Christmas Shopping Irritants

There are a lot of things that are irritating about this time of year for many people. Whether it is dealing with family that are difficult to get along with, having to travel when everyone else seems to be in the airport or on the highway, or feeling a need to spend more on gifts than we can comfortably afford, there is usually something about this supposedly joyful time of year that has us pulling our hair out at least once in a while.

There is one extra irritant that, though it may be relatively minor, is growing in Canada in the last few years, since we have started to do so much of our shopping online. And, like a grain of sand in my shoe, I find my aggravation increasing with continued exposure.

I see a new, interesting, product advertised, on the Internet or possibly on television. It is one of those unique items that you only see near the holidays, that you think might be just the thing for Aunt Mary or Uncle John. It is on a Canadian site, and clearly tells you that it ships from a Canadian city. The price is listed at the bottom, let’s say $79.99. Seems simple enough. Then you look closely. Under the price, on this all-Canadian purchase, it says “USD”.

Now, for anyone who doesn’t know, USD refers to United States Dollars. Why would they price an item being sold in Canada to Canadians in US dollars? Because they are worth more. A product listed as $79.99 USD actually costs approximately $107 Canadian dollars, but it looks much cheaper.

Is this legal? Yes, as long as it is marked as being in US dollars. Is it acceptable? Not really. Certainly there are some sites that sell to customers on both sides of the border, but they can make that clear, or even have a button that allows you to switch currencies depending on where you live. Some international sites do that. A site selling specifically to Canada that is using US currency to price its wares is no doubt hoping that the customer will not notice, and will buy there believing it is a lower price.

What can you do about this as you go about your holiday shopping? First, watch out for the “USD” under the price. If you see it, you can either calculate the actual price you will be paying before you select it, or you can simply decide to go somewhere else, where they aren’t attempting to trick their customers. But in either case, pay attention!

Weapons of War

I have been thinking today about what the current situation in the world would be if outside states did not provide weapons and money to warring countries. No NATO money and weapons in the Ukraine; no USA giving billions of dollars of support to Israel. It tends to be a conservative position, I know – keep our money for our people – but I mean this strictly in the case of supporting war. I am more than happy to provide funds for food, medical care and rebuilding. Just not helping people in one country to kill those in another.

The war in Ukraine, for example, would be over by now. Lost to Russia? Almost certainly. And that could undoubtedly pose its own issues, but it would be over. Without outside assistance, Ukraine had no chance of defending themselves against Putin’s army. But bombs would not currently be flying, and people on both sides would not be suffering the consequences.

The war in Gaza likely never would have started; without massive ongoing aid from the US, Israel would have had to agree to a two-state solution years ago, at the time of one of their previous wars, and Palestine would not be an occupied territory. There would be no need for Hamas, and so it would not exist. The attack of October 7 would not have happened, and everything since would be only a bad dream.

Israel would probably have less land than they do today, and would certainly be less powerful, but Palestine would have more of everything, and thousands of people – many of them children - who have been killed, mutilated or traumatized would be fine and healthy. People on both sides.

Things might not have turned out the way everyone would like them in these situations, but then, they rarely do anyway. And think how many lives would have been saved. Now multiply that by all of the recent wars that allies have “helped” each other out in by providing them with weapons and money to buy weapons. Is this the kind of help we really want to give?

Why Israel Must Be Stopped

As I write this in December of 2023, many western countries, including my own country of Canada, still support “the right of Israel to defend itself” in Gaza, choosing to ignore the fact that the majority of their victims so far have been women and children.

They refuse to force a ceasefire, because they refuse to accept that this is a “war” that Israel cannot win on their terms.

Why? Israel claims that they will keep fighting until Hamas is totally destroyed. However, this is impossible without the complete destruction of the Palestinian people. Even if they were to kill every current member of Hamas – something extremely unlikely – more will quickly take their places unless the situation changes.

The only way to eliminate Hamas is to eliminate the need for Hamas. This requires peaceful discussion that will set up self-government for the Palestinian people. No degree of violence will work.

Benjamin Netanyahu is perfectly willing to commit genocide. Never doubt that. It would be much easier for Israel if there simply were no Palestinians. But if that is not your preferred solution, then we need a ceasefire, and we need it now. It will not be the end of the problem, but it can be the beginning of the end.

Update: Since I wrote this Canada has voted "In Favour" of a ceasefire in Gaza. This is only a small step, and one that is not unopposed in my country, but it is a step. Peace to all.