Muzzle velocity is the speed of a projectile as it exits the barrel of a firearm. Former White House strategist Steve Bannon used the phrase to describe a high-speed relentless approach of pushing agendas through the media to overwhelm the public, particularly in political matters. Unfortunately, it is effective.
Throughout this year, I’ve been taking notes for column ideas while reading headlines. As a column angle took shape, something absurd happened via “muzzle velocity” to knock it askew, and I started planning again. I’ve also moved my business website over to a Canadian domain, causing disruption to my tiny enterprise. I’m hoping to return to my normal procedures in 2026, but “normal” is no longer guaranteed.
The world is burning, but it’s not our fault.
The fault lies at the feet of the rich as they plunder. Their jets and yachts, their culture wars, their distractions. The rich also control the governments, putting the Liberals, Conservatives, TrumpMAGA, Democrats, and others on the same coin that flip every so often. The faces just change.
Scientists have been warning about climate change for my whole life, and nothing has changed. I do my part. I have an environmental technology background (Services) and I recycle. But compared to large corporations, my personal footprint is minuscule, as is everyone else’s.
Locally, Newfoundland burned this summer. There were multiple wildfires in CBN, the St. John’s region, and across the entire island, putting us in a state of emergency. Living on the outer boundary of the emergency zone, I could smell the smoke billowing from the Kingston fire and hear the aircraft bombarding it. We were undergoing a drought then, and it was a true taste of climate change. As of now, the winter has dumped a decent amount of snow on us, but it remains to be seen if it’ll restore the balance and set the water cycle right. My late geologist father once theorized a new ice age, but I’m not seeing it on the horizon yet. My own theory involves a new desert region.
On top of climate change, the rich are hoarding the money that drive the global economies. There is truly no need for billionaires and potential trillionaires. These people can easily help all of humanity with their money and continue to be rich, yet they sit upon upon their mountains of gold like Smaug the dragon (The Hobbit, if you read Tolkien).
The ongoing tariffs and American threat to annex Canada are familiar if you read history. Canada essentially annexed Newfoundland in 1949 and destroyed our then-country’s potential – the prospect of being surrounded by the United States was likely one of the reasons for the push to acquire Newfoundland. In another historical parallel, the Dominion of Newfoundland imposed tariffs on Canada, which reflected back on us. Tariffs cause the originating country pain, not the other way around. I suppose if the United States annexes Canada in the future, the Canadians would get a taste of how Newfoundlanders felt. Perhaps due to a twist of fate because of Newfoundland’s intertwined history with the Americans, the annexed American territory of Canada will be boxed in by the State of Newfoundland (the actual 51st state). This is pure thought exercise, of course. The ongoing Project 2025 is a horror that I do not want inflicted upon us. I’ll probably have further thoughts on this in 2026.
Manipulation on social media has proven to be a cancer on society. There are days when I genuinely wish it would all vanish into a black hole. What once promised to connect people and democratize information has, in many ways, done the opposite. It has divided communities, eroded attention spans (…what was I doing again? oh right – writing this), and rewarding outrage over insight.
I keep my own accounts carefully curated, aware of the algorithms and the emotional traps they lay, but I can clearly see how easily others are swept up in the noise. Misinformation spreads faster than truth, outrage outshines thoughtful dialogue, and validation is reduced to likes and retweets. The line between genuine belief and manipulated opinion has blurred, and it’s no wonder trust in institutions, and even in each other, is fraying. While social media isn’t the root of all modern problems, it amplifies them in ways we’ve barely begun to understand. Technology is moving faster than human brains can keep up.
Pardon me, I was doomscrolling again, and I’m sure we all have Christmas stuff to do. Consume your news critically, survive the rising costs of everything, prepare for the worst, but hope for the best. Easy.
Stay safe out there.
