Category: Musings
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USA Divergence Manifesto
The Special Relationship didn’t die of natural causes. It wasn’t a drifting apart of friends or a cooling of tempers. It was a cold-blooded shakedown, a mob-style betrayal that finally stripped the mask off the American Neighbor. When Washington demanded an entry fee – upfront concessions on our booze, our dairy, and our digital soul…
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Soviet Central Planning in Conservative Blue: Doug Ford’s Faux Free-Market Sales Pitch
Jon Liedtke deconstructs Premier Doug Ford’s “Open for Business” branding, exposing a governance style rooted in central planning and interventionism. From “gravy plane” jet purchases to picking winners with corporate subsidies, Liedtke argues Ford’s pragmatic corporatism betrays true small-c conservative principles while shamelessly buying off an increasingly cynical electorate.
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Chief Risk Officer: Why Canada Traded Sunny Ways for a Boardroom Banker
Mark Carney’s “Forward Guidance” signals a pivot from Trudeau-era idealism to a technocratic boardroom strategy. As Trump’s tariffs loom, Carney’s majority government positions him as Canada’s “Chief Risk Officer.” While the Conservatives lean into populist theater, Carney’s cold, analytical leverage offers a high-stakes shield for a disaffected generation facing its final buzzer.
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Premier Ford’s $30-Million Mea Culpa: Grounding the Gravy Plane
Doug Ford’s aborted $28.9M ‘Gravy Plane’ purchase exposes deep hypocrisy in Ontario politics. Echoing the 1981 Bill Davis ‘Two Lists’ scandal, this op-ed highlights the glaring disconnect between executive luxury and the harsh realities of underfunded healthcare, calling out political shell games, wasted taxpayer funds, and an impenetrable political bubble.
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Pulp Fiction & The Memification of the Pentagon Pulpit
The administration’s use of “CSAR 25:17″—a cinematic riff on scripture—has backfired into a PR crisis. By blurring tactical “unit lore” with official policy, they’ve traded international credibility for domestic “trolls.” For allies like Canada, this “memification” of the Pentagon signals a dangerous shift from strategic stability to unhinged political theater.
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The Liberal Convention Sold CDOs (Cognitive Dissonance Options)
The 2026 Liberal Convention in Montreal showcased a jarring paradox: Mark Carney’s “sovereign superpower” rhetoric contrasted with Patrick Pichette’s proposed $500,000 exit tax. This “cognitive dissonance” trades core principles for political survival, welcoming conservative floor-crossers while threatening the mobility of the very educated workforce Canada needs to drive growth.
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The Ghost State and the Death of Shared Reality
Welcome to the splintered multiverse. It’s a place where the scoreboard is a lie, the players are ghosts, and the spectators are so high on the dopamine of domestic spite that they haven’t noticed the 45,000 corpses piling up of innocent protesters in Iran. If you’ve been following the headlines lately, you’re being fed a…
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The Geopolitical Fan-Fiction Distracting Canada
Canada isn’t joining the European Union. We aren’t becoming the 51st American state. And no, despite the recurring fever dreams of winter-weary pundits, we aren’t acquiring the Turks and Caicos. I can’t believe we’re doing this again. It doesn’t matter how many breathless op-eds are written or how many “what if” polls are commissioned by…
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The Relevancy of Irrelevancy: The NDP’s Severance Delusion
The federal NDP faces a “severance” from its working-class roots. Under Avi Lewis, the party retreats into academic activism and equity-card optics, while industrial workers in Windsor and Hamilton face economic turmoil. With polling at 9% and provincial wings distancing themselves, the party risks being cannibalized by Mark Carney’s Liberals.
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Weekend at Ayatollah’s: When Iran’s “Jurassic Park” Fences Went Down
The mystery in Iran is reaching a breaking point. We are nearly a month into a war that has essentially erased the entire top tier of Iranian leadership – and the second tier – yet the IRGC is still pretending the lights are on. From last year’s “Midnight Hammer” strikes to this year’s “Epic Fury”…
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The CRA’s Regulatory Red Wedding: Is Canadian Tax Policy Being Outsourced to a Digital Mob?
Jon Liedtke exposes what he calls a “regulatory red wedding” by the CRA, alleging a high-velocity purge of Jewish charities following October 7th. He argues that the agency has outsourced tax policy to a “digital mob,” using technical “gotchas” and nuclear legal options to bankrupt organizations without due process.
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Open for Business or Armed for Business?
