There’s a terrifying reason to avoid Trump’s America

President Donald Trump holds an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on April 9, 2025, in Washington.

By Bruce ArthurColumnist
Bruce Arthur is a columnist for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @bruce_arthur.

Geographically, the United States is a miracle. Warm weather in the winters, natural beauty of almost every kind, a constellation of iconic cities and vacation destinations and highways you could drive all day. Vacation home? My father-in-law had a place in Tampa. Favourite city? Say, New Orleans. A favourite drive? I once cruised the 120 north out of Cody, Wyoming at sunrise, and it felt like a road lost in time. And for Canada, America is so close.

That’s now a problem. Travel from Canada the United States is not just falling: it is plummeting. According to the flight information site OAG, year-over-year bookings of flights from Canada to the United States are vanishing: down over 70 per cent in each of the months between April and September. Airlines are changing routes. Canadians are changing their habits. And not just Canadians: all foreign travel is falling in real time.

And that’s good, but not just because the United States has declared economic war on Canada, led by a deranged President who wants Canada to become an American state. Yes, Canadians should vote with our feet, and our wallets. Buy local, buy Canadian, boo the U.S. anthem at sporting events, and think hard about which party and leader can best reimagine, advocate for, and create a Canada that remains sovereign and free.

What issues matter to senior voters in this election?
But it’s so much worse than tariffs. Avoiding the United States is not just a matter of patriotic principle; it’s a matter of simple safety. Canadians were willing to risk American gun culture, and more. But this American government does not recognize fundamental rights, and you are no longer protected by the law if you set foot in that country. Canada should join other nations in issuing stern travel advisories. We have not, yet.

We should. Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act. Trump’s lawyers are using an 18th-century wartime law to evade constitutional protections around search and seizure, allowing federal agents to enter homes without warrants.

There was a sweep of Latino men with tattoos, allegedly Venezuelan, who were then sent to a brutal prison in El Salvador. One was sent because he had tattoos honouring his autistic brother. The ACLU said some were sent back to America because they were not Venezuelan, or were women. Some were legal refugees.

People are simply being disappeared off the streets for wrongthink. A Columbia University graduate student named Mahmoud Khalil, in America on a student visa whose wife is a U.S. citizen, was arrested for leading pro-Palestinian protests. A Georgetown University researcher named Badar Khar Suri who was born in India, in America on a student visa, was arrested outside his home in Arlington, Va. A Turkish national named Rumeysa Ozturk, a student at Tufts in Massachusetts, was arrested in daylight by four plain clothes officials for writing a pro-Palestinian op-ed in the student newspaper.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the move, saying, “if you come into the U.S. as a visitor and create a ruckus for us, we don’t want it.” A ruckus. She was transported to a prison in Louisiana, and says she has been borderline tortured.

Then there was the Russian dissident, Kseniia Petrova, a scientist working at Harvard Medical School, who may be deported back to Russia, which sounds like a death sentence. The French academic who was asked for the contents of his phone, to look for anti-Trump content. And, of course, there was the case of Canadian Jasmine Mooney, who was detained in terrible conditions for two weeks by ICE over questions about her visa. Canadians born in Iran and Afghanistan have been denied entry at the US border.

It gets worse still. Judge’s orders are being ignored, so people can be shoved on planes and used as the backdrop for an Instagram-style, influencer-modeled fascist mode of cruelty porn. Or too-online AI-as-the-aesthetic-of-fascism taunting. Or a more cinematic version of the same. Friday, the U.S. government resisted implementing a unanimous Supreme Court order to return a wrongly deported man named Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador. It’s a truly dangerous moment.

It is a flailing rage, a puny cruelty, from bullies who know they can’t win a moral or legal argument. It is a vicious bludgeoning racism that will make America poorer, smaller, dumber, weaker. The people in charge are ghouls and trolls and torturers, and the United States as you knew it no longer exists. This could happen to anybody.

When Prime Minister Mark Carney said last month, “The old relationship we had with the United States, based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military co-operation, is over,” it undersold the point. Now, the government should warn Canadians: it should level with them.

If you must go, you need to register if you will be there more than 30 days, or face criminal charges. But otherwise, go to Europe. Or Costa Rica. Visit other parts of our great country, and the world, where it should be an absolutely bustling tourism year. But the United States is not a safe place anymore: it is a wild and predatory wilderness, filled with rattlesnakes and wolves and a brand of cruelty that wasn’t as obvious before. Don’t go.

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US CUSTOMS RIGHT TO SEARCH

United States Customs and Border Protection agents have long had the authority to demand travelers provide access to their electronic devices, but what they’re looking for seems to have changed under the Donald Trump administration.

