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I wrote to my Member of Parliament.
Why? As you know, President Donald Trump, despite his bridge treaty—not a deal, a treaty—from back during his first term, despite Canada having paid every penny of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge, has engaged in a gratuitous “shakedown” of Canada. The rumour is that Trump did his “shakedown” merely for the sake of one donor: He comes at such a cheap price.
The bridge crosses to Detroit, where Gordie Howe played for the Detroit Red Wings.
My letter begins:
Greetings,
I like how we tried to name the new bridge to be inclusive of the good people of Detroit, but now…
the US has claimed “sole authority” over an “economic fund.” From our bridge tolls.
Ya, but they still don’t have “sole authority” over the name, right?
We could honour the Red Wings jersey colours by naming it the Little Red Hen International Bridge.
Inevitable, some joker would put a steel sign or by the embankment of the little red hen being stabbed in the back by a big orange canary, but hey, Canada can’t take responsibility for some artist finding funding for a fancy sculpture.
…
Note: if you don’t know the story of the Little Red Hen, well, it is a children’s classic from 1874 that many folks with a North American childhood will know—and they will be sure to tell Trump! (My family had the little golden book) Here’s a shorter PDF link than the other tales I see on the web
… …
… …
Sean Crawford
safely off in Canada,
immune from the US Department of Justice,
while Trump, in the eyes of Americans,
is safely immune from science,
July, 2026
Blog note: Two posts back I wrote on writing to my elected representatives.
Apology note: I have fun labelling people as MAGA or Canadians, but maybe I shouldn’t. Years back I wrote an essay where a dog says don’t label me.