Premier Doug Ford’s proposal to legalize pepper spray and empower private security is a “Mad Max” admission of policy failure. Instead of fixing a broken justice system or addressing bail reform, the government is outsourcing public safety to $18-an-hour guards. We need data-driven policing, not mall-level “Delta Force” fantasies.
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Majority of Nothing: Premier Ford’s Al Quds Performance Art
Doug Ford’s failed 11th-hour injunction against Al Quds Day 2026 was a masterclass in political theater. Amidst a global week of antisemitic violence and the ongoing Iran war, Ontario’s majority government opted for performative optics over legislative action. Jon Liedtke argues it’s time for the Premier to stop playing Monday morning quarterback.
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Too Little, Too Cute, & Two and a Half Years Late
Canada’s $10 million security funding is “too little, too late” as antisemitism reaches a breaking point. With Jewish Canadians 25 times more likely to be targeted by hate crimes and synagogues facing gunfire in 2026, a partial subsidy isn’t safety—it’s a “Jew Tax” on a community under constant siege.
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From Iranian Soccer to the Border: 2026 FIFA WORD CUP’s Geopolitical “Pressure Cooker”
Jon Liedtke joined The Gene Valaitis Show on Niagara’s 610 CKTB to discuss why The 2026 FIFA World Cup is no longer just a sports story and why it’s a “geopolitical stress test” for North America. Following the recent defection of Iranian women’s soccer players in Australia, the tournament is shifting into a “total pressure…
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No, Alabama isn’t Better than Canada
Jon Liedtke joins Gene Valaitis to dismantle a Globe and Mail story comparing Canada’s economy to Alabama’s. Calling the argument “bunk,” Liedtke highlights Canada’s sovereign advantages and contrasts its social safety net and low crime rates against Alabama’s high firearm mortality and lack of universal healthcare protections.
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The “YMCA” Anthem: A New Symbol for a Free Iran?
Host Gene Valaitis and guest Jon Liedtke discuss the escalating Middle East conflict, focusing on Iran’s strikes against Israel and neighboring nations. They explore the surprise elimination of Iranian leadership and the unexpected celebration of Iranian Canadians who have adopted the song “YMCA” as an anthem for a free Iran.
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The Royal Big Short: The Andrew Formally Known as Prince is Canada’s Subprime Crisis
As Prince Andrew faces a life sentence for alleged misconduct in public office, Canada faces a constitutional crisis. From the “Epstein Files” to the “Split Crown,” Jon Liedtke deconstructs why the monarchy is a toxic, subprime asset and why the Commonwealth is finally ready to stop being the bag-holder.
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A $6.5-Billion Middle Finger: Breaking Moroun’s Ambassador Bridge Monopoly
The Gordie Howe International Bridge is finished, but “Mr. Hockey” is being held hostage. Between billionaire backroom deals and protectionist shakedowns, our national sovereignty is under fire. It’s time to stop negotiating with a private dynasty, expropriate the Ambassador Bridge, and reclaim the $400-million-a-day “Windsor Wedge” for the public good.
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U.S. SUPREME COURT SLAYS “TARIFF KING” TRUMP: Most of Trump Tariffs Illegal
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs an illegal overstep of presidential power. While a victory for international trade law, the ruling notably excludes the auto, steel, and aluminum duties crippling Canada’s economy. As Ottawa responds with standard diplomacy, the core “national security” threat labels remain.
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Regulatory Red Wedding: Anti-Israel Activists Target Jewish Summer Camp
Welcome to Summer Camp 2026, where the most dangerous thing in the woods is a purity test. From doxxing 17-year-old counselors to debating the “colonial” lineage of a chickpea, activists are waging ideological warfare against Jewish institutions. It’s time for leaders to stop acting like bystanders in a horror movie.
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I Love the Smell of Hopium in the Morning
As Stellantis divests from the NextStar battery plant, local officials are spinning a corporate retreat as “operational certainty.” It’s a masterclass in economic gaslighting. Windsor isn’t a thriving tech hub; we’re a distressed asset huffing “Hopium” while global giants jettison cargo to stay buoyant. Welcome back to the dumpster fire.
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Trump’s ‘Parody’ Becomes a Racial Rorschach Test
From AI-generated racial tropes on Truth Social to the 25% tariffs strangling Windsor’s manufacturing heartland, the Trump administration is performing a masterclass in cinematic statecraft. It isn’t a glitch; it’s a feature. We’re witnessing a culture of curated cruelty where the “money-shot” matters more than the human cost.