A French scientist on his way to a conference in Houston was recently turned away over alleged “hateful” messages found on his cellphone.

“U.S. Customs Border Protection, CBP, has the authority to search the devices of anybody travelling across the border, including U.S. citizens – and definitely Canadians,” said Cindy Switzer, a Vancouver-based immigration lawyer practicing on both sides of the border.

In an interview with CTV News, Switzer said, in her experience, border guards generally used that power in the past to look for evidence of crimes such as drug trafficking and possession of child pornography.

But some recent examples show guards may be denying entry to foreign nationals based on political leanings discovered in their social media and messaging apps that do not align with the Trump administration and its policies.

“This measure was taken by the U.S. authorities because the researcher’s phone contained exchanges with colleagues and friends in which he expressed his political opinion on the policies of the Trump administration on research,” French Higher Education Minister Philippe Baptiste told AFP shortly after the incident involving the French scientist.

According to Switzer, CBP agents have wide latitude when deciding whether to allow someone into the United States.

“The issue is that border officers have full discretion in order to grant somebody admission, and they can deny somebody admission for any reason,” she said.

Mike Agerbo, a digital living expert and host of the Get Connected podcast, told CTV News people concerned about protecting their privacy while crossing the border should consider using a different phone than they normally carry.

Agerbo said that’s a good option for people who have an old cellphone lying around – provided they remember to factory reset it before using it and don’t load social media, mail and messaging apps onto it.

For those without a second phone to fall back on, he suggests doing a thorough examination of their devices and deleting anything that isn’t absolutely necessary.

“Just make sure that whatever you have on your device – whether it’s a laptop or a phone – is just basically bare bones,” Agerbo said. “And, if you are deleting things, make sure that they’re securely deleted and go into the deleted folder or the trash and make sure they’re deleted there as well.”

Agerbo recommends travelers check privacy settings on social media accounts to make sure they are comfortable with any publicly visible posts which border guards might be able to find through a simple Google search.

Lastly, travelers should know they are subject to detention and, or incarceration at the discretion of the US Customs authority.

Many Americans accept Donald Trump’s statements, even when they are demonstrably false, due to a combination of psychological, social, and political factors. These dynamics help explain why his supporters remain loyal despite evidence of misinformation.

Key Reasons Americans Accept Trump’s Falsehoods

1. Repetition and the Illusory Truth Effect
   

   • Repeated exposure to false claims increases belief in their validity, a phenomenon known as the “illusory truth effect.” Trump’s frequent repetition of falsehoods, amplified by right-leaning media outlets like Fox News and social media platforms, reinforces these beliefs among his supporters.

2. Confirmation Bias

   • People tend to seek information that aligns with their pre-existing beliefs while dismissing contradictory evidence. Trump supporters often rely on conservative media that reinforces their worldview, making them more resistant to opposing facts.

3. Social Identity and Group Loyalty

   • Many Trump supporters view their political affiliation as a core part of their identity. Supporting Trump becomes intertwined with group loyalty, making it difficult for them to reject his statements without feeling like they are betraying their community or themselves.

4. Cognitive Dissonance

   • To avoid the discomfort of holding contradictory beliefs (e.g., supporting Trump while acknowledging he lies), many supporters dismiss evidence of falsehoods. This helps them maintain internal consistency and avoid emotional conflict.

5. Moral Justification

   • Some supporters perceive Trump’s lies as serving a “higher moral purpose,” such as advancing policies they believe in or protecting their values. This rationalization makes them more tolerant of his dishonesty.

6. Distrust in Traditional Institutions

   • Trump has effectively cultivated distrust in mainstream media and government institutions, labeling them as biased or corrupt (“fake news”). This skepticism leads his supporters to discount fact-checking efforts and accept his version of events as more credible.

7. Fear and Anxiety

   • Trump has leveraged fear—about immigration, crime, or economic decline—to create a sense of urgency and dependency among his base. Fear often drives people to seek simple, reassuring answers, even if those answers are not factually accurate.

8. Charismatic Leadership

   • Trump’s persona as a strong, anti-establishment leader resonates with many Americans who feel disillusioned with traditional politics. His rhetoric gives the impression that he is “telling it like it is,” which strengthens emotional attachment despite factual inaccuracies.

9. Pragmatic Acceptance of Lies

   • Some supporters may recognize that Trump lies but see it as a necessary tactic to achieve political goals they agree with. In this view, the ends justify the means.

10. Echo Chambers

    • Social media algorithms and partisan news outlets create echo chambers where alternative viewpoints are minimized. Within these environments, misinformation is reinforced without challenge, making it easier for people to accept falsehoods as truth.

