Sanctions
no television for a week used to work
fifty or sixty years ago
now that sanction would be a reward
taking away a cell phone for a day
would be a powerful sanction
but what violation of our human rights
household bylaws homework undone
could bring down such a terrible sanction
even Vladimir fears not sanctions
because he has his own counter-sanctions
something I never thought of
when I was ten years old
just as well too
I just went through my modest supply of liquor and dumped the half mickey of Popov vodka down the drain. What else can I do? Not listen to any music by Russian composers for a month?
I don’t have an eighteen-wheeler to park in front of the Russian embassy in Ottawa, although I suppose a small SUV would be symbolic – which is about all the NATO countries did to support Ukraine.
The Ottawa police might ticket my vehicle and tow it but I doubt anyone in Ottawa would have the brass to apply the SWIFT banking sanctions against me. I mean, even the US and NATO oligarchs wouldn’t use SWIFT against Putin, so I reckon I will still be able to use Amazon purchases with my un-sanctioned credit card.
The stock markets around the world barely hiccupped when Russian tanks rolled over the Ukraine border. Will they even pause when the next country falls to the Russian Blitzkrieg? For surely Putin is following Hitler’s playbook – except he has Nukes as well a Panzers. And do not be fooled: that madman will use a nuke if he thinks we won’t retaliate.
We Canadians, of course, don’t have any nukes, but we would, after weeks of debate, send a strongly-worded letter of reprimand; or declare and submit a State of Emergency - Foreign Version 1.02 in both official languages as well as a Russian translation to the Russian Ambassador. And then apologize for interfering in another country’s affairs.
One cannot be too careful in these international situations. Remember the Fenian raids of 1866. Sorry, we cannot even remember WWII let alone those incursions back in the days of Confederation.
Maybe all we can do is accept Ukrainian refugees. If you have relatives who want refuge, we have people in North Bay to help them.
Just ask for Don.