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The Canary is Screaming: Antisemitism’s Lethal Adaptability
Whether as the messianic killer, the outside agitator, or the racially inferior, each form of antisemitism provided the intellectual fuel to justify the hatred and its ultimate and seemingly inevitable genocidal conclusion. Today, the oldest & most successful virus has mutated again, migrating from the biology of blood to the geopolitics of state.
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Windsor’s Automotive Addiction
Windsor’s reliance on the automotive sector has reached a tipping point. As Stellantis divests from the NextStar plant and national strategies shift, the city remains dangerously undiversified. With Canada’s highest unemployment rate and construction booms masking deeper cracks, Windsor is “doubling down” on a volatile future. Is the crash inevitable?
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Meth in the Mushroom Shop: The Failed Theatre of Drug Policy
Windsor’s recent psilocybin raid isn’t a victory—it’s a symptom of failed policy. From performative policing to the lack of sensible regulation, we explore why “tough on crime” tactics fall short. It’s time to stop the whack-a-mole strategy and address the drug crisis with backbone, reform, and reality.
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The Great Unraveling: Canada a Distressed Asset?
Forget the maps you knew. As Alberta courted U.S. capital for a leveraged buyout and the 401 corridor faces a 100% tariff “cyanide pill,” Canada’s sovereignty is at a breaking point. From secessionist proxies to Minnesota’s “Blue Exit,” we are witnessing the terminal instability of the North American dream.
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Binger-in-Chief: Why Trump Statecraft Feels Cinematic
President Trump’s statecraft is driven more by Hollywood plotlines than intelligence briefings. From the annexation of Greenland to “The Purge”-style crime policies, the “Binger-in-Chief” treats the world as a cinematic set. U.S. policy has become a dangerous feedback loop of movie tropes and “Central Casting” optics, leaving the nation trapped in a high-stakes narrative most…
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The Last Mile to Freedom: Why the Detroit River Was the 1850s’ Most Vital Border
As Windsor prepares for New Year’s, we reflect on the “Heartbreak Days” of the 1850s. For enslaved Black Americans, the Detroit River was more than a border; it was the perilous terminus of the Underground Railroad. While many celebrate the “Freedom Narrative,” the true history is one of grit, icy crossings, and a desperate race…
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Why Santa is More Canadian than Poutine… and Putin
Forget the poutine—Santa Claus might be Canada’s greatest strategic asset. Beyond the red suit and reindeer, Ottawa has executed a brilliant “soft power” play by naturalizing Saint Nick as a citizen. From issuing official ePassports to establishing the H0H 0H0 postal code, Canada is using holiday whimsy to stake a serious claim in the high-stakes…
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From Cold War Typo to Christmas Magic: How a Sears Mistake Created NORAD’s Santa Tracker
What started as a Cold War misprint in 1955 has evolved into a global, AI-enhanced phenomenon. On its 70th anniversary, the NORAD Santa Tracker remains a fascinating blend of military precision and holiday whimsy. From a “red phone” accident to a corporate-sponsored operation utilizing 1,500 volunteers and generative AI, discover how a cynical PR flex…
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Blindfolds in Darkrooms: Are Jewish Reporters Too Controversial to Defend?
“Globalize the intifada” isn’t a slogan; it’s a target placed on Jewish journalists. Yet, Canadian media advocacy groups remain deafeningly silent. The industry has decided Jewish safety is a “liability” not worth the risk. This isn’t just cowardice; it’s a betrayal. We aren’t waiting for permission to exist. If you won’t defend the truth, get…
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Antisemitism’s Darkness Overshadows Hanukkah’s Lights
Hanukkah 2025 has been a battle between light and darkness. From the horrific tragedy in Bondi Beach to thwarted terror plots in Toronto, the threat of antisemitism has never felt more immediate. Yet, Windsor’s community gathered at the riverfront to light the menorah in defiance. This post reflects on a week of grief, resilience, and…
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Canada’s Antisemitism Crisis Turns Terroristic: ISIS-Linked Extremism Targets Jews & Women
Toronto police arrested three ISIS-linked men—Waleed Khan, Osman Azizov, and Fahad Sadaat—for attempted abductions targeting Jewish women, seizing an AR-style rifle and high-capacity magazines. Khan faces terrorism charges, including conspiracy to commit murder. Amid soaring antisemitism, Jews—less than 1% of Canada’s population—endured nearly 70% of religious hate crimes in 2024.
