<html><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div class="ApplePlainTextBody" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="font-kerning: auto;"><table role="presentation" width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td width="550" align="left"><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; max-width: 550px; width: 550px; margin: 0px auto;"><div dir="auto" style="padding: 32px 0px 0px; line-height: 26px;"><div role="region" aria-label="Post header" style="line-height: 26px;"><table role="presentation" width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin: 1em 0px; height: 20px;"><tbody><tr><td align="right"><table role="presentation" width="auto" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: middle;"><a href="https://substack.com/@charlieangus" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank"></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div dir="auto" style="padding: 32px 0px 0px; line-height: 26px;"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: initial; line-height: 26px; width: 550px; word-break: break-word; margin-bottom: 16px;"><div style="line-height: 26px; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); margin: 0px auto 32px;"><p style="color: rgb(54, 55, 55); line-height: 26px; margin: 32px 0px; text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><i>"Those who cannot remember their past are condemned to repeat it."</i><br>— George Santayana</p></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(54, 55, 55); line-height: 26px;">We are on the 80th anniversary of the end of the Nazi war in Europe.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(54, 55, 55); line-height: 26px;">Almost all the veterans who were involved in the liberation of Europe are gone. And yet, this anniversary seems more relevant than ever. Fascist ideology is creeping back into the mainstream. A new generation of innocents are suffering the violence of gangster regimes.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(54, 55, 55); line-height: 26px;">Already, America's desecrator-in-chief has tried to smear the meaning of the anniversary. May 8 (V-E Day) once symbolized the success of the global alliance against fascism. Trump is determined to break this alliance apart. He and his minions regularly denigrate America's allies. He has publicly shrugged off an invasion of Canada as “unlikely” as though a military attack on our nation is dependant on his whims. On this anniversary, he is determined to make it a celebration of America and America alone.</p><blockquote style="border-left-width: 4px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(0, 124, 137); margin: 20px 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; color: rgb(54, 55, 55); line-height: 26px;">"We did more than any other country in producing a victory," he boasted.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; color: rgb(54, 55, 55); line-height: 26px;">"Nobody was even close to us in terms of strength, bravery or military brilliance…"</p></blockquote><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(54, 55, 55); line-height: 26px;">What a far cry from General Eisenhower who was chosen by the Allied powers to lead the European liberation. Eisenhower knew he was speaking, not as an American, but as a representative of all free people when he gave the D-Day landing orders:</p><blockquote style="border-left-width: 4px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(0, 124, 137); margin: 20px 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; color: rgb(54, 55, 55); line-height: 26px;">"The eyes of the world are upon you. The hope and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe."</p></blockquote><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(54, 55, 55); line-height: 26px;">Such idealism is beyond the narcissistic pathology of Trump and his enablers. </p><div style="line-height: 26px;"><hr style="margin: 32px 0px; padding: 0px; height: 1px; background: rgb(230, 230, 230); border: medium;"></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(54, 55, 55); line-height: 26px;">In Canada, we will commemorate May 8 with the lighting of the CN Tower in red and white. The colours, of course, represent our flag. But few know that the Canadian flag also symbolizes the cost of freedom – the red represents the blood spilled by Canada fighting for others, and the white represents peace and tranquillity.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(54, 55, 55); line-height: 26px;">The people of the Netherlands and Belgium have never forgotten the sacrifice of the red and white. Unlike Trump's trashy April 2nd "Liberation Day" stunt, the people of the Netherlands take to the streets on May 5 to commemorate a true <i>Liberation Day.</i></p><div style="line-height: 26px; margin: 32px auto;"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td align="left" width="1362" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://substack.com/redirect/ce028456-476f-472b-b37e-984af44ed364?j=eyJ1IjoiMmhpNWp4In0.mYtoKrthzDDBipfWK-mIOODaVrH2OJQbO2ZRSGW9P8A" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" style="padding: 0px; width: auto; height: auto; border: medium; text-decoration: none; display: block; margin: 0px;"></a></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>