I need ammunition, not a ride . . .

Biden offers the Ukraine rhetoric, little else

Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky replied to President Biden’s offer to evacuate him and his family in the fact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine saying “I need ammunition, not a ride”. It is hard to imagine any statement that could more clearly capture the weakness of Joe Biden and the courage of the Ukranian President. The weakness of the United States to stand up to Putin’s territorial aggression became even clearer last night in the State of the Union speech by President Biden. More than once, he claimed that “we stand with you” in reference to the Ukraine in a speech devoid of any substance to that claim.

Russia sells oil to the United States, helping fund Russia’s war on Ukraine. Biden has taken no steps to put an end to that financial support for Russia, preferring to let Russia keep exporting oil to America and Europe to keep a lid on oil prices which have become a political football since a combination of foolish energy policies and profligate government spending have imbedded rampant inflation into our economies and higher oil prices fuel even more inflation. Neville Chamberlain showed more spine facing Hitler in 1933 than Biden does facing Putin today. Chamberlain showed no spine at all in fact, but at least he did not help fund Nazi aggression.

It is now clear that energy politics overwhelm world security concerns as the United States and European leaders turn to empty rhetoric rather than bullets and bayonets to put an end to the Ukraine invasion, sending token amounts of arms to Ukraine and making tough sounding speeches while ordinary Ukranians are throwing themselves in front of Russian tanks to slow the invasion. Cowardice is now a core value in America and Europe, not to mention Canada where our Prime Minister talks tough but cowers in fear over a peaceful trucker protest and goes into hiding, calling a protest a national emergency and invoking an Emergency Act intended to be used in times of war or its equivalent. Think about it. A trucker strike is an emergency and a shooting war in Ukraine is not. Compare Trudeau’s cowardice to the courage of President Zelensky and his young family refusing to yield to Russian aggression and taking up arms.

There is hope for Canada if we can get Trudeau out of Ottawa. Pierre Poilievre’s recent speech posted on YouTube gets right to the heart of the real issue underlying the Ukraine situation - energy dependence of Europe on Russian oil & gas and a lack of alternatives as Trudeau and Biden keep pretending CO2 is harmful and that “climate change” is an existential threat to suppress oil & gas production in Canada and the United States. Biden canceled Keystone XL the day he was inaugurated, denying American 830,000 barrels of oil a day from ally Canada, and buys about 500,000 barrels a day from Russia. Despite repeated calls to reverse that silly decision, Biden doubles down on “climate change” rhetoric. Poilievre would rebuild Canada’s energy industry, build pipelines and accelerate construction of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) export terminals if he became Prime Minister, helping free Europe from its dependence on Russian fossil fuels while expanding the Canadian economy materially.

Natural gas prices in Europe and the United Kingdom have gone through the roof while oodles of natural gas lie undeveloped in both Canada and the United States and Canada has yet to build one LNG export terminal, although one is finally under construction. Even that construction is being delayed byFirst Nations protesters and “climate activists” who only days ago violently attacked a construction site for the Coastal Link natural gas pipeline needed to supply gas to the Kitimat LNG project once operational.

The only way to put an end to the nonsense in Washington and Ottawa is at the ballot box. Unwavering support for Trudeau by the New Democratic Party under Jagmeet Singh (who is little more than a political opportunist willing to subordinate integrity to political expediency to buy a few more months in the limelight) means ousting Trudeau will have to wait a few years, but it is nonetheless essential to Canada’s economic future to put an end to Liberal governments. Similarly, Biden will be in office until 2024 unless his failing cognitive health ends his Presidency earlier, and it seems likely we are stuck with two weak left wing leaders in North American until that time.

Leadership failures in Canada, the United States and Europe mean Ukraine will likely fall and its courageous leader and his family are become victims remembered for their courage and tenacity while Biden’s and Trudeau’s legacy will be one of cowardice and failure. On the bright side, two or three years is a nanosecond of history and anyone my age knows that time speeds by relentlessly regardless.

Canadians need to take advantage of the time between now and the next election to find a leader capable of saving Canada from decades of economic malaise and restoring our country’s international reputation. Pierre Poilievre may well be that leader. Let’s hope.