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Hanukkah’s Light is Medicine for a Broken World
Tonight’s celebration was a welcome solace. Amid a heightened police presence—a sad reality for Jewish events today—our community gathered to kindle the lights, defy darkness, and honor our faith. Heartfelt thanks to the local leaders who stood with us in solidarity. Chag Chanukah Sameach! 🕎
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Tragic. Bleak. Reality. Another 11 Jewish Lives Stolen.
11 Jews dead (so far…) simply for being Jewish. I woke up to this horrific news on the same day my community lights Hanukkah candles. I hate that there hasn’t been a celebration—THAT I CAN REMEMBER—without fear. Tragic. Bleak. Reality. We have been screaming about this. Our leaders fail us.
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First Class Treatment: Canadian Institutions Rent Our Future for Foreign Cash
Canadian medical schools prioritize Saudi Arabian cash over domestic access, selling 1,000 residency spots annually to foreign governments while thousands of qualified Canadians each year are forced to train abroad. Our public institutions have created a “First Class” tier for the highest bidder while leaving Canadian taxpayers in waiting rooms. It’s time to end the…
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The Road Between Us is a Brutal & Essential Watch: Here’s Why
“The Road Between Us” is a necessarily hard watch, intercutting live-streamed Hamas GoPro footage from October 7th with one family’s harrowing fight for survival. The film centers on a retired colonel and grandfather who risked everything to save his loved ones, creating an unforgettable portrait of terror and tenacity that is as unflinching as it…
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Ceasefire NOW!
Donald J. Trump announces a breakthrough peace plan, with Israel and Hamas agreeing to release all hostages soon. The plan aims for a lasting peace, involving Arab nations, the U.S., and more. Trump credits mediators like Qatar and Turkey, citing it as a historic step. Read more!
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October 7 Two Years on: From Burned Kibbutzim & Gaza’s Rubble to Ongoing Division
Two years on from October 7’s Black Sabbath—Hamas’s bloodbath claiming 1,200 Jewish lives, the deadliest since the Holocaust. Gaza’s crisis deepens amid human shields; regional fires rage with Hezbollah, Houthis, Iran. Trump’s peace plan: demilitarize, hostages home, or face obliteration. Yet Western antisemitism surges—Canada’s hate crimes explode, “vigils” glorify murder. Time to heal our divides…
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Our Holiest Day, Their Vile Hatred: A Synagogue, & Jews, Under Siege
### Our Holiest Day, Their Vile Hatred: A Synagogue Under Siege It was Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement—when Jews bare our souls in prayer. Yesterday, that vulnerability became a target at Manchester’s Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation. A terrorist’s car-ramming and stabbing spree turned sanctity into slaughter. Two dead, more fighting for life. This isn’t shock;…
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You Won’t Believe What The Shofar Really Means For Us This Year
This Yom Kippur, like every Yom Kippur, all Jews stand together, carrying the profound weight of the past year. The memories of those lost on & since Oct 7th & the ongoing trauma sit with us continually. Our prayers for them are woven into our deepest confessions. Our collective confession, the “Ashamnu” hits differently this…
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Kvetching about healthcare hysteria, Fake Presidential Medbeds, likely Russian drones, & antisemitism
Join Jon Liedtke for a witty kvetch on the weekend’s chaos: debunking Canadian healthcare myths, mocking Trump’s medbed fantasies, suspected Russian drone chicken games, & calling out David Hogg’s antisemitic AIPAC trope.
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5786 – A New Year
As we welcome Rosh Hashanah 5786, we reflect on the remarkable 200-year journey of Windsor’s Jewish community. From its beginnings with pioneers like Moses David to its formal establishment in the 1890s, our history is one of resilience and strength. This New Year, we honour that legacy by praying for peace, remembering those lost, and…
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KIMMEL CANCELLED
ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! after Kimmel’s monologue on Charlie Kirk’s murder, criticizing the “MAGA gang.” Trump administration pressure and FCC threats reportedly drove the decision, alarming free speech advocates. This precedent threatens media and satire. Will it spark a backlash or more censorship? The stakes for 2025’s discourse are high.
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Go Watch Eddington
Ari Aster’s 2025 bleak satirical Western “Eddington” is a must-see. Set in pandemic-era New Mexico, it masterfully explores COVID-19’s local disruption, BLM protests, Antifa fears, extremism, and unraveling community trust. Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal star as opposing officials. With stellar performances (Stone, Butler), it’s a resonant, urgent look back. See it ASAP! (Beware the…
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PM Carney’s Palestinian Statehood Charade: Hollow Promises, Real Dangers
Mark Carney’s promise to recognize a Palestinian state based on “preconditions” is cynical political theater, designed to appease progressives while ensuring no change. His conditions—Hamas’ exclusion, Gaza’s demilitarization, and free elections—are unachievable, rewarding terrorism and betraying both Palestinians and Israelis. Canada deserves principled leadership, not performative gestures.