Broader Implications

These factors highlight how misinformation can thrive in polarized environments where identity, fear, and distrust play significant roles. They also underscore the challenges of combating false narratives when they align with deeply held beliefs or serve political purposes.

T**** faces yet another crisis after The Atlantic’s Jeff Goldberg exposed a shocking intelligence breach. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz mistakenly added the journalist to a Signal group chat—including top U.S. officials—where Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared battle plans for a Houthi attack in Yemen.

Waltz is under fire for creating the unsecured chat, but Hegseth faces greater scrutiny for jeopardizing American troops. Despite the severity, accountability seems unlikely. Attorney General Pam Bondi downplayed the leak, and T**** dismissed it, attacking the reporter instead.

Politically, T****’s week hasn’t fared much better. Democrats pulled off a surprise Pennsylvania Senate win, signaling GOP vulnerability. Meanwhile, he withdrew Elise Stefanik’s U.N. nomination to safeguard a tight House majority.

As T****’s approval ratings slip, he’s trying to shift the narrative—this time with new tariffs. But distraction tactics won’t erase this national security debacle.

Mar 17-21 was a difficult week for Donald T****, marked by economic struggles and his usual tactics of deflection and misinformation.

• Economic Decline: The economy, which was stable before T**** took office, has worsened under his leadership.
• Consumer Confidence Drop: Consumer confidence is at a four-year low, and the expectation index has fallen to a 12-year low, signaling potential economic trouble.
• Recession Fears: Predictions of a recession are increasing as economic uncertainty grows.
• Walmart’s Decline: Walmart lost $22 billion in value, with its CEO noting more stressed and budget-conscious consumers.
• Tariff Policies: T****’s unpredictable tariffs, including a new 25% tariff on foreign-made cars and parts, are creating economic instability.
• Impact of Car Tariffs: These tariffs will significantly raise car prices, harming American consumers and auto manufacturers, including U.S. automakers with operations abroad.
• Retaliation from Trade Partners: Countries affected by the tariffs—Mexico, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and the EU—are expected to respond with retaliatory tariffs.
• Flawed Industrial Strategy: The plan to boost American auto manufacturing is unrealistic, requiring massive investment and long-term restructuring.
• T****’s Misunderstanding of Tariffs: The president appears not to grasp how tariffs function or their negative impact on the economy.

T**** WATCH 
is a special section listing the areas or issues where T**** violates the AmeriKan constitution or tests getting away with breaking the law which the constitution regulates.

AREAS/ISSUES OF WORRY

1. T****  declares pardon given to House Select Committee, investigators of US Capital attack, should be declared null and void as Biden used an ‘autopen’ to sign the pardons. This assh*le never ceases to amaze!!
2. T**** is deporting Venezuelan immigrants to Venezuela
   T has started deporting immigrants who are non-citizens, under the wartime Alien Enemies Act, 1798;
   The court disallowed this action, Sat, Mar 15; T continued this violating a court order.
   Watch this story -> CNNstory
   
   
3. T reduces staff of NOAA [Weather reporting]
   The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) monitors the weather across the USA. It monitors dangerous weather and issues warnings to affected areas. T has reduced its staff so drastically, it will no longer issue weather warnings.

4. T cuts funding to the USAID [Disease monitoring around the world]
   United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is a US agency responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. It implements programs in global health, disaster relief, socioeconomic development, environmental protection, democratic governance, and education in various areas of the world. All nations benefitted from the USAID work internationally. All programs have been terminated and USAID action everywhere has stopped.

   
   

https://www.szpin.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/TRUMP-1984-pdf.pdf

The Democracy Index
Source: The Contrarian

Tracking The Democracy Index in this time of peril is sometimes heartbreaking. We’ve seen attacks on the rule of law, rampant corruption, and other sundry harms to our country. But this week, there are strong, if slim, rays of light peeking through, as democracy notched some important wins in federal courts throughout the country — tipping the Index in a positive direction.

Under tremendous strain, the courts held the line. Federal judges powerfully rejected Trump’s boldly unlawful maneuvers and called out the Administration’s “lies.” They fast-tracked procedures to enable accountability and enforce due process. The district courts utilized their power to repel Trump’s most brazen tactics: misrepresentations, if not outright lies, made in court; attempts to evade proper jurisdiction; and assertions that the president’s authority overrides other considerations, including the Constitution.

It’s important for us to recognize when Trump’s autocratic gambits fail and remember that he is not invincible; in fact, far from it. So this week we highlight….

