Sandy Garossino 🇨🇦🌻 Profile picture
Jun 24, 2020 10 tweets 2 min read Read on X
Important context re #Meng Wanzhou:

She is not the US DOJ’s primary target.

The indictment charges 3 other defendants, all corporate entities that the US can proceed against.
1/. #cdnpoli
In these matters it’s unusual to charge individuals.

When the US brought virtually identical charges against ZTE, they didn’t name anyone personally.
The decision to charge Meng appears to have been strategic.

In this case the DOJ, State, & Defense depts appeared to be working together to escalate against China.

Their theory has always been that China is a rational actor that will respond to increased sanctions.
China, however, seems to be playing another game, & now Canada is a punching bag of both.

The US could drop charges against Meng & continue against the Huawei conglomerate tomorrow.
It’s interesting that Pompeo has entered the game, calling for release of the Michaels

google.ca/amp/s/amp.cnn.…
The US does not want to be seen climbing down from a confrontation w China.

But it would be a blow to the US & victory for China if Canada intervenes & releases Meng.

Pompeo may be feeling a sudden need to support Canada here.
A straight up trade of Meng for the Michaels is a terrible precedent.

It would also be a blow to our relationship w the US.

At the same time, by overtly stating he would trade Meng for trade concessions, Trump turned Canada into a hostage-taker.
Bolton’s revelations only add more evidence to what Trump said himself—that he was and did use court proceedings as a deal-making weapon.

This presents an out for Canada.

We can refuse to play ball in a corrupt endeavour.
Interesting that both Pompeo & the EU have recently made statements.

Where have they been until now?

Outrageous that we’ve been isolated on the world stage while China holds hostages.
It may be that Canada is exerting influence behind the scenes to bring more allies on board.

Because we are not powerless.

We have the ability to end this by saying the US admin has tainted these proceedings by turning Meng into a trade pawn, & we’re not playing.

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More from @Garossino

Jul 27
Dear Elon @elonmusk

It was nice seeing you on Father’s Day. I hope you got the card that I helped X make. He was so proud of it.

I’m writing here as the only way I have to reach you.

As you know, my 93 year old mother is now at end-of-life palliative care.
She yearns to see and hold Claire’s children one last time. Especially the youngest, whom she has not yet met.

She was thrilled for the kids’ planned visit to celebrate her birthday this weekend. Today.

But those hopes were crushed when the trip was canceled.
I am alarmed to learn that the children cannot come as you are withholding them and their needed passport documents from Claire.

It was even more troubling to see you and X on television at the Olympics in Paris yesterday, after your DC trip earlier in the week.
Read 7 tweets
Apr 29
To listen to people today, you'd never know that HRC was the most admired woman in America every year from 2002-2017, and had rock star approval ratings during her Secretary of State years.

Higher than Obama. Nearly unprecedented.

Source: Gallup


Image
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HRC was so shredded and reviled across the political spectrum that she could not even attend the Women's March that massed on DC and across America as women gathered to mourn her defeat.
Despite a campaign marred by RU interference, Comey, a bizarre media fixation on emails, Jill Stein--

despite winning the popular vote by millions--

to this day the prevailing narrative was that she was a terrible candidate.

(NB--HRC was never a natural campaigner)
Read 5 tweets
Jan 31
In 2012 I began researching social media's failure to protect children & youth.

12 YEARS AGO I found rampant sexual blackmail/extortion of kids on the most popular sites.

Parents, media, the tech sector, educators consistently downplayed these findings.
I asked @Raffi_RC if he would join the effort to raise public awareness, & he did.

He also wrote a book--Light Web Dark Web--raising alarms over children's vulnerability to tech & social media addiction, something I had not yet grasped.

The response in 2012-15 was silence
The overwhelming sentiment a decade ago was that it was a) impossible & b) WRONG to regulate social media cos.

This view was so profoundly culturally entrenched that people really thought @Raffi_RC and I were crazy.

This was back when everyone thought Facebook was good
Read 7 tweets
Jun 30, 2023
Me on this latest #Meta & #Google business.

These companies are drawing ~$10 BILLION a year in ad revenue out of Canada--paying zero tax here on that income.

But they'll use mob tactics to skip out on a 3% tariff.

#cdnpoli
Torstar & Postmedia have, between them shed $600M annually in annual payroll since 2011.

Taxpaying Canadian journalists gone.

Just think of the journalism we Could. Have. Had.
Accurate & verified information is the lifeblood of democracy.

But not Facebook! Facebook's algorithm is coded to promote high engagement content--and rage is the highest value content.

Even when they know it's more likely to be misinformation

https://t.co/zx4671ssMowashingtonpost.com/technology/202…
Read 9 tweets
Jun 14, 2023
Some reflections on @garymasonglobe’s strong & important column—

🧵
If all the CPC in its many iterations over the years was to oppose the carbon tax for votes, it would be bad enough.

But they did more—so much more than just that.
Under Stephen Harper and then in Alberta under Jason Kenny, the Conservatives launched a near decade-long campaign smearing Canadian environmentalists as dangerous radicals.

For votes, they exploited public fear of terrorism to discredit anyone pushing for climate action.
Read 17 tweets
Jun 13, 2023
This is only a theory, but based on some (now years old) real world experience.

The fixation in some circles on pedophilia and child grooming may be completely misdirected but is not baseless.

Short thread:
The bizarre Qanon & other claims that there is an orchestrated child grooming campaign by the left and LGBTQ+ people is obviously false.

Yet, years ago, when I first looked at the dangers of social media for kids, it was clear that online predation was a growth industry.
It was growing at a hyper-exponential rate, & predators were establishing powerful networks, acting in concert with one another, and teaching each other.

I saw it back in 2012-13. Tried to ring alarm bells then.

Most of the public was oblivious and the tech world didn't care
Read 7 tweets

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