Hamas, Canada, Israel and Venezuela.

The Schloss-Blog has noticed that Hamas, Canada, Israel and Venezuela have a lot in common. Mostly that they have problems dealing with the United States or agreeing to the United States' terms in trade, war and/or tourism.

And it's hurting Americans. And America.

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Israel keeps bombing Gaza. And other areas in the Middle East. The fragile ceasefire in the area, principally between Israel and Hamas, is not exactly what you would call, "holding." Israel appears to have no interest in ending the war (which might subsequently be seeing Netanyahu being prosecuted), ceasefire notwithstanding.

Trump's Nobel Prize campaign will die in a bomb crater in Gaza.

And maybe in Ukraine. His peace proposal for Russia and Ukraine looks more like a Russian wish list than a peace plan. Russia would get to keep the ground gains it has won these last three-plus years, much to the disdain of the Ukrainians.

Nobel Peace Prize? More like Nobel-Ruski. 

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Meanwhile, our Canadian friends aren't flying south in their usual numbers this season, so far.

Airlines are reporting fewer and fewer bookings between Canadian hubs and U.S. vacation centers across the Sun Belt.

During the first six months along of 2025, Canadian travel to the United States is off by 20% from a year ago.

Even Canadians coming to the U.S. by car is way off, witness "...The number of Canadians returning from travel to the U.S. via automobile declined sharply from January to August 2025, down almost 33% from the same period in 2024, according to Statistics Canada."

Fun times, huh?

On a personal note, Canadians I ran into regularly at a golf course in Phoenix, every Sunday when I played there with my friends, told us repeatedly that they were not thinking of coming back to Arizona because of Trump's ever-increasing tariffs on Canada and his ongoing poor attitude toward our neighbor to the north, terming Canada the "51st state."

Canadians are trending toward staying away because of "...The trade war, Trump's rhetoric and the weak Canadian dollar [that has] made Canadians feel "unwelcome" in the U.S.," according to a statement from Canada to USA, which offers "cross-border services" to Canadians traveling to the U.S.

Delightful ... eh?

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Hey, get this. Venezuela, and its leaders, are members of a foreign terrorist organization.

Kid you not.

Those drug-trafficking South Americans, they should know better than to sneak fentanyl onto fishing boats, tourist boats and/or pleasure cruisers. The U.S. will blow them out of the water.

And when that is not enough, we'll just flat out invade your puny little country ... so little that it produces a lot of oil while most of the fentanyl comes from ... oh yeah, Mexico.

But we're not bombing Mexican boats out of the Caribbean, are we? Nor are we invading Mexico, our No. 1 trading partner. Period! So far, 22 Venezuelan-port boats have been hit in 11 different attacks, with no proof of drugs or smugglers aboard, and 80 people killed.

Eighty! No proof. Sort of what ICE does when it detains and deports anyone who it profiles as not looking American. No proof.

Trump, however,, plain and simple, wants authoritarian Nicolas Maduro out so he can get a more American-friendly leader in.  And Trump continues to say it's all in the name of cutting off the drug trade, or else we'll do something land-based in Venezuela.

Just what we need - a South American version of Vietnam, with American boots on the ground in Venezuela. I'm sure Brazil, Argentina, Chile, et. al., are celebrating the possibility of American troops in nearby Venezuela. 

What's next - a raid on the Central American, drug-running leaders in Panama? No, wait...

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Have a nice Thanksgiving? We spent ours at 33,000 feet. Illinois, cold weather, snow, slick roads, we are back.

Jordan, Erin, you're worth it.

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Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, hostess of hostesses, Emily Capdevielle. 

More Sunday night on my Radio Free Phoenix rock 'n' roll show.