David, Goliath, and Trade Wars

There's a lot that people get wrong about the parable of David and Goliath. For one thing, Goliath was not the giant that everyone thought he was. The Greek translations of the Old Testament have him at about 6 feet 9 inches or so. So think more NBA player than giant. And David's sling was not a child's toy. It was a military weapon. Skilled slingers could launch stones past 100 miles an hour. Ancient warfare manuals of the day talk about slingers hitting birds in flight. They were as deadly as archers. People get a lot wrong about that story. The American tariffs against Canada and Mexico are now in place, but I don't think the rest of the world realizes that Trump is trying to wield his country's giant size against them too. Next week, America places an additional 25% tariff on aluminum and steel from around the world. That stacks on top of the existing tariffs, so now American companies have to pay 50% on top of Canadian metals. Then April 2nd, an additional tariff on all agricultural products from around the world. The same day, a tariff on all foreign cars entering the US. All of them. Brute force. Dumb and simple-minded, sure, but also naive. The big fighters hit the hardest, but that's not what wins fights. Canada, Mexico, and China are the 3 largest trading partners of the US, accounting for more than 40% of US imports and exports last year. We supply America with everything from crude oil to copper wire, from cucumbers to toilet paper, chocolate to lumber. And now we are using our small size to our advantage. Precision, strategy, and planning. Canada has counter-terrors on the same 25% on $155 billion of American goods, and that's just federal. The province of Ontario alone is canceling all contracts with American companies. Some provinces like mine, BC, are putting the penalties only on the red states. It's another thing that biblical scholars agree on: Goliath's eyesight was terrible. He actually had a pituitary gland tumor. He literally had tunnel vision. That's why an attendant had to help him get around. 1 Samuel 17:7: His shield bearer went ahead of him. The place where David and Goliath fought we call Israel today. David bent down, picked up 5 smooth stones from a brook. Most biblical historians believe that those stones were made of barium sulfite, a heavy mineral. Canadians consider these tariffs an act of war because it's not about fentanyl. It's never been about fentanyl. This is about crippling the Canadian economy so he can annex our country. And why does he want Canada to become part of the US? Because we have the oil, the resources. We also have a lot of heavy minerals. Which reminds me, there's one other thing that people seem to get wrong about that story, or at least forget. Which one of them won?