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Ex-Hamas Hostage Noa Argamani’s at Windsor’s Breakfast for Israel sees vile Antisemitic Protests
At Windsor’s Breakfast for Israel, former Hamas hostage and Time 100 Most Influential People 2025 Noa Argamani, shared her 245-day captivity ordeal and advocated for the release of remaining hostages, including her partner. Despite protests, some antisemitic, the event raised funds for Israel’s Ashdod Rehab Centre, supporting trauma victims, children with disabilities, and pediatric cancer…
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Never Again must again be Never Again
On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we honor the six million Jews & countless others lost, & remind that Never Again is an ongoing endeavor for all.
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What’s in a (school) name?
Kingsville’s Deputy Mayor says the public school board’s suggested – & chosen – new school name is worse than prior choice due to another vulgar acronym.
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Musings on Canadian antisemitism
Every day there’s more antisemitism being spread across Canada & the casualness it’s deployed, often by those who know better, leaves me uneasy & concerned.
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We’re Not Going Anywhere
It’s 2024 in Canada, but because of the vile antisemitism going unchecked, it sounds and looks more like 1938 in Germany.
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Musings before a convoy trial
The gaslighting is overwhelming. No, the convoy & blockades weren’t peaceful, democratic, or just, & weren’t as Canadian as Nanaimo bars or Butter Tarts…
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What does your compassionate Windsor look like?
Are Windsor’s only options to deal with vandalism & homelessness either tough on crime or path of atonement. What does your compassionate Windsor look like?
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Dilkens accuses health unit of CTS bait-&-switch, & attacks colleagues in process
Mayor Drew Dilkens is accusing the health unit of bait-and-switch and in doing so is attacking his council colleagues. Let’s get real about the facts.
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Jewish thoughts on International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Jewish thoughts on Holocaust Remembrance Day: I won’t know the family I lost. This will never change. They aren’t even dust in the wind; dust can be seen.
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The Politics of Consumption (sites)
Last year Windsor City Council approved the location and kicked the implementation process into high gear for a Safe Consumption Site. Today a newly elected city councillor is seeking to undo that progress and restart the process.
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Hamilton gets a “Bus Barn”? Why not “Garage Mahal”?
Hamilton issues bids for a $300mil transit “Bus Barn” garage that Mayor Dilkens calls a “Garage Mahal” for Windsor. Transit Windsor needs it; so what gives?
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Downtown: Positivity, platitudes, & panes (of glass)
In Windsor there are two groups fighting to make a better city and community for us to live in: those who want to confront reality and those who want to hide from it.
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RCP: 2022 Detroit Auto Show
Rose City Politics received press credentials for the Detroit Auto Show. This is our story.
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Rose City Politics: Multiple multi-billion dollar corps weigh in on…Windsor’s mayor race?
Drew Dilkens’ campaign manager suggested someone ask LG & Stellantis their preference as to the mayor of Windsor. Rose City Politics did just that.
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What is the line between newsworthiness and exploitation?
Yesterday I posted on social media that I was faced with an internal debate after coming into possession of video footage of an altercation between Windsor Police & a now deceased suspect who was wielding a machete at the public in the downtown core. The video clearly shows police shooting the suspect and him falling…
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Musings on negotiations with convoys
Not quite sure how I feel about 20 people in Windsor blocking two exit lanes of the Ambassador Bridge and having the Ford Government fold under that pressure and offer to negotiate directly with them…
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Higher Hannukah
Hannukah, at Higher Limits, brings lots of L’Chiams!
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WINDSOR INDEPENDENT: Beer in grocery stores misses the mark
Only in Ontario would people get excited about driving out of the way to purchase warm beer, while inconvenienced. From Windsor to London there is ONE grocery store selling beer, on two end aisle displays, non-refrigerated, and much to the convenience of no-one, you’re forced to purchase the beer immediately as there is a cash…
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Pursuant of Social Justice
Jon Liedtke reflects on a transformative student trip to New York City organized by the Canadian Federation of Jewish Students. Through volunteering with Midnight Run and Uri L’Tzedek, students confronted social inequities, fueling a passion for initiative and Tikkun Olam that extends beyond the excursion.