ukraine:

Canada and our allies will defend democracy. We are taking these actions today in a stand against authoritarianism.

The actions he is taking against authoritarianism include sending 460 soldiers, a frigate, and a patrol aircraft to Europe. Apparently, horse units will be retained at home for domestic authoritarian operations.

And In Canada …

… The House of Commons has voted 185 to 151 to confirm the Prime Minister’s use of the Emergencies Act.

There’s no word yet on whether the Mounties will be swapping their red serge tunics for proper Chekist leather coats.

UPDATE—The matter is still before the Canadian Senate which has a vote scheduled for Friday.

Politicians Acting Bad

So what did the Canadians think they were getting when the gave the Liberals a majority and allowed Trudeau to form a government?

He’s not the first person with the kind of ego needed to be a national-level politician who has felt entitled to take what he wants when he wants it. He won’t be the last.

A Promise Kept

It’s rare when a politician keeps a promise, but President Obama has. During the 2008 campaign, he promised on numerous occasions to raise energy prices. He has certainly kept that promise. Gas was around a-buck-eighty in January, 2008. During my round trip from Maryland to Texas earlier this month, I paid an average of $3.28.

It certainly seems that he is working to make sure that promise stays kept. For example, consider the administration’s delays in approvals for the Keystone XL pipeline which would bring Canadian oil to U. S. refineries, providing us with an on-shore source of energy that we could purchase from a country that doesn’t fund terrorists.

The Canadians are going to develop their oil shale deposits, and they will have no trouble selling the oil on the world market. Indeed, if we don’t move soon, construction will begin on a pipeline to the Pacific coast in British Columbia where Chinese tankers can call. Building that pipeline will be a significant engineering challenge, but it will happen if that’s how the oil can move to the world market. It’s less likely to happen if the more cost-effective Keystone XL line is built.

Regime change in 2013 may come soon enough to save Keystone XL. We can hope for a change.