As condolences pour in, a Canadian notices Trump is silent.

[CC27]

Swede (41,603 posts)

As condolences pour in, a Canadian notices Trump is silent.

I’m just going to say the quiet part out loud.

Canada has just experienced one of the worst peacetime tragedies involving its armed forces on Canadian soil. The scale of the devastation was so immense that emergency department physician Dr. Warren Thirsk of Edmonton’s Royal Alexandra Hospital described it as a disaster of the kind seen only once every 15 to 25 years. The influx of severely injured service members overwhelmed rural facilities and placed enormous strain on major metropolitan trauma centres.

And yet, not one word from the President of the United States.

Not one word of sympathy. Not one expression of condolence. Not even the basic courtesy of acknowledging the suffering of a neighbouring nation.

But there was time to endorse Netanyahu. There was time to rant about France burning. There was time for political posturing and public commentary on events elsewhere in the world.

But when Canada suffered a devastating tragedy? Silence.

Canada and the United States share a border, a history, deep economic ties, and a relationship that stretches back more than 200 years. We have stood alongside one another through wars, crises, and generations of uncertainty. Whatever our political differences, surely the loss and suffering of our people deserve at least a moment of recognition from the leader of our closest neighbour.

This isn’t about political allegiance. It isn’t about left versus right. It’s about basic human decency, respect, and the bare minimum of leadership.

A simple message of condolence costs nothing. It takes seconds to acknowledge another country’s suffering. Yet even that seemed too much to ask.

I know I shouldn’t let this bother me as much as it does. But it does. And I’m furious.

Because when a country is grieving, silence from a neighbour isn’t just silence. It says something about priorities. It says something about respect. And it raises a very uncomfortable question:

If The White House cannot find a single word of compassion for Canada in a moment like this, what exactly are we supposed to believe our relationship is worth?

💭 What is a 200-year friendship worth without basic decency?


https://www.facebook.com/share/19y3LsanE4/?mibextid=wwXIfr

https://democraticunderground.com/100221570650

Spare me asshole

[SVPete]

DU-folks' Trump Hatred is predictable:

* Trump doesn't respond to a disaster somewhere in the world "fast enough", and that means he's hateful and uncaring;

* Trump speaks quickly, and that means he's trying to make it about him.

I was following this a bit yesterday, and what's "out there" is sketchy and unsurprisingly very incomplete (unlike DUmmies politicizing a shooting, I wait for facts to become somewhat known and solidified):

* It's a major training base for the Canadian army, with firing ranges for weapons ranging for small caliber to artillery and rockets;

* Four have died, and many more have serious burn injuries;

* The fire started on a day with very high, almost hurricane force, winds;

* Possiby rumor grade, there are natural gas wells and pipelines on the base, possibly under some of the firing ranges;

* Possiby rumor grade, live fire exercises were occurring at the time the fire started, some with live ammunition;

* Very Rumor Grade, the fire may have been started by a live anti-tank rocket that failed and exploded well short of the target in an area such explosions should not happen.

At this point, how the fire started and even where are not established.

On the scale of the Canadian military, four dead and scores or hundreds seriously injured is a tragedy. Because Canada is a very capable country, Trump probably had an army or air force official quietly offer Carney or the provincial governor assistance, choosing not to speak publicly so as not to detract attention from the people and situation who/that matter.

[ADsOutburst]

Because Canada is a very capable country, Trump probably had an army or air force official quietly offer Carney or the provincial governor assistance, choosing not to speak publicly so as not to detract attention from the people and situation who/that matter.

Maybe Democrats expect Trump to make a big show of it, because that's what Democrats would do.

[SVPete]

Maybe Democrats expect Trump to make a big show of it, because that's what Democrats would do.

They wouldn't offer to put aid where their mouth was, though.

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

If you think that's bad, East Palestine, OH never even heard from their own president.

[SVPete]

I'm going to start a thread with this, but it bears some on my post above:

'United in grief': Canadian Prime Minister leads moment of silence for those killed, injured in military base explosion

https://abcnews.com/International/multiple-people-killed-dozens-injured-explosion-canadian-military/story?id=137359465

The deadly blast occurred on Saturday afternoon, igniting a massive fire that was fanned by high winds and spread from the sprawling military facility into the surrounding rural area, Canadian officials said.

During a news conference on Sunday, Carney said at least four service members were killed in the blast and subsequent "violent fire," and that "dozens more are seriously wounded."
...
The four service members were identified as Sgt. Morgan Wong, Pvt. Shaun Farrell, Pvt. Aidan Goulding and Pvt. Hayden Lykkemark, according to a press release from the Canadian government.

In addition to those killed, 39 Canadian Armed Forces members sustained injuries, the release noted.
...
Multiple Canadian Armed Forces sources told CGTV's Global News that the incident occurred during a live-fire training exercise, and that a gas line or a gas well was struck and ignited the explosion.

A fire erupted within the training area of the military base around 4 p.m. local time on Saturday, officials said.
...
During a news conference on Sunday afternoon, Canadian military officials acknowledged they were aware of the grass fire for several hours before the blaze rapidly spread towards the training area where soldiers were taking part in exercises.

"The fire was a kilometre [0.62 miles] away when the wind shifted. It is not normal for a fire to move a kilometre in 30 to 60 seconds," Maj. Gen. L.W. Rutland said at the news conference.

He said the soldiers killed and injured were taking part in a training exercise ahead of deployment to Latvia. The Canadian Armed Forces will undertake a board of inquiry to examine the event, Rutland noted.