I have been challenged by an American citizen who is
of the opinion that only those in the USA need to be concerned about the US Presidential
Election this year (or any year for that matter).
BillyBobNotThornton said:
“… Canadians can keep their opinions to themselves because they don’t know what
they are talking about. American soldiers have been protecting Canada since the
late 19th Century with little or no thanks over the last 150 years
so you can keep your thoughts about Mr. Trump and shove them where the sun doesn’t
shine, because we don’t care… “
Well BillyBob, here’s a newsflash for you, the POTUS (President
Of The US) is one of the most public figures on the planet in this, the first half of the 21 st Century, and the one with (arguably) the most WMD
(Weapons of Mass Destruction) at his/her fingertips. His/Her state of mind when it
comes to working with other world leaders is crucial to prevent humankind from
being wiped off the face of the planet to be replace with other life forms, so the
outcome of the Presidential election needs to concern every person on the
planet who breathes oxygen.
That being said, many people from around the globe and
specifically from Canada, are watching the substantially elongated election
process like watching a slow train wreck. The question remains as to who the
survivors of this experience will be and placing short odds on who we do not
want to be the leader of the free world.
Many Canadians also observe America's political
spectacle with a sense of smugness. The unhinged rhetorical fusillades and open
conspiracies of Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, in particular, have become a form of
ironic reality show entertainment. "I would build a great wall" and
all the rest are laugh lines in the Canadian media.
We wonder: How could this great nation to our south
-- a beacon of liberty, and the West's great protector -- have become a place
where popular presidential candidates jabber about banning Muslims, or casually
propose "carpet bombing" Middle Eastern population centers?
BillyBob, these are the things of which nightmares
are formed. These are the words that will see the world plunged into another
global war, this time with more destructive power and a POTUS with an itchy
trigger-finger. A Republican POTUS the likes of Mr. Cruz or Mr. Trump will make
your worst nightmare seem like a happy place of joy and comfort.
Most of us travel to America, at least occasionally,
for vacations and work. We talk to Americans every day on Facebook and Twitter,
watch the same TV shows, follow the same sports. America is a friend, in other words. Even
left-leaning Canadians politicians such as Justin Trudeau will tell you as
much.
But the face that this friend has shown us during the
current presidential campaign -- of naked religious bigotry, of race paranoia,
of curdled nostalgia for mythologized "greatness" -- is not a face we
recognize or appreciate. And once the voting is done on November 8, we hope it
is a face that Americans never show to the world again.
If by
some form of natural disaster should overcome every other POTUS candidate, and Donald
Trump wins the upcoming U.S. election, Cape Breton Island is ready to welcome intelligent Americans looking for refuge in Canada. http://cbiftrumpwins.com/#intro
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