When displaying the Canadian flag, such display should be undertaken with respect.

The flag should be intact, relatively clean, and flying from a pole. It should not be affixed to the outside of a structure where it cannot fly unhindered.

Which brings me to my local chapter of Edward Jones Investments here in Renfrew, where a Canadian flag was draped outside a window and allowed to “hang” against the brick of the office structure. It’s often obscured anyways by the parking of a camo-version Dodge Ram pickup in front of the business, something I assume belongs to somebody important who feels they’re above parking their vehicle at the side of the building so as to not obstruct the frontal view of the recently renovated storefront.

Is this flag an attempt at patriotism? If so, the wrong message is being sent. You’re saying, intentionally or not, that you don’t respect the flag enough to display it properly as per flag protocol.

If it’s not patriotism, is it an expression of protest? Does it indicate support for lawless convoys, anti-government protest, anti-vaccine or anti-mask protests? Is it too easy to assume that the camouflaged Ram and the hapless flag are the work of the same individual hoping to tap into anti-everything sentiment to generate business? If so, does corporate know about this? Does corporate approve?

If I had an investment portfolio at this place, I’d move it, just because of the flag and because somebody in that place has co-opted the national symbol to express discontent with the government or government policies. I’d feel the same way no matter the political party in power. I don’t expect Edward Jones Investments to tremble in their boots at the prospect of losing my business, business they’ve never had in the first place. But they might take notice of any attempts to influence some of their current customers to withdraw their own portfolios to protest the treatment of the flag.

The flag is not yours to fly whenever you want to express your displeasure at, well, whatever. Rather, it’s ours, as in all Canadians, some of whom are still proud of our country, notwithstanding some of the rubes that live within it.

People have sacrificed their lives in uniforms bearing that flag. Maybe show it the respect it deserves.

What to make of Kaliningrad?  A geographical aberration, sticking out like a geopolitical sore thumb, and nothing but trouble for several Eastern European nations and for the NATO alliance overall.  An exclave of Russia, meaning it’s Russian territory, although not physically connected to Russia proper.  Bristling with weapons, it acts as a forward-projecting military base whereby the Russians can play their historical role as shit disturbers-in-chief, in this case in the Baltic Sea and on the borders of Lithuania and Poland.

How in Hades did the Russians manage to hang onto this spot?  It’s like ISIS or Al Qaeda having a Purolator parcel depot in an American mall.  Literally, the enemy with a forward operating base right in the middle of your driveway.  It’s one of the most son-of-a-gun things you can find on a map of the world today, and it’s something that’s going to have to be dealt with some day.  In fact, I have no doubt that NATO has no shortage of weapons currently trained on the place, and, in the event of hostilities with a self-destructing Russia, Kaliningrad would likely be the first Russian asset removed from the board.

For an explanation as to why Russia maintains control of Kaliningrad, a combination of historical, political, and strategic factors need to be considered.

I’ve been talking about how immigration is an important aspect to finding a solution for the situation whereby our population has become top-heavy with senior citizens and less represented by productive wage-earning taxpayers.  We need more people in the country if we’re to continue supporting and maintaining our social security net in Canada.  Health care and pension costs are rising, yet there’s fewer people around to pay into these programs, putting the entire system at risk.

That said, my investigation into the benefits of immigration revealed to me something that caught me by surprise somewhat:  that a large number of immigrants, once accepted by Canada and living among us as fellow Canadians, will leave Canada, mostly for the the United States, but also return home, sometimes not long after arriving here, and sometimes after twenty years has passed.