Fred, I’m very glad you and your two fingers have jumped on Substack. You do a great job of sorting the heap of confusion we constantly face into bins of clarity.
Hey Fred, Todd here from just up the way in Qualicum. This resonates with me, bigly. My wife and I finally did the snowbird thing a few years ago. Then the "51st State " comment was made. The next morning in the leaning on the fence BS with the neighbour, he says your becoming one of us. WHAT? Never.... All the rhetoric got real, my sweet sweet wife and me started using language to let them know it was stupid. Simply put, I went down in Oct/Nov and sold the place and came home. My wife and I feel so grateful for this awesome land that we call Canada. Keep up the good work friend.
Hi Fred. Apparently there are ICE agents in five major cities in Ontario and Quebec. Supposedly they aren’t allowed to carry weapons.. blah blah blah. I’m wondering how much that blowhard of a US Ambassador knows about this and if the asshole who treats us so disrespectfully is going to press more in.
Thank heavens.. I don’t trust anything having to do with that dipshit south of the border. I was thinking it’s a foot in the door scenario. Thanks for the information Fred.
Great question... and honestly, you don’t need to be “AI-savvy” to contribute.
Most of what I do isn’t tech magic.
It’s just curiosity, reading a lot, connecting dots, and explaining things in plain English.
AI doesn’t think for me.
It just helps me move faster... like spell-check and power steering for the brain. 😄
If you can...
• ask good questions
• share useful info
• write what you see
• speak up with common sense
…you’re already contributing.
That’s 90% of it.
Funny enough, I’ve actually been thinking about putting together something to show the simple AI methods I use... nothing fancy or geeky... just practical “here’s how Fred does it” stuff so regular folks can use the same shortcuts.
Because if a 73-year-old two-finger typer can make this work, anybody can.
Tools are learnable.
The will to care?
That’s the rare part... and you’ve already got that.
Hi Fred. Fellow (lady) geezer here. I get your," no chest thumping", but give yourself a quiet pat on the back- because I can't shake your hand on-line. Granny B
So happy to have found you! In the “Before Times”, we were Snowbirds in FL for many years. We share your posts with many of our American friends who need to understand the view from north of the border…and some of them have actually begun to see the light! Thank you for what you do, “Mr. Woodpecker”….your “opinion” is important!
Always love your posts. Encapsulate what the majority of us feel and think. Living in Trumpist Smith Alberta results in my waking up daily feeling angry. What fresh new hell will she come up with today … as she removes our Canadian charter rights, access to universal healthcare, undermines the judiciary, attacks trans and immigrants (immigrants she wrote to PM Trudeau wanting an increase in no less despite her blaming Ottawa … her letter is available online) …
So this fellow Canadian who was transferred from Quebec to Alberta after the 1995 referendum has has it up to my back teeth with Helberta BS.
Glad you are here too - two fingers and all. Always good to have someone put in words what we all feel.
Thanks Anne... that means more than you probably realize.
Putting words to what people already feel… that’s exactly what I’m trying to do.
Nothing fancy. Just plain English and two fingers on a keyboard 😄
Glad you’re here with me.
Fred, I’m very glad you and your two fingers have jumped on Substack. You do a great job of sorting the heap of confusion we constantly face into bins of clarity.
Thank you, Joanne... that means a lot.
Yep… it’s still just me and the two-finger typing system over here.
Nothing fancy. No newsroom. No staff.
Just coffee, curiosity, and finding my feet in Substack. 😄
Honestly, that’s all I’m trying to do...
Take the giant heap of “WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?!”
…
and sort it into a few simple bins that actually make sense.
Because most of this stuff isn’t complicated... it’s just badly explained.
If I can help turn confusion into clarity for folks, then the old fingers are doing their job.
Really glad you’re here reading along. Makes it worthwhile.
Hey Fred, Todd here from just up the way in Qualicum. This resonates with me, bigly. My wife and I finally did the snowbird thing a few years ago. Then the "51st State " comment was made. The next morning in the leaning on the fence BS with the neighbour, he says your becoming one of us. WHAT? Never.... All the rhetoric got real, my sweet sweet wife and me started using language to let them know it was stupid. Simply put, I went down in Oct/Nov and sold the place and came home. My wife and I feel so grateful for this awesome land that we call Canada. Keep up the good work friend.
That one hits a little closer to home, Todd.
And yeah… when rhetoric turns into someone casually saying
“you’re becoming one of us”
like it’s inevitable?
That’s not politics anymore.
That’s personal.
Up here in Qualicum Beach, we joke, we debate, we disagree…
…but nobody’s trying to erase who we are.
That comment would’ve rubbed me the wrong way too.
Badly.
Because there’s a difference between visiting a place…
and being told your country is disposable.
No thanks.
Selling and coming home?
Honestly sounds less like a financial decision and more like a gut one.
And I respect the hell out of that.
There’s something about stepping back onto Canada soil and realizing...
“Yeah… this is mine. This is us.”
Not perfect.
But ours.
I think a lot of Canadians had that same quiet shift when the “51st state” nonsense started.
It stopped being abstract and turned into...
“Nope. Line drawn.”
Anyway... Qualicum neighbour? That makes this even better.
Nice to know there are a few of us up-island comparing notes and keeping each other sane. 😄
Appreciate you sharing that, friend.
Aaaand, because you’re a true Canadian not to be trifled with. Glad I found you, you wise old geezwer! Keep it up! You’re fabulous!
Ha! I’ll take “wise old geezer” as a badge of honour. 😄
Thanks Debra... that means more to me than you know.
I’m not trying to be loud… just steady.
Cut through the fog, translate the nonsense, and keep things in plain English so regular folks can see what’s really happening.
If that helps even a little, job done.