Four major victories for democracy
First, on Thursday, Judge William Alsup in the Northern District of California slapped down the White House’s effort to fire scores of federal workers and ordered a number of agencies — including Treasury and Defense — to reinstate terminated employees. State Democracy Defenders Fund, led by Executive Chair and The Contrarian’s own Norm Eisen successfully represented the terminated probationary federal employees. Alsup rejected the Office of Personnel Management’s argument that it had not “directed” agencies to fire employees but merely issued “guidance.” And the judge scorched the Administration’s maneuver — determining it was a “sham in order to try to avoid statutory requirements,” and that the government knowingly “lie[d]” when it claimed the firings were performance-based. Alsup set his order to take effect immediately, though DOJ has already filed a notice of appeal.

Second, on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., Judge Beryl Howell stopped the Trump Administration from enforcing key portions of an Executive Order targeting the law firm Perkins Coie, ruling that the Order likely violated the First, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments. The EO seeks, in part, to terminate any government contracts with Perkins Coie and even prevent their attorneys from entering federal buildings (a directive, Howell noted, that would presumably include federal courthouses). This effort to punish lawyers and their clients — borne purely out of the president’s personal pique — strikes at a fundamental American principle: access to counsel and a lawyer’s responsibility to vigorously represent anyone. From John Adams to Clarence Darrow, the law’s most cherished practitioners defended the downtrodden, unpopular, and controversial. As Howell ruled, “The chilling effect of this executive order, 14230, threatens to significantly undermine the integrity of our entire legal system” and “casts a chilling harm of blizzard proportion across the entire legal profession.”

Beyond ruling against the Administration, Howell also lambasted the DOJ’s lawyers with rhetoric judges rarely direct against the federal government. She said that their argument sent “chills down my spine,” and compared Trump to the evil Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland who “yells, ‘Off with their heads!’ at annoying subjects…and announces a sentence before a verdict.” Howell continued, “this cannot be the reality we are living under.”

That is the sound of the judiciary straightening its spine, refusing to be intimidated.

Howell’s strength was met with equal force by the courage of Williams and Connolly, the high-powered Washington, D.C. law firm representing Perkins Coie. This was a dangerous case for any firm to take on — after all, Trump could easily turn his fire against them next. But Williams and Connolly made a subtle yet powerful statement by placing fourteen attorneys’ names on their briefs, far more than typical. While that may not register as noteworthy for the general public, it’s a clear sign within the legal community, and to Trump’s DOJ, that they will not be cowed — one that will hopefully be echoed.

Third, the Trump Administration’s Alice in Wonderland approach to the rule of law — “sentence first, verdict afterwards” — is also playing out in the detention and attempted deportation of the activist Mahmoud Khalil. However one might view Khalil’s opinions and activities, the First Amendment remains a sacrosanct constitutional protection. But Trump and his acolytes revel in trampling free speech and assembly — from encouraging attacks on press freedoms and protections to threatening perceived enemies. The Khalil affair seems to be especially designed to inflame passions. Nevertheless, it represents a stark challenge to the First Amendment.

Judge Jesse Furman’s swift actions allowed Khalil to speak privately with his attorneys for the first time since he was apprehended. The government has produced no evidence substantiating their allegations, nor are they alleging any crimes. Yet Khalil remains in ICE custody in Louisiana. In a sign of fear, the government appears to be moving Khalil around the country in order to prevent SDNY (and Furman) from exercising jurisdiction. DOJ already moved to transfer the case to either New Jersey or Louisiana (which Khalil opposes). It remains to be seen whether that effort will succeed, but Furman already took steps earlier this week to ensure he did not lose initial jurisdiction.

Fourth, back in D.C., Judge Tanya Chutkan allowed the states challenging the constitutionality of DOGE and Elon Musk’s role in the government to obtain expedited discovery in their litigation. The information they receive will be used to support their anticipated motion for a preliminary injunction to stop DOGE in its tracks. In The Democracy Index, we have catalogued Musk’s and DOGE’s illegality, callousness, corruption, and damage. Chutkan’s order will enable those abuses to come to light.

The legal system has still won (note it is female judges often)
These four events constitute substantial victories for the rule of law, accountability, and transparency. Although the power of the courts is inherently limited — many of the rulings are temporary and some will be appealed — these judges used the tools at their disposal to uphold the law, create a clear record, and set an example for their colleagues and all of us. But, as ever, the strength of our democracy ultimately rests with the people — and the stirrings of discontent grow louder each day. The courts are doing their part, we must continue to do ours. We won’t always be able to come to you with good news, but this week, although we are cognizant that there are also dangerous developments in the works, we are happy to have some hopeful rulings to report.

