Anger is an energy

Last year we spent a couple of weeks in the company of a hundred or more wealthy Americans, cruising the rivers of Europe. It was a great trip and they were mostly great travelling companions, but one thing we couldn't help noticing was how angry they were. Angry about immigration, angry about Obamacare, angry about Obama himself. Most of them proudly identified as Republicans.

That anger is plainly fueling the chaotic race for the GOP Presidential nomination,  particularly the rise of Donald Trump. One of Trump's most popular ideas has been his plan to build, at Mexico's expense, a wall along the entire border between the two countries. Now that idea has been, well, trumped by the suggestion that the US also needs a wall to separate itself off from Canada. This article, originally from Bloomberg News, suggests that the notion has the support of 41 percent of US voters, and has almost 50 percent backing in the southern states.

The Canada-US border is, according to the article, almost 9000 kilometres long -- for the benefit of US readers, that's better than 5000 miles. It goes without saying that a wall of that size would make the Great Wall of China look like your backyard fence. So it's not going to happen. Still, the article, much of which is tongue-in-cheek, contains a few snippets that are worth commenting on, to wit:

• Thomas Caldwell, a financial executive in Toronto, is quoted as saying "There's not a horde of Canadians rushing to get in to America, let me tell you". Well, yes and no, Tom. This morning as I was driving around the Niagara region, local radio was reporting delays of up to an hour at the border bridges, of which there are four in a twenty-mile stretch. A lot of my neighbours go to the US every week to stock up on groceries, even with the Canadian dollar at such a low level. Canadians may not want to be Americans, but they sure love to shop like them.

• Another Toronto financial executive -- well, this is Bloomberg -- mocks the 50 percent of southerners who want a wall: "They don't even know where Canada is". Probably some truth in that. A former colleague of mine, a Spaniard, loved to tell the tale of how he went to St Louis to study. One of the questions he was asked most often: how long did it take to drive from Spain to Missouri?  (Yes, I know St Louis isn't in the south, but it's a good story).

• The Donald says he wouldn't build a wall along the 49th parallel: "I love Canada", he says. Might not be mutual, big guy! One of the tallest new towers in Toronto has Trump's name on it. It's been a source of messy litigation because a lot of the buyers of units in the building, which is a hotel/condo thingy, claim they were misled about the income potential. Trump has remained aloof from the fray, noting that basically his only role was to cash a nice fat check for allowing his name to be used.  

• A Tory running for re-election in eastern Ontario asks how anyone could build a wall along the border in his neck of the woods, seeing as it's water -- the St Lawrence Seaway, to be precise. Good question, but we were in that area a few weeks ago and saw just how porous the border is down there. One small island has a very short bridge adorned with the flags of both countries, claimed to be the shortest crossing between the two countries. No fearsome looking border security types in evidence either.

This may all be good knockabout fun, but the wave of anger that even tempts otherwise rational people to latch on to such ideas as border walls is dangerous. As the continuing rise of Donald Trump shows, it's not going away -- and just today it's brought down John Boehner, plainly exhausted by the task of trying to keep the crazies in his own party in check.  Maybe it's us here in Canada that should be thinking about putting up a wall.