Glad you’re here. Pull up a chair... we’ve got more sense-making to do.
Thank you so much for doing what you do. You are a rational voice in the hurricane of madness
That’s such a kind thing to say, Dawn... thank you. ❤️
Honestly, I’m not trying to be anything special… just trying to be steady.
There’s already enough yelling, panic, and sky-is-falling noise out there.
If I can slow things down, connect the dots, and put it into plain English so it makes sense… that’s good enough for me.
Think of me less as a “voice” and more like the guy on the porch with a coffee saying,
“Okay… let’s breathe and look at this properly.” 😄
Really glad you’re here reading along. We’re all riding out the hurricane together.
I love that phrase “if you don’t tell your own story, someone else will”. Great article!
Thanks, Scott... glad that line landed.
It’s one of those lessons life keeps teaching the hard way.
If you stay quiet, someone else fills the silence… and they usually get the story wrong. 😄
Better we speak up and tell it straight ourselves.
Appreciate you reading... means a lot.
You are much appreciated. You speak/print TRUTH. I will pass on this to let people know that you do this for CANADIANS.
Thanks, Sid... that really means a lot.
I don’t claim to have “the truth”…
I just try to slow things down, look at the facts, and say it in plain English.
No spin. No drama. No party jerseys.
Just common sense for regular folks here in Canada who are trying to make sense of the noise.
If something I write helps people connect a few dots or feel a little less crazy reading the headlines, then it’s worth doing.
And I appreciate you sharing it around... word of mouth beats any algorithm. 😄
Glad you’re here.
Glad you are here for us, appreciate!!
Thanks, Susan... that really means a lot. ❤️
I’m just a guy reading, connecting dots, and putting things into plain English so we can all make sense of it together.
If it helps even a little, it’s worth the coffee and keyboard time. 😄
Glad you’re here too... this only works because of the community around it.
Hi Fred. Apparently there are ICE agents in five major cities in Ontario and Quebec. Supposedly they aren’t allowed to carry weapons.. blah blah blah. I’m wondering how much that blowhard of a US Ambassador knows about this and if the asshole who treats us so disrespectfully is going to press more in.
Had to look this up because it sounded sketchy at first.
From what I can tell, they’re not roaming around like U.S. cops up here.
They’re basically liaison officers attached to consulates working with Canadian agencies on cross-border crime stuff.
No arrest powers. No independent ops. Canada still controls the sandbox.
So it’s a lot less “ICE patrols in Ontario” and a lot more boring bureaucratic cooperation than the rumours make it sound.
Thank heavens.. I don’t trust anything having to do with that dipshit south of the border. I was thinking it’s a foot in the door scenario. Thanks for the information Fred.
Thank you. I feel the same.
Thanks, Rob... appreciate that.
Nice to know I’m not the only one thinking this way. 😄
Feels like we’re all just comparing notes and figuring it out together.
Glad you’re here.
Tell us about how we non-AI-savvy folks can contribute. Not all of us have your skills, but we do have your will.
Great question... and honestly, you don’t need to be “AI-savvy” to contribute.
Most of what I do isn’t tech magic.
It’s just curiosity, reading a lot, connecting dots, and explaining things in plain English.
AI doesn’t think for me.
It just helps me move faster... like spell-check and power steering for the brain. 😄
If you can...
• ask good questions
• share useful info
• write what you see
• speak up with common sense
…you’re already contributing.
That’s 90% of it.
Funny enough, I’ve actually been thinking about putting together something to show the simple AI methods I use... nothing fancy or geeky... just practical “here’s how Fred does it” stuff so regular folks can use the same shortcuts.
Because if a 73-year-old two-finger typer can make this work, anybody can.
Tools are learnable.
The will to care?
That’s the rare part... and you’ve already got that.
Hi Fred. Fellow (lady) geezer here. I get your," no chest thumping", but give yourself a quiet pat on the back- because I can't shake your hand on-line. Granny B
Hi Granny B... fellow geezer! I love that. 😄
And thank you… truly.
I’m not much for chest-thumping... feels weird patting yourself on the back too hard... but I’ll take a quiet nod and a virtual handshake any day.
That means more anyway.
I’m just over here doing my small part… reading, thinking, typing with two stubborn fingers… trying to make sense of the mess for the rest of us.
If it helps good people like you even a little, that’s plenty of reward.
Consider your handshake returned... with a Canadian porch-coffee smile.
Ahhh...now this makes sense! 😉 Thank you! ❤️🇨🇦
Short, sweet, and honestly the best kind of comment... the “lightbulb moment.” 😄
Here’s a warm little porch-style reply you can drop in...
Glad it helped, Cath — that’s always the goal. 🙂
Half the time I’m not trying to change minds…
just trying to make the fog lift a bit so things make sense.
Once you see the pieces clearly, the story usually explains itself.
Appreciate you reading and being part of the conversation.
Always nice to have thoughtful folks from Canada in the room. ❤️
So happy to have found you! In the “Before Times”, we were Snowbirds in FL for many years. We share your posts with many of our American friends who need to understand the view from north of the border…and some of them have actually begun to see the light! Thank you for what you do, “Mr. Woodpecker”….your “opinion” is important!
Love your perspective
Always love your posts. Encapsulate what the majority of us feel and think. Living in Trumpist Smith Alberta results in my waking up daily feeling angry. What fresh new hell will she come up with today … as she removes our Canadian charter rights, access to universal healthcare, undermines the judiciary, attacks trans and immigrants (immigrants she wrote to PM Trudeau wanting an increase in no less despite her blaming Ottawa … her letter is available online) …
So this fellow Canadian who was transferred from Quebec to Alberta after the 1995 referendum has has it up to my back teeth with Helberta BS.