He doesn’t believe in vaccines. He doesn’t believe in innoculations. He wants to eliminate medical procedures that use vaccination and innoculation. Measles outbreaks across the USA and Canada are simply ignored. So what happens to the guy….T**** gets him appointed as the Secretary of Health.

The country is nuts. The majority of its people have slipped off the deep end mentally. The country’s elders, journalists and experienced new reporters are claiming that there’s push back finally starting. Where? What kind? Really? Show me.

Appointing nutbar Robert Kennedy as Secretary of Health aint push back in my books…it’s just more of the mad house policy making in the assh*le T**** White House.

Here are the major steps Herr Schnapps T**** has taken to erode AmeriKan democrary as of March 8:

1. Federal Workforce Restructuring

• “Fork in the Road” initiative pressuring nonpartisan civil servants to resign by 9/2025
• Schedule F expansion reclassifying 50k+ workers as removable political appointees
• Targeting agencies resisting cuts (Education Dept, USAID)

2. Shadow Governance via DOGE

• Unauthorized Department of Government Efficiency created under Elon Musk
• Defunded/disbanded agencies (National Endowment for Democracy) without Congressional approval
• Privatized core functions (e.g., NOAA weather forecasting)

3. Project 2025 Implementation

• Criminalizing voting logistics (prosecuting election officials, restricting mail ballots)
• DOJ weaponized against political opponents & abortion providers
• Environmental deregulation: Paris Agreement exit, climate staff cuts

4. Subverting Checks/Balances

• Ignored 15+ court orders (e.g., USAID funding injunctions)
• Fired 8 Inspectors General overseeing fraud prevention
• Funded primary challenges against GOP critics

5. Information Control

• Deleted 40+ public datasets on climate/economy
• Revoked press credentials for NYT/WaPo/CNN
• “Free Speech” EO enabling probes of universities/media

6. Resistance Efforts

• Women’s March protests (500k+ in SF/NYC)
• 32 states sued over voting restrictions
• Bipartisan “Guardrails Caucus” formed in House

Eileen Workman

Eileen Workman is an author and essayist, who previously spent 16 years in the financial industry as First Vice President of Investments at a major Wall Street firm, until she had a spiritual awakening and left that field. She has worked with Trump, and now offers this about him:

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“I know a little something that so many do not appreciate about Donald Trump, but that those of us who worked with him in the financial services game have known for many decades—long before he ever made a run at national politics.

His stated motives rarely reveal his true agenda. His showmanship and charisma bedazzles the uninformed, which is exactly how he likes it. He never signed a contract or met an agreement he wouldn’t violate or wriggle out of if it suited his hidden agenda. He never met an investor whose purse he didn’t consider his own in some strategic way. And he never met a human being he wouldn’t screw in order to advance or satisfy himself.

If you want to understand his beef with Panama, don’t look at the canal to which he now points. Look at Trump enterprises and their fraught financial and criminal relationship with Panama, and look to the Russian oligarchs who bought condos in his Panama Tower. If you want to understand his fixation with Gaza, don’t look at the Palestinian or Israeli people; look at the real estate value he now perceives that Gaza holds, and he’d like to unlock. If you want to understand his insane, obsessive beef with energy renewable windmills, don’t look at the wind energy aspect; look at his beef with Scotland over his golf course and the nearby windmills that damaged his idea of its aesthetics.

If you want to understand his irrational hatred of Obama, don’t look at the policies of the Obama administration; look to the annual press corp dinner where Obama poked fun at him and bruised his ego. If you want to understand his demonization of Democrats, look not to Democratic social policy, but to the fact they didn’t want him to run under color of their party. If you want to understand his hatred of “immigrants” don’t look to the actual contributions and challenges related to immigration, but to his own germophobia and personal disgust for all things “dirty and brown.

What he does SO masterfully, as many sociopaths do, is figure out how to align, however temporarily, his own personal agenda with the drives of those he can then USE to help him execute it.

And the GOP fell right in line with that abusive strategy. The GOP now looks much like a battered wife who would love to quit Trump, but who also knows their financial security, personal comfort, and social status would collapse if they ran away. And they fear they won’t get much sympathy or support from the people who tried to warn them not to marry the dude—a serial, liar, cheater, thief, sadist, and a generally Bad Person.

Many of the GOP politicians today are busily masking their own abuse from the general public; at some point, however, as they watch their power continue to erode, their reputations get smashed, and themselves get blamed for the extensive abuse they now suffer, something’s gonna give.

“I don’t know what it is, but every bone in my body feels an energetic convergence heading toward a massive, MASSIVE explosion—coming soon.”